Planning a Winter Staycation
First, let us establish what we mean by “staycation.” It's the term used to describe a recent growing trend of staying at home for vacation. More and more, people are choosing to stay home for the holidays and for their breaks from work and school. Some opt to staycation to be near family and friends for the holidays. Others may be planning a staycation to save money while still having a fun-filled vacation. Whatever your reasons are for not traveling this year, a staycation can be a fantastic way to spend your winter break. Here’s how.
Set Time Aside
First, plan out your vacation time. Are you planning a staycation for the whole family? Make sure to take your time off while the kids are also on break from school. The logistics of planning a staycation aren’t nearly as involved as with those traveling to vacation, but it might still take getting a Google Calendar involved depending on how many people are in your family.
Do You Want to Stay at Home, or Do You Want to Stay Local?
Next, decide if you want your staycation to be spent entirely at home, or if you would like to stay somewhere else locally. Sometimes we just need to sleep in a bed that’s not our to feel like we are really on vacation. If this is the case for you, grab your travel bags for women and book a hotel room in the city or rent a cute Airbnb in the country just outside of town. You can easily experience the feeling of traveling for vacation without all the hassle of a long-distance journey. Whether it is a romantic night away at a swank hotel for you and your partner or renting a whole house for the whole family, staying away from home but close to home can be the perfect compromise between vacation and staycation.
Plan a Movie Marathon
If you have decided to stay home for some or all of your winter vacation, what better way for the whole family to relax and unwind than with a whole day of marathoning movies? It's a fun and affordable way to spend quality time with the family and stay at home. Grab your favorite comfy sweats and transform your family living space into a cozy theater for the day with giant floor pillows and lots of fleece blankets. Pop some popcorn, get cozy, and settle in.
Focus on Wellness
The holidays tend to be all about indulgence and excess. Why not try to focus on health and wellness during this break? Without putting any pressure or judgment on yourself, take this time off to focus on healthy habits like exercise (who has the time? Right now, you do!). Self-care and wellness do not have to look like rigid exercise plans or diet culture, either. Staycations are about staying in your comfort zone (your home) while giving yourself a break from the stress of normal day-to-day life (work, errands, etc.). So give yourself a break and try something new that’s just for you. Spend the morning taking a long luxurious bath. Make a delicious and healthy superfood smoothie for lunch. Give yourself a spa treatment, complete with a mani-pedi.
Get Outdoors
Visit a local state or national park and spend some quality time surrounded by the natural beauty in your area. So often, we get so caught up in the race of the day to day, we don’t even realize the awesome natural world in our own backyards. If the weather permits it, pack up the bean bags for kids and take the kids camping. You don’t have to go far—you can even pitch a tent in the backyard. Spending the night outside by a fire and falling asleep under the stars is a great way to bond and have fun with the whole family. If you live in a city or in a climate where camping is not an option, spend a day taking long walks around your neighborhood or visit a local park.
Play Tourist in Your Own Town
Get together with the whole family and talk about what there is to do in your own town. Is there a new restaurant you have been meaning to try or an art gallery that recently opened? Visit the museums, zoos, and aquariums close to you. Take the kids to see any historical sites or monuments and learn about the history of the place you live. You might be surprised by how much you learn, too.
Utilize Technology
For more in-town exploration ideas, check the local geotags on whatever social media platform you use. This will show you popular spots close to you and can help inspire your local staycation adventure. Another way to utilize technology on your staycation is with apps like Geocaching. This app is for the modern treasure-hunter. Geocaching uses GPS and written tips to guide the user to a spot where they will find a box, usually some type of Tupperware or other weather-proof container, filled with a veritable treasure trove of trinkets and small objects. The idea is to take one, leave one, and fill out the logbook you will find inside. It is a fantastic activity that the whole family will have fun with. It might even become a tradition outlasting your staycation.
Whether you plan on having a quiet relaxing time at home or you would like to have a staycation full of local adventures with the whole family, let this list inspire you to have the ultimate stay-at-home vacation this winter. Don't forget: just because you're not traveling this season doesn't mean you can't have all of the fun and relaxation of a vacation abroad.