A staycation is a great alternative to a traditional vacation. Instead of packing up the family and heading off to a distant location or holiday hotspot you can visit places in your own area or relax at home. Create your own staycation with these tips.
Treat it like a real vacation
Plan your holiday ahead of time. Research the places you’d like to go and activities you’d like to do. Make a schedule of your activities so you’re not tempted to drift into your normal routine. Have a start and an end date and take care of appointments, chores and projects around the house before it begins.
Turn off, tune outBeing close to home means also being accessible to your work and other obligations. Just as if you were away, tell people that you are on vacation, and avoid checking email and voicemail, calling into work or taking calls from colleagues. Cancel regularly scheduled activities during your holidays such as sports practice, classes or social obligations.
Be a tourist in your own city
We often avoid visiting interesting places where we live because we think ‘I can always go there’. Spend your free time discovering museums, parks and other great sites at your doorstep. Search the internet, pick up a local entertainment guide or scan the newspaper for upcoming festivals, fairs and concerts.
Pamper yourself
Check into a spa in your area. Or organize a spa day at home with friends. Have somebody lead a yoga session or use a video. Create your own skin therapies or use your favorite organic ones. Trade off giving massages or have a professional masseuse come to your house.
Get food from the source
Discover your local farmers market or visit a nearby farm or orchard. Even if you live in an urban jungle, access to these types of places are just an hour or two away. Picking fruit at a local farm can be a fun (and fruitful!) activity for the family. You get to eat what you’ve picked and your kids gain a better understanding of where their food comes from.
VolunteerHelping others in your city is a great way to re-energize. It puts you in touch with a different aspect of humanity, helps you be more compassionate, teaches you more about your community and you may even learn a new skill! Decide which area of the population you’d like to serve (e.g., children, elderly, animals) and what you would like to do (build a home, help at a food bank, etc.), then contact the relevant organizations in your area to learn about opportunities.
Start a new habitIt takes about three weeks to make something a habit, but you can get started on your down time. Whether you want to exercise more, make healthier meals or quit smoking, changing routine is easier when you have a change of schedule, and you can also focus on how to work the new habit into your regular routine once your vacation is over.
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