The cost of moving can often be quite high, especially if you've moved a long distance from your old home. While saving money is always a good idea, it can be even more crucial after you've moved. One great way to save money is to take a staycation rather than a vacation. Simply put, a staycation is a vacation where you stay home instead of spending money on traveling.
Not only is a staycation a great way to save money, but it can also give you a chance to get acquainted with your new home and the surrounding area. Why travel for a vacation, when you already have a whole new world to explore?
Rules of a staycation
The first and most important thing you should do when taking a staycation is to treat it like a regular vacation. A vacation is chance to get away from it all. A staycation should be no different.
- Take off of work - Use your vacation time from work for your staycation. Avoid going into the office, and put aside your work responsibilities.
- Put off chores - Just because you're going to be home doesn't mean you have to take care of those household chores you've been putting off. Try to take full advantage of the opportunity to get away from the stresses and responsibilities of your everyday life.
- Plan ahead - If you want to avoid spending your whole staycation sitting at home watching TV (granted, you might not), plan your activities out ahead of time. If you have a plan of where and when you will do things, you can make the most of your time.
Staycation activities
- Day trips - There are often a lot of fun and interesting things to do that are just a few hours away or less. Consider visiting museums or historical sites, going to a sporting event, going on a day hike, or going to the beach. If you search "day trips" and the name of your state online, you should be able to find a website that lists possible day trips in your area.
- Camping - Hiking and camping are great options for the outdoorsy type. You could research local campgrounds and then spend a couple days at one of them. Camping can be a great opportunity to take in some beautiful views, go fishing, or just get away from technology for a bit. If you don't want to venture into local campgrounds or there aren't any nearby, you could also camp out in your yard.
- Local events - Find out if there are any events that are going to be happening relatively nearby, like a fair or circus, or even maybe a jazz festival, film festival, or car show. You should be able to search for local events online, in a local newspaper, or listed on a community bulletin board.
- Eat out - You might be able to take some of the money you saved by taking a staycation to sample some of the fine cuisine in your area. Maybe you saw a fancy restaurant as you were exploring town. This could be a good opportunity to check it out.
There are too many possibilities to list them all here, but the bottom line is that a staycation is an opportunity for you to get away without going away.
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