When you travel locally, you’ll gain insight to your city or country you might have overlooked otherwise. That’s one of the things that makes staycations so rewarding.
To make the most of it though, you’ll want to do some planning. Follow these 5 easy steps, and you’ll be well on your way to the perfect staycation!
CONTENTS – In this article, you will learn how you can travel locally, and still have a great time. This includes:
- 5 Tips to Plan a Memorable Traveling Staycation
- Best Way to Enjoy the Local Culture
- 1. Choose your Destination
- 2. Sort Out your Accommodations
- 3. Plan your Staycation Activities
- 4. Pack your Bags for Local Travel
- 5. Hit the Road for Local Staycation
- Final Thoughts to Travel Locally
5 Steps to Plan a Memorable Traveling Staycation
Staycations have increased in popularity over the last few years. That simply means, more and more families choose to hit the road in their home country.
Staycations have become a popular option for those who cannot afford or feel safe to travel abroad. It’s also a good choice if you have limited time to enjoy a longer vacation.
This is a great way to see new places in the local area.
Not only does it support the local economy when you travel locally, but it can be a more responsible travel option. When you take a local vacation, you can have peace of mind knowing you may have reduced your carbon footprint. That’s just one of the benefits of staying local when you travel.
That said, when you travel locally, you can still have a great experience!
Best Way to Explore the Local Culture
Just because you’re not traveling abroad doesn’t mean you can immerse yourself in the local culture. Here are some ways you can enjoy a staycation in your own country:
- Scout out the tourist areas
- Explore beautiful places
- Experience fine dining and good food (like delicious street food)
- Visit your favorite places and find some new favorites
- Go outside your comfort zone to find new cultures and new foods
- Speak the local language without any language barrier
- Get off the beaten path in your home town
- Visit museums and local markets
- Celebrate a special occasion
- Take a bus tour or a,walking tour with local experts
- Plan local activities in nature or otherwise
- Learn about local history
- Visit botanical gardens
- Become knowledgable about public transportation
- Meet new people
- Support local businesses
- Use local currency
In fact, you can do many of the things you might do in international travel, minus the expensive flights. The best things are virtually right in your own backyard!
Plus, planning a local experience is the easiest way to travel more and do new things. Since it will take less time to get there, you’ll have more time for local travel experiences.
With so much on offer, it can be tricky to plan the perfect staycation.
For instance, you might feel stuck on whether to plan a vacation to a certain city or destination. Or instead, maybe you’re thinking your family should camp or rent an RV.
Read on to discover some top tips to help you plan a memorable traveling staycation. Whether you’re traveling alone or with your whole family, it will be a great experience.
Just follow these 5 easy steps.
1. Choose your Destination | Local Travel
The first step in planning a staycation is to choose your destination.
You’ll want to base this decision on a number of factors, including:
- Where you’re located
- Your budget
- The time you have available
- Your interests
For example, if you love the outdoors, you might want to consider a camping trip. Or, if you’re looking for a more relaxed vacation, you might want to rent a cabin by a lake.
If you only have a few days off, you might pick a place that’s within an hour’s radius of home.
Remember that you don’t have to decide on one single stop. You could even plan a road trip and make a few different pit stops along the way.
If you’ve got time and money to spare, perhaps you’d want to fly to a city in your country that’s a short trip by air.
Narrow down your options and then settle on your top pick. Then you can move ahead to the next step of your staycation planning.
2. Sort Out Your Accommodations
Once you’ve chosen your destination, it’s time to sort out your accommodations.
When your plan is to go tent camping, you’ll need to make sure you have a tent and all the other necessary gear. If you’re looking to amp up the experience, try a glamping staycation instead.
Or, opt for even more comfort in an RV. If you decide to do this, you’ll be taking your accommodations with you wherever you go. That’s the ultimate freedom!
You’ll need to book the RV rental in advance and make sure you have a place to park it.
For hotel, motel, or rental property stays, you’ll need to make sure you have a reservation. Hotel staycations can make you feel like you’re far away, even though you’re really local.
Where to Find the Best Staycation Deals
You can easily find places that rent or sell trailers & RVs, and the same can be said for finding hotel or rental accommodations.
The most useful tool is the internet. You can search a variety of aggregators that do most of the hard work for you. Just set your criteria, and pick from the results.
You can even book most places on these sites.
Before you do, though, compare with the price of booking directly. You might get a better deal or some perks, like free breakfast or a welcome gift, when you deal directly with the source.
Of course, you can always get a place to stay on the fly. But when you secure somewhere to stay before you leave on your trip, you’ll feel much more confident in your staycation planning.
You’ll probably also start to feel excited about the trip!
3. Plan Your Staycation Activities
The next step is to plan your activities.
What you do while you’re staycationing will depend on the interests you and your family have. It also depends on the type of vacation you’re looking for.
So, if you’re looking forward to a relaxing vacation, you might want to plan some activities that allow you to connect with nature. Some good examples include hiking, sitting on the beach, swimming, and fishing.
If you prefer a more adventurous vacation, plan more active things to do. You might look for activities such as rock-climbing, white-water rafting, or amusement parks.
Some activities will require pre-booking.
This is especially true when it comes to tickets for popular tourist attractions. That’s why it’s important to make sure you plan ahead.
Otherwise, you might miss out on doing something you really want to do!
4. Pack your Bags to Travel Locally
Once you’ve sorted out your accommodation and planned your activities, it’s time to pack your bags.
What you bring with you depends largely on the type of vacation you’re taking and the activities you’ve planned.
For a camping trip, you’ll need to make sure you have all the necessary gear such as a tent, sleeping bags, outdoor wear, and a camping stove. You can read more about what to bring camping here.
When you plan a more relaxed vacation, you might just need to pack some clothes for the season and toiletries.
More adventurous vacations call for safety gear, such as a helmet and first-aid kit.
Lastly, after you figure out how much stuff you need to bring with you, determine the best suitcase or backpack for the job.
5. Hit the Road for A Local Staycation!
The final step of staycation planning is to hit the road. Woohoo!
If you’re driving to your destination, make sure you have a map and plan your route in advance. It’s also a good idea to have a valid driver’s license if you are renting an RV for the trip.
Read this post for more road trip essentials, especially if you’re a beginner.
Final Thoughts to Travel Locally
Once you arrive at your destination, it’s time to relax (or get to the adventure!) and enjoy your vacation With a little planning, you can ensure that your staycation is everything you’ve dreamed of and more.
Following these tips will help you to plan a memorable traveling staycation. In fact, you won’t be disappointed one bit.
Continue Reading About Staycations
To continue learning about staycations, check out these benefits of a staycation, You’ll also discover more helpful staycation planning tips.
If you want to stay in your own home or plan a backyard staycation, look to these two articles next:
Enjoy your staycation, wherever you are!