Time for a Staycation: How to Kick Back, Relax, and Vacation at Home

Vacations are pretty great, but figuring out how to have a staycation can be just as rewarding—plus less stressful and more affordable. It sounds counterintuitive, but traveling for a vacation can come with a lot of stress, what with planning the trip, finding the money to pay for everything, and working through a vacation checklist. If life is truly getting out of control and money and/or vacation time is in short supply, a staycation might be the best option to unwind and reset.

Taking a vacation at home isn’t always easy, though, especially if you don’t go about it intentionally. It’s easy to let a few unplanned days off at home get away from you, especially if those signs of stress are running rampant. Adding a little structure and considering a few staycation ideas can help the time away from work and other responsibilities feel rejuvenating, not just relaxing, and leave you ready to head back to the office.

What makes a great staycation? It depends on what you want to gain from it. If you want the feeling of having gone on an adventure but money or other restrictions keep you at home, you can have an exploratory staycation; if you want to tackle those to-dos that just don’t seem to get done as part of your standard routine, you can make that happen, too.

Try these staycation ideas and consider how you can make some weekend getaway ideas work at home. Most importantly, commit to unplugging. If you act like you’re not on vacation by answering work calls and emails or being as in-touch with neighbors and friends as you usually are, it won’t feel like much of a staycation at all. Make sure everyone knows that you’re taking a little trip by putting your staycation on your calendar, telling friends and coworkers you need some time away, and resisting the urge to respond to every message. That task accomplished, let the staycationing begin.

 

Source: https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/staycation