Would you rather spend your precious time off at airports, in uncomfortable beds, and never-ending car rides, or relaxing at home?
Though vacations to exotic destinations scratch the adventurous itch, sometimes the staycation offers more of what we need.
What is a Staycation?
antoniodiaz via Shutterstock.com.
A staycation is a portmanteau of “stay” and “vacation,” which describes a holiday at home. Instead of using your paid time off to take a trip to an exotic location, you stay home and enjoy the things you already have.
Although the trendy term originated in the early 2000s, people have been spending their free time at home for decades.
And for good reason.
Why Your Next Vacation Should Be a Staycation
Discover 12 compelling reasons to swap your vacation for a staycation, enjoying a blissful few days at home without the work worries hanging over your head.
Less Stress
A getaway may not be your ticket to much-needed rest and relaxation.
If you need a vacation to relax, decompress, and forget about work, a staycation will suit your needs far more than traveling somewhere. There’s something freeing about not having any plans, not going anywhere, and not being tied to an itinerary.
When you stay home, you don’t have to worry about traveling planning, schedules, getting to places on time, or thinking about what you will do/see.
A staycation reigns supreme if you want a vacation to escape the stress.
Save Money
Traveling gets expensive. Lodging, airfare, meals out, event tickets, and other trip expenditures add up. You could spend thousands of dollars, especially if you’re not traveling solo.
Although activities and experiences are the best ways to spend money, sometimes it’s better to skip the trip and put the extra money toward your financial goals.
If you’re facing any financial stress, you should consider a staycation.
Avoid Illness
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is technically over, outbreaks continue across the US. But even outside that, it taught us how easily germs spread, especially in enclosed spaces like buses, airports, and events.
I get sick nearly every time I take a vacation. It’s worth it, but if you don’t want to risk it, you should enjoy your time off at home instead.
Time for Hobbies
My favorite part of a staycation is all the hobby time. When work takes up eight hours a day, finding the energy for scrapbooking, painting, gaming, or blogging presents a challenge.
If you stay home, you can dedicate that time to your favorite things instead.
I once took a staycation to play Champions of Norrath (an old PlayStation game) all the way through. Another time, I took one to catch up on blogging. Spending this time on my hobbies brings me so much joy.
And Projects
Hobbies aren’t the only thing we put off because we’re working. A staycation gives you the time to put together shelves that have been sitting in the corner for months, deep clean the bathroom, and finally hang all those posters.
During one staycation, I demolished an entire bathroom while I cleaned and redecorated my entire office during another.
You can get so much accomplished when you don’t have to work.
Explore Your Local Area
You don’t have to travel to try new things or explore new areas – there’s likely a ton of cool stuff happening in your own backyard!
Taking a staycation lets you explore your local area. Hit up that new brewery, check out local parks and hiking trails, and take day trips to the small towns surrounding you.
You may discover quirky new stores, delicious new restaurants, and fun new hang-out locations you never knew existed.
Reduce Carbon Footprint
An environmentally sound reason to use your vacation time to stay home rather than travel is to reduce your carbon footprint. Long-distance travel, whether you drive or fly, uses a lot of energy and releases carbon dioxide into the air.
I’m not saying we should never travel again; I think it’s crucial to expose ourselves to other cultures and other ways of life, and I believe travel makes life enjoyable.
But, if we limit the amount of traveling we each do every year, we can still take time to see the world, but we can do it more sustainably. That’s a win for everyone.
No Worrying About Pet Sitting
My pets are my family, but they don’t travel well. Now that they’re older and need more care, I worry more about leaving them when I travel.
Will the pet sitter have the skills to give them their daily meds? Will they care for them the way I do?
Pet sitting is also almost prohibitively expensive. I boarded my dogs for a weekend, and it cost $300. It costs $200 to have someone come over and check on the cats.
With a staycation, I can avoid all of it. I’ll be there to take care of them and won’t have to pay outrageous pet-sitting fees. It’s worth skipping a few vacations to make sure they’re well cared for.
Simplicity
I love the simplicity of a staycation. The options are limitless, but you don’t have to do a thing if you don’t want to. You’re not tied to a schedule, and you don’t have to worry about check-in times, check-out times, when things open, or where to go next.
You get to wake up in the comfort of your own bed and schedule your day however you want. You can do something or not without feeling like you’re missing out.
Relax in bed with coffee and a book, binge-watch your favorite show, or take a stroll around the block—discover the joy of simple living.
Spend Time with Family & Friends
When we spend all our time working, we often don’t have the energy to engage with the people we love most.
Those of us with local friends and family can spend a lot of our staycation time with them. Visit your elderly grandparents, take your parents out to dinner, and plan a night out with friends.
If you have children, spend your time off engaging with them. Try new hobbies together, take them to the park, and play their favorite games. You’ll all cherish these precious moments for the rest of your lives.
You Have Everything You Need
Have you ever embarked on a trip only to discover you’re missing an essential item when you land?
As someone with a former chapstick addiction, I can’t tell you how hard it is to find the right chapstick in a foreign country. But what if you didn’t pack enough underwear, forgot your charging adapter, or didn’t think you’d need winter boots (which happened to me when I visited Germany in the fall)?
When you stay home, you never have to worry about not having a crucial item.
Avoid the Act of Traveling
While being in cool, new places provides excitement, getting to those places sucks the joy out of everything.
When you take a staycation, you avoid the worst thing about vacation: the actual traveling. You don’t have to worry about airport security lines, long, boring flights, hotel hopping, or bathroom breaks.
You get to spend the entire time in blissful relaxation.
Enjoy Your Time Off With a Staycation!
Although I love traveling (I’ve been to over 20 countries on four continents!) even I can admit that staycations are often superior.
A simple, stress-free staycation offers a different type of joy, which is crucial for a balanced life.
Try one. You won’t need a vacation from your vacation, and you’ll go back to work feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, ready to take on all the challenges your inbox holds.