This post is by our regular Wednesday contributor, Erin.
In light of the fact that DC will be going away to Hawaii soon (making us all jealous), I wanted to highlight the value in selecting a staycation over an actual vacation.
Sometimes, a big grand tropical vacation just isn’t in the budget. Or maybe you have other priorities.
That doesn’t mean we should look at taking time off from work as “boring”, though. We can all use some time off, even if it’s simply spent in the comfort of our own home, or within city limits.
Before we get to covering how to make your staycation awesome, you need to figure out what you want to do! Hopefully the four options I cover here (relaxing, productive, adventurous, and luxurious) will help you get an idea of what you want your staycation to look like.
With these 4 options, you can spend as much or as little as you want to. Unless you’re truly planning on relaxing and never leaving the house, you should set a budget for your staycation (especially if you have children).
Let’s get to it!
Have a Relaxing Staycation
To you, a staycation means taking a break from everything, unplugging, and recharging. You have no desire to check-in with your work email, or to run a bunch of errands. This is your time to sleep-in and bask in the glory of having next-to-no responsibilities.
- Read a book or two: How many of you have a backlog of books on your reading list? *raises hand* I have been horrible about making time for reading. A staycation is the perfect time to make a trip to the library, and settle down with a book.
- Take time to write: You don’t have to be a blogger to enjoy this one. Perhaps you want to reconnect with your creative roots and try to write poetry, a short story, or heck, even outline a novel! I’ve found that writing is best done when you’re relaxed and can focus, making it a great activity to enjoy on your staycation.
- Marathon shows or movies: So many people binge watch seasons of shows on Netflix, this probably doesn’t need to be mentioned, but try to get creative. Have a “theme” to stick to with movies, or ask everyone to contribute their favorites to the mix.
- Play through video games: Video games might get some hate, but if you’re anything like my friends and I, you have a backlog of games you want to play through. What better time to do it when you can continuously play through them?
- Have a board game night: Playing board games with your family or friends is a great form of cheap entertainment. Don’t forget to include puzzles – while they may not be traditional board games, they are fun to piece together with a team. Check out the board game Spy Alley or Cards Against Humanity if you want to try something new.
- Get artsy: If reading and writing aren’t your thing, maybe painting, sewing, knitting, drawing, or graphic design are. I know there’s a few of you out there with artistic hobbies – get back in touch with them!
Be Productive on Your Staycation
It’s perfectly fine if you can’t just rest and stay still for your entire staycation. If you want to feel accomplished by the end of your time off, then this is the route to go.
I would caution you to schedule in some days of relaxation, though. You don’t want to overwork yourself to exhaustion and dread going back to work!
- Complete a project that’s bothering you: While I’m not a homeowner, I know a few, and there always seems to be that one frustrating project that gets pushed back. Take the time to get it done. In doing so, hopefully you’ll have a little less household stress to deal with!
- Deep clean your home: Yes, this is one that can be outsourced, and if you have the budget for it, go ahead. But maybe you’re someone who enjoys cleaning when they have some peace and quiet around them.
- Get organized: When people think of cleaning their house, they don’t necessarily equate that with filing paperwork away appropriately, having their closet organized, or having their pantry all tidy. If you’re an organizational freak (like my color-coded closet self), try focusing on the little things in your home.
- Cook enough meals to last you a week: Or more! Batch cooking is for those who want to be super productive, and have it pay off. By taking advantage of the time you have now, you can cut down time spent on preparing meals later. If your kids are around, try getting them to lend a hand.
- Work on that side hustle: Whether that means starting one, developing it a bit more, or actually experimenting to see if you like working on your side hustle full-time, do it! This might not fit into everyone’s idea of a staycation, but I know a few of you out there take advantage of time off to get ahead with blogging.
- Learn a new skill: Have you been wanting to learn how to code, how to play guitar, or how to knit? Take the time to work on a new skill that’s either useful at work or as a hobby. Watch some YouTube videos, read tutorials, or take an online course!
Make Your Staycation an Adventure
Are you feeling adventurous and want to explore the city you live in? These ideas will help.
This is also a great idea if you’ve recently moved to a new area and want to get to know it. There’s no better way than to be a tourist in your own city.
- Browse deal sites: This idea ties in well with all the following ideas. If you have no idea what there is to do in your city, and you want to make sure you’re getting a decent price, then try browsing Groupon or Livingsocial for local deals.
- Try a new restaurant: Is there a new restaurant in town that has recently opened its doors? Is it getting amazing reviews? Go try it out!
- Explore museums and historical sites: Do you live in a town rich with history? Many cities have various historical locations you can take a tour of, and if not, look for local museums to check out.
- Look at your city’s website: How many of you still do this? Or look in the newspaper for local events? If you don’t, you should! Most cities advertise their calendar of events on their websites. Also, make sure you look at your library’s website as well – they often host movie nights or concerts.
- Take part in a winter activity: This one is seasonal (and appropriate) – if you live near a mountain, get a day pass to go skiing, snowboarding, or snow tubing!
- Enjoy the outdoors: Alternatively, if it’s warmer by you (or you don’t mind the cold), you can always go hiking, biking, or running through various trails.
- Invite family over: Depending on the type of family you have, that is. If your parents don’t get to see their grandkids enough, invite them over to partake in all the aforementioned ideas!
Splurge on a Luxury Staycation
If your budget is high enough for a couple of splurges, but not high enough to get you to anywhere you really want to go (like Hawaii), consider having a lavish staycation instead.
That’s right – pull out all the stops and treat yourself without guilt!
I’m not going to highlight any particular ideas here; you can use your imagination. If there’s something you’ve been wanting to try in your city, this is a great opportunity to explore.
Too often, we don’t treat ourselves because we’re focused on our various financial goals. Instead, use this as an opportunity to do all the things you find yourself wishing you could do.
Have that fancy 5 course meal at the coveted restaurant in town. Take a romantic horse and carriage ride around the city. Go have a look at that place tourists are always raving about. Enjoy yourself and your time off.
___________
There you have it – 4 ways to make a staycation awesome instead of boring. I hope this inspires some of you to take time off and enjoy it. Just because you can’t make it to an exotic location doesn’t mean your vacation time is being wasted!
Have you taken a staycation? What’s your favorite way of enjoying them? Could you use one soon?
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I would just like to go wherever this picture is. You know what…I am a firm believer in creating a good experience at home. Since January I have been busy organizing my home and sort of adding a spa retreat flare to my bedroom and bathroom. It is amazing what you can do at home to make it feel like a vacation.
Given that I have a two year old, simply staying home in bed with the ability to sleep would be an amazing vacation. I love her but miss relaxing ;)
I like taking a few days off with the kids at home from time to time. We don’t have to do anything exciting to have fun! I wouldn’t necessarily count is as a vacation, but it is definitely quality time.
These are all great ideas Erin. We had a staycation between Christmas and New Year’s since we had hosted my whole side of the family for Thanksgiving. We locked up our computers for most of the week and just had fun with the kids.
For me, the best thing I can do on a staycation is plan it! Even if that means planning to watch movies, read, relax, etc. When I am intentional with what I’m going to do in my free time, I actually enjoy it more and don’t feel like I should be doing something else.
These are all great ways to have a staycation! We plan on having a small staycation before we move so that we can do some things around our city that we know we will miss.
These are great tips. I’ll be honest, I HATE staycations. I’ve always felt cheated if I can’t escape to a new or usually warmer location but this year financial obligations are probably going to mean it’s staycation time so I’m going to put on a good attitude and try your tips out.
I hate staycations too. Maybe if I had someone to cook and clean up for me I would like them more, but no matter how much I would try to relax, life’s chores would get in my way.
Great tips Erin! I’ve never actually gone the staycation route before, but it’s something I’m really intrigued by. Especially with a baby, packing up and staying overnight somewhere else is not so much fun. Sleeping in our own home while enjoying all that our city has to offer would really be the best of both worlds!
Debtfreemartini It looks calm, right? I very much agree with you, especially as a homebody. I want to feel welcome in my own place, though renting makes that a tad difficult. I helped my parents redo the bathrooms at their old house and it made SUCH a difference!
PlungedinDebt I can’t blame you at all!
Holly at ClubThrifty When I was younger, my mom worked at a school, so she essentially had the same schedule as me. Spending the day with her just doing whatever was always fun!
FrugalRules That sounds great, John! Sometimes it’s just a matter of focusing on your family and letting go of the technology.
Financegirl I totally agree with you – I’m a planner through and through. If I didn’t set guidelines, I’d probably end up regretting how I spent my time on vacation.
SenseofCents That’s a lovely idea! We still need to explore the city we moved to, but on the few occasions we’ve done that, it’s been a lot of fun.
HollySanford They’re definitely not for everyone, and I can see why, as a change of scenery is always nice. I think the next best option is to stay with family nearby, if you can. I often take small trips to stay with my parents – they live near a beach 3.5 hours away. Much cheaper than flying somewhere, and I still get to relax in a different environment!
Eyesonthedollar I don’t think there’s anything wrong with deciding to spend a vacation at home and hiring things out, or ordering meals and having them delivered. I’m horrible at relaxing at home as well, so I usually just plan for getting work done some days alongside relaxing.
EmbracingSimple You should try it! Sometimes traveling is a bit of a hassle. I’ve never really had an “official” staycation either – I’ve just lived through a lot of them thanks to my parents. =)
Oh lord I could really use a real VACATION soon, not just a staycation, although I’ll take what I can get. One bonus of living in LA, and Cali in general is the myriad of options you have to get away from it all for free or cheap. Even a drive up the coast is relaxing (on a weekend when traffic isn’t a nightmare). I’m seriously due for something VERY soon!
I love to travel and get away, but staycations definitely have their place. We don’t do them often but when we do, I like them to actually be a bit of a combo of relaxing, productive, adventure and luxury. And living in LA, as Tonya mentioned, does make it a bit easier to do a little bit of everything. Plus, lots of time with my daughters. Last year I took a week off and spent most of it playing with them and it was one of the best weeks of my life.
Beachbudget I’ve seen a few video clips of people driving their motorcycles around the coast of Cali, and I always wanted to do that! Scenic drives are awesome (sans traffic). Here’s hoping you get some relaxation in soon. =)
I am a HUGE fan of the stay cation! Hubby and I like to hang out in bed and binge watch shows that we have never seen before. Over the holidays we watched the first season of Rescue Me while hanging out in bed.
ShannonRyan Aw, that’s so sweet! I loved having exclusive staycations with my mom when I was younger. My dad was usually busy working, so we would do puzzles, bake, or go to the park. I’m with you on having a mix of things to do!
I love to travel so I usually leave for vacations. A staycation does sound pretty interesting though. I would get a nice hotel room with a jacuzzi and relax for the week.
blonde_finance That sounds great, and very similar to what my fiance and I did when we were first together. He had a week off, I was on break from college – we just watched tv and played games! Very lowkey.
Jason @ The Butler Journal I tried looking around for local hotels with a jacuzzi once, and I was really disappointed that there weren’t many available! A day at the spa would be a nice alternative, though.
Hey Erin, 2 articles this week is it? You really know how to pick a cool topic!
Over the recent holiday period I had forced leave of about 10 days i.e. we shut down the office and it was great to play some tennis, catch up with friends and family, watch some sport, check out an art gallery here in Sydney and have a picnic lunch in the park/do some reading :)
Cool tips thought as well!
mycareercrusade Those all sound like great activities! Love the variety. Also jealous that you guys have warmer weather right now. =)
interesting post! thanks for sharing! during my staycation I tend to read, write and try at least one new thing!!! this year I am focused on saving so I am planning several diy projects, writing projects and finish to read all books I’ve biught-but not read yet-during summer 2014
We love the staycation! It’s kind of what we do on the weekends to maintain our $0 entertainment budget too. One of our goals for 2015 is actually to explore the New England region more, so we’ll planning on doing little day trips around our area and playing tourist. I’m really looking forward to these little mini-vacations!
icejules2 That sounds awesome! Back when I was in school, summer always meant reading as much as I possibly could. I love that you’re focused on saving!
Mrs. Frugalwoods We incorporate these ideas to help with entertainment costs, too. Day trips are seriously the best! You have a little mini-getaway and get to go back to your own bed at the end of the day.
Great post!! We are huge fans of day trips, which are kind of like staycations! A day trip is the best of both worlds because you get to explore a new area but still come home at night. With two little ones, it’s not really worth it for us to pay to stay at a hotel when neither one of our kids will sleep. Honestly I kind of feel like everyday is a staycation for me since I work from home and can do what I want, haha :)
I took the kids 45 minutes a way to a hotel with points for a night. It was a vacation for my wife with no kids, and pretty much a staycation for me too since we weren’t too far away. Good time.
I am so over staycations right now. We did one in the past and both really regret it. If we lived in a big city where there would be more places to explore, perhaps I would feel a bit differently, but for me a vacation is a sense of adventure, or a complete detachment from all the lingering things at home. Just like with blogging, there are always more things to be doing at home.
Agreed! It’s beautiful over here at this time of year provided you like hot weather haha.. Very dry heat so probably not for everyone but I love an Aussie summer, unfortunately at this stage I spend most of my weekdays inside :O, working on that one :)
Sarah Brooks I agree – day trips are definitely the best of both worlds. I always enjoy exploring a nearby city, and there are so many possible day trips to take in Charlotte!
Mark@BareBudgetGuy That’s a great idea, Mark! What a nice gift for your wife. =)
moneypropeller I can certainly understand that viewpoint, especially if you only have, say, a week worth of vacation. Spending it at home isn’t very exciting, and I can imagine it’s worse if you’re used to traveling or place a high priority on seeing new places.
I used to do this all the time in college. I didn’t want to go back home on my breaks, and all of my friends lived in the city where we went to school. I would take a week off of work and do things around town. It was awesome to go out to restaurants, watch movies, and relax at spas without having to worry about work or school. I think it’s important to have that relaxation time, and a lot of times, you’ll lose your days off if you don’t use them.
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