Staycations are a fun way to be a tourist in your own town without the hassle of traveling-anxiety, traveling expenses like flights, corona-virus fear, and worrying about the weather. Vacations are great, however, there are so many components that add stress that staycations avoid completely. You also don’t have to worry about finding a pet-sitter if you have animals. Research shows that in 2020, many countries shopped from their local businesses due to COVID. You can also support local businesses and the economy that directly serves you and your community.
Why staycations are new and best yet affordable vacations?
Here’s a list of reasons I prefer staycations are your next wonderful vacations.
1. Easier to Plan
A staycation is easier to plan… especially during times of a pandemic. Couples can also have many romantic staycation ways. A staycation is safer during these skeptical times. Staycations are magical; they are the time to truly reflect on all the things in your life, your current and future path, any changes you want to make in your hometown, as well as, a time to really appreciate the place where you live. They are times to express gratitude for all the things you have at your fingertips and not take anything for granted.
2. No-Stress Luxury
Vacations are a high-stress luxury, especially in today’s world. From planning a hotel to making sure you’re in a safe area… you can get super worried about the cost and the safety of where you will be staying and whether or not you will have to worry about your belongings being stolen or robbed.
With staycations, you can simply camp in your backyard. You can put up a hammock or a tent and enjoy the safety of your own neighborhood. You also won’t have to spend any additional money because your home is already yours! Moreover, you can do many activities and explore ideas for a winter staycation with kids.
3. No Transportation Expenses
Staycations do not require flight expenses, boat expenses, train expenses, taxi expenses, or any sort of transportation fees. You can drive your car to check out the nearest museum you never got around to seeing, or take a day trip to the beach that’s a few miles away. You can spend your day in the comfort of your own car without worrying about tips for your driver or budgeting out flight costs.
4. Coronavirus-Free Vacations
Coronavirus has played a big part in the fear of traveling this year. Has everybody sanitized properly, are people distancing themselves physically? These internal thoughts can replay in your head over and over and over again. Not stressing about the cleanliness of the planes, hotels, and new people you meet is a huge pro of staycations. With staycations, you get plenty of time to spend with your family and kids at home.
Vacations are fun because you get to meet new people and create new experiences, however, with Corona-virus those possibilities are limited and people are not out and about socializing with one another. A staycation is a time to reflect with those closest to you and with yourself; Enjoy with your family; it’s perfect during these hard times and during the pandemic.
5. No Fear About Unpredictable Weather Conditions
Have you ever planned a vacation and then found out that a hurricane is headed your way? You then have to cancel all your flights, your hotel, and activities only to get a partial refund? If anything at all… A staycation allows you to be in the comfort of your home without worrying about the weather. You can play games, have a spa day, and you do not have to worry about a hurricane or a stormy day ruining your snorkeling excursion. It is a shame to spend money on something and then not be able to do it because of the weather.
6. Stay with Your Pet
Staycations allow you to stay with your pets. Finding a good pet sitter can be hard, not to mention expensive! Will they feed the pets enough, take the dogs on enough walks, clean out the litter box twice daily? These are worries you won’t have during a staycation.
Your pets will be with you and can enjoy their staycation alongside you. Nobody likes to put their dogs in a kennel either. It is very expensive and unfair to lock up your pets. You won’t have to deal with the guilt of finding a home for your babies while you’re away when you don’t go away!
7. Chance to Support Local Businesses
Do you support your local community? Staycations promote a booming economy in your own neighborhood. You get to try out that new bakery down the road and supply an income to a local business. You get to encourage and fund your family, your community. You get to try the new Italian restaurant that just opened two streets down.
You also get to try out a lot of new places during a vacation, but you won’t be supporting your local businesses and you will have to budget further out depending on exchange rates and the unknown prices of traveling both around the country and abroad. It is important to budget staycations because you might think you can do all the things and then not realize you had gone overboard.
8. Vacation At Your Home
Does planning every activity every day stress you out? Sometimes taking a vacation can be more stressful than enjoyable. You can feel like you have to do all the things in that area in order to make the most out of your stay. You can feel like you have no free time because you have to cross off all the to-do’s on the list of places to visit and things to see. A staycation is literally in your home and there’s no place like home.
You can plan activities you’ve always wanted to do but also take time for yourself. Turn off those work emails and just spend a day listening to nature and fulfilling your passions. You won’t run out of time in your home so you can move as slowly or as quickly as you want. A staycation is truly a time of reflection and gratitude for the way you live, whereas a vacation is a getaway and an escape into another world. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not as restful and replenishing as a staycation.
The Bottom Line
The benefits of staycations are many. 2020 has been a year full of hardship for everyone. Vacations have been limited and social interaction has been restricted. But something that hasn’t been taken away from us is ourselves. We still have who we are and we still have our homes. There is no better time than to support the people who are around you than now.
To show up and fuel life back into the economy and yourself. Take a few days or a week off and do the things you love without adding additional stress and worry to your life that a vacation brings. Staycations are a relaxing way to have vacations without your anxieties controlling you!
Read more about Christmas staycation tips.
