Getting ready to go on a vacation can often be stress-full and can take a lot of time. Because of this, you should think about doing a staycation vs vacation.
Instead of stressing about finding places to eat, sleep, and have fun. You can spend time enjoying yourself and have a more relaxing time.
During the summer most people take time off of work. Many of them take a vacation of some sort and plan a few days away from home.
Whether its to go visit family or to just plain have a relaxing time, we take some time off the daily grind to re-orientate ourselves.
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Reasons to Think About a Staycation vs Vacation
If you didn’t know a staycation is spending time near home exploring the area or taking short day trips.
You still take the time away from work but you stay home instead of traveling.
Instead of shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars to travel someplace else, you spend considerably less money by taking day trips to things in your area.
You could check out the historic district in your town, or ones close by.
Check out museums, galleries, and other places of interest.
Or you could go check out the national parks in your area.
Chances are there are a TON of things that you can do relatively close to home if you just look for them.
Things to Look for Locally for a Stay-cation
My family is lucky to live in Coastal North Carolina because there is so much to do here.
We can drive an hour in any direction and find a ton of different things to do and see.
We can spend the day at the beach, check out historical sites, or visit one of several farms and be home in time for dinner each night.
Things that you would look for in your area to include in a staycation could be:
- Historic districts that have museums and shops that you haven’t checked out recently.
- Parks for hiking, camping or swimming if they have lake or river.
- Local landmarks are great too. Most areas have something to offer that you may not have realized was there.
- You could see if there are amusement or water parks in your area.
- Local farms that offer tours and let you interact with the animals that live on the farm.
Related Reading: 5 Things To Do For a Stress-free Weekend
How to find the hidden gems in your area
You could do a quick search to find fun things to do in your area. This will result in a generic result that won’t give you any of the really cool things that might be going on.
One way to find stuff to do is to do a search on Facebook for “events near me” and it will give you a bunch of things that you can do close to home.
Another way to find things is to check out the local chamber of commerce. They will usually have a way to find things to do locally as well.
If you know the type of place you want to visit then a quick search for “museums near me”, “zoos near me” and so on will give you a list of the best places around you to start your staycation.
Other places you can try are tourist centers and local libraries. These often have free or low-cost events that happen throughout the year. Many of these are kid-friendly and great for families.
Another way to find things to do is to go on Groupon.com and look for coupons for stuff to do locally. I tried this for my area and came across coupons for a bunch of things. There was ax throwing, paintball, and quite a few other things all within a 100-mile radius of my house. So definitely a good place to check for not just deals, but stuff to do too!
Cost-Effectiveness
This is the real winner when deciding on a staycation vs vacation.
If you figure up the cost of travel, hotels, food, and fun it can be pretty expensive to take a vacation away from home. But by staying home and doing small day trips you can save over half the cost.
This article on Value Penguin breaks down the cost of a vacation away from home so that you can get a better idea of the cost involved.
If you can save the money and can afford to go away for a vacation that’s great! But if money is a little tight then you may want to opt for a staycation instead.
Final thought
Whether you choose a staycation over a vacation, remember to do what is best for you and your family. You can still opt to stay a night or two at a hotel a town or two over and still save a ton of money.
It all boils down to what will give you the most chance to unwind and relax for a time. Because the goal with either is to relax and have a good time with your family.
Are you planning on having a staycation vs vacation this year? Let me know in the comments!