With a looming recession and skyrocketing gas prices, staycations became all the rage last summer. If you’re not familiar with the term, a staycation is a period time when you “vacation” without actually going anywhere. You stay home, relax, and take in local points of interest. It may sound simple, but a good staycation should be well planned and carefully executed. With that in mind, here are some guidelines for you novice staycationers.
Even though you’ll be staying in your home, you should leave your house and journey back to it. Imagine your mini-van overstuffed with your family of four, your accompanying luggage, dad’s golf clubs, and half dozen fluorescent styrofoam noodles--it’s the essence of the American vacation. Drive around California’s freeway system for a few hours. Use all those great parental expressions like, “If you kids don’t knock it off back there, we’re going to turn around and head right back home.” Which in this case is true no matter what happens. Ideally, one your children should have to go the bathroom at an inopportune time. While this travel may seem unnecessary, you’re going to have to suspend some disbelieve to make this vacation work. Buy into the journey; it will make it feel like you’re going somewhere. Keep in mind: if getting there is half the fun, you’ll need to have a lot of fun on the way there.
Outfit your bedroom with a dorm size fridge secured with a padlock. This will be your mini bar. Stash it full of sodas and bottled waters and print up a price list on the outside of the fridge. I know this sounds a bit odd, but it will feel like a vacation when your husband startles you as you’re unpacking, “This is outrageous! $12 for a Heineken!”
When it comes to tourist attractions, you’re in good shape if you live in San Diego. Hit the usual suspects: the beach, the zoo, Sea World, etc, and collect plenty of evidence of your stay. Document your staycation appropriately in pictures and/or videotape. Buy 5 T-shirts for $20. But beyond pictures and souvenirs, a good vacation should produce lots of memories. Manufacture some memories if you have to; injuries always make for good yarns. Make up new stories about existing scars for the family cannon.
Follow these tips and you’ll experience a first rate staycation the whole family can enjoy. I’ve happily provided this advice for free, but it appears others aren’t so generous. In my research, I found actual books and websites about how to staycation. At some of these websites, you can pay for some staycation ideas. On a Google search of the subject, Travelocity came up in the sponsored results. Hmmm...could it be there’s a profit to be had in this strategy to save money? Will the staycation industry pull us out this recession? I don’t know, but I won’t be surprised if I see William Shatner on TV telling me I can name my own price to vacation in my own home.
No comments:
Post a Comment