As a growing family of 5, planning annual vacations can be overwhelming and stressful. It’s important for us to ensure that each age group in our family is taken care of, or at least has an activity tailored to them. Having teenaged daughters and a preschooler son adds to that complexity!
This year, thanks to so many factors i.e. braces on both teens, wedding planning, car issues etc, we decided to have a staycation instead of our usual road trip and/or vacation away from home. It’s not to say that we won’t ever vacation again, but perhaps we will alternate each year.
To me, a staycation by definition is exactly that: STAY at home or very close to home and behave as if you’re on vacation. Sounds simple enough right?
Well, sometimes it’s not that easy but for our circumstances it’s worth a shot!
Here are our family’s top 5 reasons for choosing a staycation instead of a vacation this year:
REASON #1: Reduce Travel Stress
- No lost luggage or flight delays/cancellations. No worrying about unpredictable weather on a road trip, or unexpected car troubles.
REASON #2: Save Money
- No money spent on airline tickets (which seem to be quite pricey these days), and no worrying about mis-budgeting because of crappy exchange rates.
REASON #3: Vacay #LikeALocal
- You know your city and can partake in tourist type events and activities that you may not normally participate in. There are some parts of the city you never venture to in your day to day routine. It’s a great opportunity to explore your city no matter how long you’ve lived there. Be vigilant about not doing any cleaning, laundry or grocery shopping unless absolutely necessary (I know, much easier said than done!)
REASON #4: Necessities At Your FingerTips
- Even if you stay at a hotel in your city, if you really needed to go home due to illness or any other emergency, it wouldn’t be as stressful as being thousands of miles away, perhaps in a different country with challenging medical access (get that insurance folks!).
REASON #5: Spend Quality Time with Friends & Family
- How many times have you said “we should get together for a drink”, or “our kids should have a playdate soon”, yet, it never seems to happen? When you are on a staycation, you can be more flexible with your time as well as more available. Break out of that daily routine. Make time for those folks you chat with all the time but maybe don’t get to see.
We are looking forward to our staycation in August! First up, a couple of days at the Holiday Inn Airport West, and then a week off with the in-laws who will be in town from Mississauga!
I have lived in Manitoba all my life and there are still so many places and events to see and take part in that are new to me.
Our family does a lot better at staycations. My son has special needs so it is difficult to go on big trips. With staycations we have the luxury of returning home if we need to, if he’s upset somewhere.
So true! It’s a great way to connect with people I love.
We love a good staycation! We can drive up island for an hour and a half and be at a beautiful waterfront cottage!
I think Staycations are wonderful, we never enjoy all our city has to offer unless company comes. So its nice just to do it on our own
We haven’t been able to travel for several years due to now extra room in the budget so it has been staycations for us. They can be lots of fun with a little planning!
We were gone most of the summer and I agree it is very stressful. We are thinking about a staycation for part of next summer-our city offers so many great festivals.
This past summer we were unable to do larger vacations because of my husbands work schedule so we did as many little staynations as we could cram in. Nice to take the time to explore the beauty around us that is to often over looked 🙂
Taking a Staycation there are so many local things that we don’t get to see due to work and other obligations. Always nice to experience what your own city has to offer. Makes you a great travel guide/companion when friends or family visit. They will never be bored with the perfect guide and will come back again and again!