The ‘staycation’ brings new meaning to the phrase “wish you were here.”
the ‘staycation’ has been growing in popularity in the past few years and not just because it’s a fun, new word to say. one of the top reasons is because it’s less expensive to stay home (or near home) than buy plane tickets and accommodations for the entire family! plus, dealing with air travel to kick off a vacation isn’t always a fun way to set the tone. consider, too, that you can take a staycation any time of year, not just when school’s out. i personally believe that another reason staycations are gaining popularity is because our culture is now so fast-paced that sometimes we forget to appreciate what we have within our immediate access.
whatever your reason for opting for the ‘staycation’ route, there are plenty of ways to maximize your time off!
to prepare:
- set your “out of office” and any other auto-responders so you can truly take time off work
- remember to turn off ‘push notifications’ on your cell phone while you are at it
- if you’re obsessed with always checking the time, put your clocks at home away!
- your watch might also like a little vacation in your dresser drawer
- think about how you would define this time off as a “success” by the end of it (this is your own definition)
- if you are staycationing with your spouse and/or kids, make sure you hear what they are wanting/needing from it too
during:
- be fully present
- we often do not feel truly recharged if we have one foot still working and the other foot trying to relax. go all in!
- have a good mix of things that make you feel completely relaxed as well as what is important to other family members
- think about how you want to spend your time off
- is it important to you to enjoy your home and have downtime?
- do you want to play tourist in a neighboring town or even your own?
- do you want some structure or completely by the seat of your pants?
- pamper yourself!
- you could hire an in-house masseuse
- order take out or visit that new restaurant you keep meaning to try
- get a manicure/pedicure
- hire a cleaning service like Maid Brigade to give your house an extra deep clean while you are out exploring
after:
- think back to your definition of what a successful staycation looked like to you and raise a glass in that accomplishment!
- you probably want to bring the clocks back out and turn off those auto-responders
- start thinking about your next one! i think we can all agree that it’s easier to get back to work if we have something else fun to look forward to!
have you taken a ‘staycation’ before? how did you spend yours?
