You may not have the time or money to take a vacation right now, but you can plan a “stay”cation. If you don’t know what that is; a “stay”cation is where you stay home and enjoy the the special attractions near your home town. We have done this with our family before and it was so much fun. There are tons of places in my home town that we just took for granted. We never really took the time to visit these places. We took the “stay”cation time to finally do the things we hadn’t done in our town. It made me laugh when my daughter asked me why people visited VA Beach for a vacation and I told her there are tons of things to do in our area and it’s a great place to vacation.
VA Beach is a tourist area with lots of things to do including the beach, museums and tons of other activities such as shopping. Only an hour away you have Busch Gardens amusement park, Colonial Williamsburg or Outer Banks, NC.
“Stay”cation Hurdles to avoid
* I think the biggest hurdle to avoid is staying away from house and yard work while you are on your “stay”cation. It would be super easy to find things to do around the house while on your vacation. Allow your office to know you are on vacation so hopefully they won’t disturb you unless it is an emergency. We told people we were on vacation, but didn’t specify we were staying home. Then hold off on yard work, laundry and other chores until you are off of your break. Really take the time off and act as if you are gone from the home. Enjoy ordering take out every night and the laundry will still be there in a couple of days.
* Stay organized. Have a plan, but be able to veer from that plan if the weather should change. Having a loose schedule helps you get in all the things you want to do while you are on your “stay”cation. Talk to all the family members and see what the high priority activities are. I was way off sometimes thinking everyone wanted to do a certain activity and come to find out no one wanted to do that. Communication is key and will make things go smoother.
* Start looking ahead as soon as your “stay”cation is planned. You may be able to find discounts or special deals if you look early enough. Some movie theaters show free movies on a specific day and you only have to pay for your refreshments. You can also find coupons for amusements parks at local grocery stores and on line. You can get a certain percentage off of your total. Look at purchasing season passes. This might be your cheapest bet. Doing your research really can save you money in the long run.
“Stay”Cations can make for an incredible vacation with lasting memories. Everyone just needs to be in the right frame of mind and have a good attitude about the experience. Prep your kids prior to doing any activities about what they will encounter and why you have chosen this type of vacation. I’m sure once they hear your reasoning they will be very excited to spend quality time with their family.
Yours truly,
jenn
