staycation

15 Staycation Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank

July 6, 2018 By Amanda Blankenship Leave a Comment

Budgeting for vacation can be difficult. The average vacation costs $1,145 per person or $4,850 for a family of four. Prices per person can increase depending on the time of year and location as well. You don’t have to spend boatloads of money to have a nice vacation though. Enter: The Staycation.

Staycations became popular during the financial crisis between 2007 and 2010 and proved to be a great way to take a break without blowing your budget. Below are 15 staycation ideas if you’re considering taking a vacation at home this year.

15 Budget Staycation Ideas

1. Go on a tasting tour of your city.

Some cities may have guided tours but it may be more fun if you make your own. Consider all of the places you’ve wanted to try in your city but haven’t and create a map of where you plan to go. If you want to keep it super cheap, invite a friend, order appetizers, and split the bill.

2. Take a walk or a bike ride through your town.

Once again, there are some cities that have walking (or biking) tours. However, you probably already know all of the good places to take a nice walk or ride through town. Spend as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors during your staycation. The fresh air is good for you and it’s free.

3. Check out local breweries.

Microbreweries and wineries have become extremely popular. Most – if not all – large metropolitan areas have a native beer or wine (or both). Many of these establishments also hold daily tours, give away free tastes, and have fairly reasonable prices. See if there is a brewery tour near you.

4. Binge watch TV or movies.

In 2013, the term “binge-watching” rose in popularity when Netflix began releasing batches of TV episodes. A staycation is a perfect time to catch up on all those shows and movies you’ve been meaning to watch or even the book series you’ve been meaning to start reading.

5. Turn your bathroom into an aromatherapy spa.

You don’t need much to transform your bathroom at home into a spa. Just grab a few bath bombs, bath salts, or bubble bath from the store, cucumbers for your eyes, and a nice robe. Spend some time soaking in the tub before retiring to bed for a nice nap.

6. Do yoga.

Whether you want to head to a quick yoga class or you do it in your living room, a staycation is a great time to practice yoga. Many people find the stretches and breathing to be relaxing.

7. Host a get-together.

Since you’ll be at home, you can plan a get-together with a few friends or family. Check out Pinterest for cheap and easy recipes as well as budget-friendly activities.

8. Take a class.

Plan to take a class during your time off. An art class or pottery class might be fun. You can also consider fitness classes or dancing classes if you prefer something more active.

9. Visit a local museum or park.

Does your city or town have a museum or amusement park nearby you can visit? These are great staycation destinations. For the most part, admission for locals to these establishments is relatively cheap and you’ll have a day full of fun.

10. Go on a picnic.

Another great staycation idea is planning an elaborate picnic. Instead of the usual PB&J (with a side of ants), plan to have fresh fruit, cheese, and possibly some wine. Treat yourself! After all, it’s your vacation.

Staycation Ideas for the Family

11. Let a different family member choose the activity for the day.

For many families, deciding what you’ll do with your vacation time can be difficult. Not everyone in the family has the same interested. If you’re having a staycation, consider letting a different member of the family choose what you’ll do each day.

12. Hold a board game tournament.

Throw a small board game tournament. Even you don’t have many board games at home already, you can find them fairly cheap in secondhand stores. Some of the classics, like Candyland and Connect Four, can be found relatively cheap as well. You can also see about borrowing games from friends and family.

13. Organize a babysitting trade-off with another family.

Parents may be looking for some time alone during their staycation, especially if you have younger kids. If there is another family you trust, consider organizing a babysitting trade-off with them. Agree that you’ll watch their kids gratis if they will babysit your children for a night (free) during your staycation.

14. Camp out in the backyard.

Camping out with the family can be fun but the gear, food, and travel can quickly add up. Try setting up camp in the backyard, starting a bonfire, and telling stories. You can sleep out in a tent in the back or if you’d prefer, you can put out the fire and head to your own bed at the end of the night.

15. Have a water game day.

This is the perfect summertime staycation activity for the family. You can purchase water balloons and water guns fairly cheap. If you’re up to it, you can also set up your very own DIY water slide. Once you get everything set up, you can have a water gun fight and slip-n-slide style fun without spending water park prices.

Depending on where you live, you may have more activities available during your vacation. These are just 15 of the many great staycation ideas out there.

Readers, do you have a staycation idea that should be added to the list? Drop us your ideas in the comment section below!

Labor Day Travel Deals 2015

September 2, 2015 By Will Lipovsky Leave a Comment

The long weekend that heralds the end of summer is your last chance to sneak in a summer vacation. But as with most last-minute adventures, the cost can pile up if you aren’t careful. Consider these smart strategies before picking a destination.

Labor Day Travel Deals

There is no shortage of specials on weekend getaways for this Labor Day. Surf the discount travel sites for an affordable package. It’s sort of like the clearance section on pool supplies. By the end of summer, travel agents are looking to squeeze the last dollar from the market. They do that by dropping prices to increase demand. It’s going on right now.

Social media has become a treasure trove for last minute vacation deals this year. Facebook and Twitter are good places to look for last minute announcements. If you have an open mind about where you might want to go, you’ll definitely find an affordable and fun vacation deal. Be spontaneous.

If flying, try to work out a Saturday to Tuesday trip instead of Friday to Monday. That will give you more savings on air travel and hotel accommodations. If you’re driving to your destination, take the time to compare routes that might land you in some pleasant way stops and get more from your experience. Use apps like Gas Buddy to find the most affordable pit stops and bring snacks to save on food costs.

Staycations

Chances are, you have several great sights and activities within just a few hours’ drive from home. Take advantage of these affordable opportunities and book a last minute vacation. Check new apps like Pocket Ranger to find parks in your area to explore. Goby is a great app for finding local events.

You might even have some fun waiting right at home. Families who missed a chance to book a camping site at a campground can set up in the back yard to enjoy the camping experience with a lot more convenience. The kids will still have fun roasting weenies and marshmallows and parents will have everything they need just steps away in the house.

Your destination is less important than the fun you have with your loved ones. So don’t worry so much about the venue. Focus on the fun and enjoy the trip!

10 Reasons a Staycation Can Be Better Than a Vacation

March 21, 2013 By Danielle Warchol 4 Comments

In the past couple of years, the bad economy has forced many people to take a “staycation” instead of a vacation. A staycation means staying in your local area instead of traveling domestically or internationally. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have fun! A staycation can involve hanging around your house or taking day trips to explore your city or state. While many may view a staycation as inferior to a vacation, that doesn’t have to be the case. Here are 10 reasons that staycations can be better than vacations:

Easy Planning

One of the benefits of taking a staycation over a vacation is that it’s pretty easy to plan. If you have a week off of work you don’t need to worry about rushing to pack your suitcase and arriving on time for your flight. You don’t need to worry about booking each vacation day full of activities. You already know where you’re sleeping and what’s around you, so planning should be a piece of cake.

Little to No Travel Costs

Another benefit of taking a staycation is that you eliminate travel costs that usually go along with vacations. You don’t have to worry about paying outrageous airline or hotel prices. When people travel for their vacation the most expensive part tends to be the airplane ticket or the hotel room.

No Time Lost Traveling

Additionally, a staycation means that you don’t have to worry about booking an extra day to travel to your destination. There’s nothing worse than planning a one or two-week vacation only to realize you lose one or maybe two days because or airline flight times. By taking a staycation the only time you lose is driving or public transportation time if you decide to take a day trip somewhere.

No Travel Stress

Traveling can be a lot of fun, but it can also be stressful. You need to make sure you check in and out of the hotel at the correct times, that you don’t miss your flight or mess up your itinerary, and that you don’t leave anything behind. You also want to make sure that you make the most of your trip and see everything there is to see at whatever location you choose. A staycation shouldn’t stress you out at all since the most you’ll have to worry about is how to keep yourself entertained.

Inexpensive

One of the best reasons to take a staycation is because it can be very inexpensive. Many people have opted for staycation due to the rising cost of vacations or because they’re on a limited financial budget. Staycations can be pretty cheap especially if you choose to spend your vacation at home watching movies, catching up your reading, or going to movies or dinners out on the town. Even if you go to a big event such as a sports game, a theatre show, or an amusement park you’re still saving money. Had you done those same events on your travel vacation, you would have been saying the same price but you would have also been paying for airfare and hotel accommodations as well.

Explore Your Town, City, or State

Have you always wanted to go to a certain museum or take a certain tour of your city but have never found the time? Maybe you’ve always wanted to explore other parts of your state but couldn’t rationalize taking a day off to go on an impromptu road trip. A staycation would be the perfect time to explore your town, city, or state. Even if you’ve lived in the same city for years, there are probably places you’ve never even visited. A great place to start is your local visitors center where you may find interesting things to do which you never even knew about.

Catch Up on Activities

Is there a book you’ve been meaning to read for years? Maybe you’ve put off painting your dining room because you haven’t had time. Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to start a garden but had no free days to start the project. A staycation can be the perfect time to catch up on any hobbies, activities, or projects you’ve been meaning to do.

Relaxing

If you’re constantly stressed out by work, family obligation, financial problems, or other issues, then a staycation could be exactly what you need to relax. Sometimes there’s nothing better than relaxing to give you a fresh start and vacations are too often about seeing sights and cramming too many things into one day or one trip.

Comfort of Your Own Home

Of course, another great reason to take a staycation is because you can relax and enjoy your vacation from the comfort of your own home. You won’t need to deal with sleeping on a lackluster hotel bedroom or trying to find a decent place to eat. Sometimes there’s no better place than your own home when you want to just sit back and relax.

Set Your Own Pace

Taking a staycation also means that you’re not bound by a strict schedule. If you’re taking a vacation to a location you’ve never been before, you might have a strict sightseeing or entertainment itinerary. Many cruises or group tours don’t allow time for you to do what you want and you’re rushed along from location to location. A staycation lets you set your own pace. So if you want to catch a movie in the morning and spend the day lounging around the house, you’re more than welcome to do so.

(Photo courtesy of Nostepinne)

Why You Should Visit Your Local Visitor Center

August 6, 2012 By Jennifer Derrick 3 Comments

We had some guests in town a couple of weeks ago. When it came time to deciding what to do for entertainment, they wanted to see the tourist attractions. Well, where I live isn’t a big tourist town. Or so I thought. In looking around, though, I discovered that we have a lot of museums and activities that I wasn’t even aware of, most of them free or very low cost. Heck, I learned that we have a fairly prominent Civil War battlefield about thirty miles down the road that I didn’t even realize was there. (It also made me realize that I must live under a very large rock because I’ve lived in this general area all of my life. Once the forced school field trips stopped, though, I never really kept up with the museum and history scene.)

Our first stop was to the local visitor’s center/Chamber of Commerce. There we were able to get brochures on all kinds of activities from free museums to low cost minor league sports and fossil hunting expeditions. I was amazed by the amount of things to do in my area. There were activities for kids and adults. The helpful people at the visitor’s center even told us about a few places that they didn’t have brochures for, but which were fun nonetheless. We spent the week checking out historic houses, parks, museums, mom and pop stores, and doing activities like panning for gemstones and running metal detectors over that Civil War battlefield (unfortunately we were a few weeks late for the re-enactments, but that’s on my agenda for next year). We even found some great local hole-in-the-wall restaurants that I’d never heard of or tried. The food was good, plentiful, and cheap.

Even now that my guests are gone, I still have a pile of brochures on the coffee table of things that I’d like to do. There’s enough interesting stuff to do around here to keep us busy for quite a while. There’s a zip line tour through one of the state parks that I really want to try. I never would have known about these things if I hadn’t been forced to check it all out by guests who wanted to “do something”.

The moral of this story is that you don’t have to take an expensive vacation to find fun things to do or to try new things. You can probably find all of that in your own area. Even if you’ve lived in an area all of your life, unless you’ve made it a point to discover all there is to do, you’ve probably missed quite a few things. Most of us are guilty of getting into our daily ruts and not taking the time to see the good things that are right in front of us. We say, “Oh, those places are for the tourists,” if we think about them at all. But what better than to be a tourist in your own town?

The next time you’re bored, head down to the visitor’s center and peruse the brochures. Ask the people who work there what they recommend. They’ll probably have even more ideas. You can have some fun and be happy that you didn’t blow money on an expensive vacation. And the money you do spend will stay in your local economy, helping to keep your neighbors and friends employed.

(Photo courtesy of EricRi)