“Staycation” – Holiday at Home
Hannah
Staying home during your summer vaccation doesn't have to be boring. See what you can do with a low budget without even travelling.
We all agree that going on holiday is great, don’t we? And I guess we also agree that visiting new places is pretty expensive sometimes. So, why not staying at home? Well, because this is not really the definition of “going on holiday”, it literally says “going” somewhere.
But during the last couple of years (yeah, another thing that’s on Covid) we had to deal with staying at home and thus the concept of “Staycation” was born. (You can tell it’s definitely a great thing because it is a portmanteau word, consisting of “vacation” and “stay”.)
Spending your time off in your hometown lets you save a lot of money. Not just because you already have a place to sleep, but you also don’t have to pay for the journey. And with the right technique and a few tips it is just as great as travelling!
First of all…
…consider the place you’re staying in. Make sure, that the day before your holiday starts everything is set. Leave no chores to do in your free time. Change the sheets, clean up and do the laundry, so that you can feel perfectly comfortable at home.
Maybe you can switch your decorations a bit or even swap apartments with a friend? A few changes can shake up the routine more than you think. (Have you ever tried sleeping with your head at the bottom end of the bed? I promise it will feel surprisingly unfamiliar waking up).
Even if a Staycation is much cheaper than living in a hotel or holiday apartment, you can glow up your time if you save some money in advance. With a holiday budget, you can enjoy some luxuries that you don’t have in everyday life and the time is going to feel much more special.
And what to do all day?
A holiday should be restful but exciting enough to have some stories to share afterwards. Take your time to wind down, maybe make a spa day at home, with friends or alone – whatever you prefer. On holiday it’s fine to spend a whole day doing nothing really. But remember: Taking time off feels much longer if we actually do something interesting. 😉
The internet is your best friend when it comes to finding holiday activities. Look up your town as if you were a tourist. There surely is a guided tour to learn facts about your hometown that you would have never known otherwise. You can also find free events in the city online. You could visit a new museum or try out a sport you always thought looked fun but never tried. Or do you want to see something new? Maybe take some time to explore parts of the city you’ve barely visited before or plan a hiking day. Many cities have beautiful hiking trails not too far off. And let’s be honest: If you are surrounded by nature, it really doesn’t matter if you are near Berlin, Prague or Amsterdam.
So, you’ve got a home that feels a little more holiday-like than usual and you’ve got some cool plans. That seems promising for a great Staycation, doesn’t it? Sure, but there are a few extra tips to really tie your holiday together:
To immerse even more in the feeling of travelling you can decide on a theme or a country that you want to take inspiration from. You can play music fitting your theme, try new recipes or order food from a fitting restaurant. You can also try out typical activities or learn a few new things about your theme online.
You could try baking your own baguette to remind you of France, play a New York City ambient on Youtube during breakfast or serve yourself fruit-flavoured water to remind you of a wellness hotel. There are no limits to your creativity!
All photo rights by International Campus GmbH.