Although everyone has heard of a vacation, not everyone has heard of a staycation. A staycation is when you’re taking a vacation close to home. It might be staying in a local hotel, or even staying at home. But you treat it as if it’s a regular vacation like you’re traveling the world. Everything you do should be the same as if you were traveling away. Sometimes we just do not have the time or the energy to go away for a vacation, so a staycation is a simple way of getting a break from life, enjoying yourself closer to home. Here are a few things to know.

Home or hotel

A staycation can be at a local hotel or even at home. Which one you choose is up to you. We have found, however, that staying in a local hotel gives you much more of a feeling of a vacation than staying at home. Staying at home has too many temptations. Turning on the TV, eating the same foods, and having friends visit, sort of kills the whole idea of a staycation. We suggest looking for specials in hotels in the local area. And if you find one that’s too good to pass up, then it’s time for that staycation.

Get on the tourist bus

Pretend you are a tourist in your own town. Just like people that are traveling from other countries to where you live, there are tourist things for them to do. So, open your eyes and look at your town in a different way. If your town is too small to have anything to do, you might have to move your staycation a little further away to a bigger town. But see if you can find any tours, and when you take one you might learn all sorts of things about your own town that you never knew.

Avoid anything you have done before

You are on a vacation, even if it’s only in your own town, so avoid anything you are used to doing. Go to new restaurants you have never been to before, and visit places you might have never seen. The minute you start to do the same things you always do in the same town is the minute your staycation will fall down. If you are visiting another country there is nothing there that you’ve done before or have seen before, so treat your staycation the same way.

Local events

Check out the local events that are happening in your area. Very often people will see things in other countries and not realize that they have other fantastic things locally that others come there for. Look around for events and festivals in your local area that you have never experienced before. Even if it does not seem something that you would normally do, give it a try as that is the whole point.

Rent a car

If you are going to be doing a lot of different things while you were on your staycation, sometimes it’s a good idea to rent a car to firmly establish the fantasy that you are somewhere else. You want to remove any of the familiar. Many car rental agencies are quite inexpensive when there are deals to be had.

Spa day

Whether you are on a vacation or a staycation we suggest always adding a spa day. We suggest this for men as well as women. Most women understand how wonderful a day at the spa can be, and most men are completely clueless about this. Find a good spa that caters to men as well and you will find that it will change your life.

Eat out

Never eat at anywhere you have eaten before. To keep up the fantasy only go to places you have never been. Try things you have never tried before. Eating at places just like you would if you were in a foreign country. Try new things.

Photos

To emphasize the fantasy that you are away, take pictures just as you would if you were in a foreign country. Remember you are pretending to be a tourist in your own town, so look at it like that.

Play

When we say play, we mean let yourself go. One of the greatest Parts about traveling around the world and visiting new places is that you don’t have to be the same person you are when you’re at home. You can be more adventurous and try new things. So learn to play. Be that same adventurous person at home as you would be if you were away.

Vacations are a great way of taking a vacation when you do not have the time or money. If you can’t afford a local hotel and have to stay at home, we suggest cleaning the house top to the bottom before you start, and only staying there to sleep. Get out of the house and explore the world and see all the things that you have never seen before, even if they are only next door.