We love a great staycation!
When most people think of going on holiday, they think of somewhere far away. Trips abroad to somewhere sunny and distant are the most popular trips to take, and it’s easy to see why. What’s often overlooked, however, are the countless things you can do in your home country.
Known as a staycation, these trips focus on going somewhere much closer to home. Planning a staycation offers multiple benefits, including:
- Being more budget-friendly
- Having fewer travel-related headaches
- Involving less stress to organise
- Letting pets come with you
To take advantage of these, you’ll need to actually plan your staycation the right way. Keeping a few specific factors in mind when you’re doing so makes sure everything goes great.
Planning A Staycation: 7 Factors To Consider
1. Know Your Budget
One of the most important factors in planning your staycation is your budget. It determines where you can go, what you can do, and much more. You’ll need to spend a decent amount of time focusing on this and making sure you stick to it.
You should first know exactly how much you have to spend on your staycation. After that, it’s a matter of breaking it down into accommodation, activities, travel, and more. Even if you’re on a tight budget, you shouldn’t have a problem figuring everything out.
2. Pick A Theme
When you’re figuring out your staycation, it can be tricky to narrow down where you should go and what you should do. One of the easier ways of doing this is by picking a theme. Once you have this in mind, it’ll be much easier to plan out your staycation.
If you decide on a camping theme, for example, you can rule out staying in the middle of London. Keep this theme in mind with all the staycation-related decisions you’ll need to make. It’ll make sure everything plays into your theme, and you should have a great time before you know it.
3. Pick The Right Accommodation
One of the larger factors in planning a staycation is your accommodation. It plays a major role in whether or not you can enjoy yourself. From a B&B in Newquay to a luxury hotel in London, you’ll have countless options to pick from with this. Spend some time looking into these to see what’s right for you.
While the destination itself lets you narrow down your options, have a checklist for making the decision. The more a specific option meets your requirements, the more appealing of an option it should be. While this takes a little time to figure out, it’s one of the more important factors to focus on.
4. Go Outside Your Comfort Zone
You’ll naturally want to enjoy yourself when you’re on your trip. That doesn’t always mean doing the things you’re already familiar with. That could get a little boring. When you’re planning a staycation, try to get outside of your comfort zone a bit. Do something you wouldn’t usually do.
Whether that’s something as simple as trying some new food or something more adrenaline-filled, like going bungee jumping, there are more than a few things to try. Go as far as you’d like with it so you can make your staycation as exciting as possible. A staycation is the perfect excuse to try this, and there’s no reason not to.
5. Capture The Memories
One of the more notable reasons to go on any kind of holiday is to make memories. They’ll be something you look back on fondly for years – if not decades – to come. That’s especially true if you’re going with your kids and they’re relatively young. Why not go out of your way to capture these memories?
Take a camera with you, and don’t be afraid to take some photos when you’re on the trip. Your staycation deserves to be remembered, and these pictures make it easier to do that. Since you can do this with your phone, there’s no reason not to capture the moment.
You can even make a scrapbook with these to make it extra special.
6. Unplug
You likely have a busy life and will have countless things to do. From work to looking after the kids, it often seems like it never ends. That’s why a vacation of any kind can be great. It lets you kick back and relax without any stress. The key to that is to actually kick back and relax.
That could mean unplugging for a while. Leave your work phone at home, and don’t constantly check your emails. Take the time to focus on your staycation so you can enjoy it. Disconnecting from some of your devices could be a great way of getting away from the daily stress associated with your life.
Feel free to unplug and focus on your trip.
7. Schedule Some Downtime
Your staycation naturally involves a bit of travelling to get there and back. You could also have quite a few activities planned out for while you’re there so you can have as enjoyable a trip as possible. As natural as that is, it’s also worth scheduling a bit of downtime for when you’re there.
Take a little time to put your feet up and relax. You’ll be going on the trip to take a break from a busy life, after all, so why not actually take a break? Even spending some time at a spa or going for a quiet picnic can be a great way of doing this. You’ll be relaxing and enjoying yourself before you know it.
Planning A Staycation: Wrapping Up
Planning a staycation doesn’t need to be difficult, and it’s usually much easier than planning a vacation abroad. You’ll still need to focus on a few factors when you’re planning things out, though. Scheduling some downtime, going outside of your comfort zone, keeping your budget in mind, and similar areas are all notable.
With a little effort, your staycation should be amazing. With the benefits that a staycation offers, there’s no reason not to book one. What’s stopping you?