A Staycation..
The holiday you are having when you can’t afford a holiday
Do you desperately need a holiday but lack the time and funds to pack your bags and escape for an overseas vacay? When you’re trying to juggle your everyday life around annual leave and other commitments, it can be very hard to carve out that much -needed downtime. Karen Sander has the perfect tips for the ultimate “staycation” right in your very own backyard.
STAYCATION TIP
Now there have to be some rules about having a staycation. Here are 10 points you must be mindful of:
Ditch your routines, this is staycation time.
Working of any type is to be frowned upon. If you get the urge to turn on the computer and work or answer work calls, then you have missed the point.
Take photos – make a photo book or a slideshow of your staycation.
Act like a tourist in your own town or city.
Spoil yourself, this is important, you deserve this holiday.
Send a postcard to yourself. Tell yourself all the things you are enjoying on holidays
Smell the roses – get in touch with nature.
Chores are to be kept to the absolute minimum and definitely no DIY projects.
It must be fun, you must laugh and smile and it must have an element of relaxation. You need to feel like you have recharged your batteries when you return to your routine. This is mandatory.
Tell everyone all about your staycation when you return to work or to your routine. You may not have been abroad, but you have been on a break, share your experience, someone else may then get the hint and try it.
For the past 4 years, I have watched my friends fly all over the world experiencing exotic holidays. Whether they are skiing, swimming in Greece, watching the northern lights, even cruising the Galapagos Islands. I listen as they discuss their plans and watch with envy as they post photos on social media boasting of the wonderful time they are having. Here I am feeling sorry for myself, toiling away at work, not a hint of a trip in sight because my hip pocket won’t allow it.
I really needed and deserved a break, but felt if I wasn’t going to use the time effectively then I may as well just keep working, that is until I started to read about staycations.What an effectively coined word – Stay and Vacation – And yes the word hints to staying home and having a vacation. Really how can that be? It’s just home, same old routine, same surroundings, same city, same climate, same bed.
I decided to check out what all the fuss was about this staycation thing. Does it stack up? Will I get the holiday I so much needed and desired? I set my inquisitive mind to work, learning what a staycation was all about. It turned out to be oh so very simple. Stay at home and treat your downtime as a vacation.
A staycation needs a bit of planning and has some huge advantages for just about anyone including the baby boomers, singles, and young families.We all get caught up trying to keep up with the Jones’ spending our hard earned dollars globetrotting.
When it comes to planning a staycation the research can be done on the internet, searching for activities that you might not normally do every other week and be choosing the ones that tickle your fancy.
A staycation is a great way to save money, no need to book hotels, car hire, flights or other modes of expensive transport. You don’t have to pack, get a passport, visas, injections, or spend long periods of time at airports or in transit. It is not even necessary to have travel insurance, not much chance of your luggage being misplaced or being offloaded on an overbooked flight, which happened to my sister just last month. As you know these incidental items all add up to a small fortune.
In examining my options for a staycation in Sydney, my hometown, I found plenty to do.
A theatre is a great option, take a friend and spend a day over lunch and a matinee session of the latest musical, play or concert.
The zoo – a day: at the zoo with a picnic. The Art Gallery….A museum
A day trip to the Hunter Valley wineries or wineries or to the Blue Mountain – pretend you are a tourist.
Take the hop on hop off the ferry and visit all the interesting stops around the harbor. Fort Denison is a great place to have a million dollar view of the city, the bridge, and the Opera House, do a tour, hear the cannon
fire and eat lunch.Just relax and see the city from a tourist’s point of view…
What about planning a progressive dinner with friends, start at one person’s home or one restaurant for an entree, move to the next for main course and then again to another venue for dessert. This can be so
much fun.You can make each venue walking distance so no need to worry about parking, driving, or being caught for DUI if you are having a drink at each place.
So that is for Sydney, but every city in Australia has numerous places to visit. Dr. Google or your favorite search engine will take you give you all the information you need from the touch of your keyboard.
But what about families. Young kids? Why not camp in your own backyard and have a night together outside under the stars by the campfire, singing songs, toasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories.
Or you could let each of the kids plan an event. Look for affordable events where you can take your own lunch and catch public transport. Dare to think outside the box. Make it a game to find a great activity for the whole family that is affordable. The family member who chooses the activity has to help plan it. It is so much more fun when you have input into organizing it. It also helps build life skills!
Perhaps now you might consider a staycation. Investigate your hometown and its surrounds and you may just surprise yourself and have one of the best holidays without even leaving home.
Written by Karen Sander
