Before you plan a trip afar, have you considered the benefits of staycation? You could be missing out on a whole lot of local fun, not to mention saving money, supporting the local economy, and opting for what might be a more eco-friendly travel option. Learn more about the benefits of staycation and the top 5 staycation tips to maximize your fun, below.
CONTENTS – In this article, you will learn the benefits and most important tips to fully enjoy your staycation, including:
- What’s Staycation?
- 25 Staycation Benefits (And Why You Should Take One)
- Top 5 Staycation Tips for A Good Time
- How to Think Like A Tourist
- Why You Must Unplug From Your Work Life
- Plan Your Staycation Early
- How to Get Discounts and Local Rates
- Going Beyond Your Comfort Zone
- Final Thoughts on Benefits of Staycation & StaycationTips
Staycation Meaning & Trends
The term “staycation” became most popular during the pandemic. Most people weren’t traveling, and if they were, they weren’t going far. You can take a staycation at home or in your local town, city, state, or country. Other popular trends that blossomed include enhancing your home environment, taking local road trips, traveling domestically. Whether you’re literally staying home and enjoying the creature comforts of your living space, or planning local travel, both are considered a “staycation.” As it turns out, it’s a lot of fun!
Even post-pandemic, you’ll discover there are many good reasons to take a staycation. Keep reading to discover 25 benefits of a staycation, along with the top tips for having fun locally. Enjoy!
25 Benefits of Staycation (and Why You Should Take One)
Taking a staycation offers as many—if not more—benefits than traditional travel to a far away destination. Consider these 25 benefits of staycation if you’re not entirely convinced taking one is a great idea.
- Reduced time to get to your destination than air travel
- More time to enjoy the journey and the destination
- No jetlag in the same time zone
- Saves you money on accommodations as a day trip or short getaway
- It’s less stressful than traveling far away from home
- No need to rent a car when you bring your own
- You’ll learn about fascinating local places you may have overlooked
- It’s more affordable to bring the whole family
- Staycations can be easier to plan
- Fits a short break if you can’t take time off
- No need to deal with the airport or customs!
- More sustainable than air travel
- Avoid the crowds in popular destinations
- Don’t have to book as much ahead and can go at a moment’s notice!
- Supports local economy/community
- No need to learn a new language
- It’s a good way to transition back to travel after COVID
- You’re close to home in case children or seniors have an emergency
- You can pack light and skip the big suitcase
- Take your pet along without much fuss
- No need to convert money into local currency
- You can do it anywhere you live
- Your mental health will be refreshed by the change of scenery
- Enjoy physical benefits of being more active on staycation
- Add a fun, new travel experience for your bucket list
Remember that the best vacations don’t necessarily need to happen in far-off lands; sometimes, they happen close to home. As travel restrictions ease and more people plan for out-of-town trips, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to go to another region or country to enjoy your time off.
It’s especially the case if you have limited resources or a health condition that prevents you from travelling too far.
Staycations are an excellent way to reap the benefits of having a vacation without stressing out too much about your itinerary. However, like any other endeavor, you still need to plan your home-based trip to ensure that you make the most of your well-deserved break.
5 Top Staycation Tips for Having Local Fun
To start, here are some helpful staycation tips to keep in mind so you can prepare for a wonderful time ahead, nearby.
1. Think Like a Tourist & Having Fun Locally
The first thing you need to do is to get out of the resident’s mindset. Pretend you’re a tourist visiting your area for the first time. After all, if you wish to experience the mundane as something new, you need to look at it from a different perspective.
Changing how you view your city or town of residence may open new opportunities for you to explore, such as attending a nearby event or eating new food. For example, if you are interested in Muslim culture and halal foods, you can use the Muslim Pro app to find restaurants that offer these delicacies.
A staycation is also an excellent chance to visit any tourist attractions in the area. More often than not, locals take nearby tourist spots for granted because they live so close to them. However, they are local attractions for a reason, and by going, you may discover something new and interesting about your hometown in the process.
2. Unplug from Your Work Life
As the previous point stated, a good staycation starts with the right mindset. Thus, enjoying your time off becomes significantly more difficult when you’re thinking about work. Indeed, unplugging from your work life is harder when you’re staying at or near your home, but it should not get in the way of the experience.
As such, make sure to take the necessary steps to unplug from work. These steps include logging out of your work email and turning off any work-related notifications. Make sure to inform your office as well of your break and that you will not be available for calls and messages during that period. Then, you avoid putting only one foot out the door and you can fully enjoy your home-based vacation.
3. Plan Your Staycation Early
Many people forget that staycations also need some planning. You need to research the places you’ll visit, book reservations, and plan your budget accordingly. Stick to that tourist mindset. Plan your staycation to a T by including all the attractions and establishments you want to go to, but don’t forget to add leeway for some unexpected adventure. Even so, it won’t be as much work as planning international travel.
Additionally, make sure to set aside time for any regular habits or scheduled meetings to book your reservations. For example, if you have daily prayers or friend get-togethers planned out, take note of these as you organize your staycation timeline.
4. Inquire About Local Rates
Not everybody knows this, but some attractions offer special promos and discounts to residents. They usually offer them during the down season or on weekdays when there aren’t a lot of visitors to the establishment. It’s a win-win situation for you. Not only will you be avoiding the weekend rush and enjoying the place without the crowd but you will also be scoring a deal and making the most of your budget.
Considering this, make sure to add this to your staycation checklist during the planning phase. Look up local rates online or inquire with a friend that may have already gone to the attraction.
Related Article: Check out these best Art Museums in New England.
5. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
With you taking your time off at home, it’s so easy to fall back into old habits.
Before you know it, you may be settling in your old routine, going to the same restaurants, or doing the same things as you would on any other day off. However, a staycation is not another weekend day off. It’s a special time that you have allotted for yourself or as a couples staycation, and it’s an opportunity for you to experience something new.
Moreover, you don’t need to change things radically. You can simply try something different as you go about your day.
- Enter a shop that you have never visited before.
- Eat at a restaurant with a different type of food from what you normally eat.
- Walk in the park and enjoy the outdoors.
- Set up camp in your backyard and sleep under the stars.
These are tiny changes you can easily do to switch things up a bit and spruce up your staycation.
Final Thoughts on Enjoying Your Staycation
Overall, staycations are great, but people toe a fine line between enjoying a vacation and simply taking a normal day off. Trying something different is an excellent way to enrich the experience, even when you’re staying close to home. At the same time, you may develop a new appreciation for your home and community as you discover its different facets.
If you’re going solo, here are some great tips for enjoying a staycation for one at home.
The pandemic has taught us many things. It has forced us to look at the life in a different way and compelled us to evolve. The term ‘staycation’ is one of the things that has emerged out of it and we all are embracing it with open hearts.
I couldn’t agree more, Pranitaa. We’ve all learned some new things. The staycation trend is a pleasant surprise.