These staycation tips will help you get the most out of your time away from reality.
Whether it’s your job or all the Covid-19 stress, a nice staycation will help you unwind.
I absolutely love staycations, and we do it at least once a month.
We get the full experience of a real vacation, minus the expensive airfare and super long plane ride.
Not to say I don’t like flying or real vacations, but I’d rather save a couple of thousand dollars and still have that feeling of getting away.
At least during these Covid times.
Do keep in mind that we live in a very tropical country that does not have a single drop of snow all year long.
We live in paradise, where many never take advantage of what we have, and that used to include me.
They fly to other countries and do the same exact things that they have right in their backyard.
We used to do that until we realized what we had and weren’t doing.
Now, this post isn’t to tell you that you need a tropical island with a cocktail, but rather to tell you how to take advantage of what you have right in front of you.
Regardless of where we’ve lived, we managed to do a staycation and have the best time ever.
So, whether you’re from the middle of nowhere, Montana, or you live in Japan, there is a staycation waiting for you.
These Are the Best Staycation Tips For 2022
“Holiday,” as they call it in the UK, has recently become very popular, thanks to the pandemic.
With an increase in Google searches, it’s no doubt that staycations are becoming a thing in other countries, and they aren’t going anywhere.
For people in the US and more tropical places, staycations have been around longer.
Regardless, we all love them, and we all want to do them, but we don’t go about doing it the right way.
It might sound effortless to go on a staycation until you’re about to leave your hotel to go home and you realize that you didn’t really “get away.”
It’s happened to us in the past, although we’ve learned it wasn’t necessary.
We live and learn, but sometimes you don’t always have to learn the hard way.
So, before you pack your bags for the weekend, here are some staycation tips that will help you have a much better time than most.
Staycations are meant to be fun, so let’s see how we can make things that much better for you and your family.
And yes, this will help make you a much better parent.
1. Get Into Vacation Mode
If you plan to go on a staycation, go on a staycation.
Don’t try to take a staycation when you have a busy schedule and don’t try to do one when you have other things going on.
No one wants you to leave your hotel room because you have to take care of something at work.
No one wants you daydreaming about what you need to do, stressing about work, or worse, taking out your stress on them.
Leave all that craziness at home, and get into the mindset that you’re not at home.
Vacations are meant for you to get away, so please, get away.
2. Do Your Research
Before heading out to your staycation, search the crap out of things.
See what kinds of activities are in the area and at your hotel if you plan on staying at one.
You can search for a more kid-friendly hotel if you have kids, as one of our favorites has a lot of different indoor and outdoor activities for the kids.
Utilize Google or whatever search engine you choose, and see what is going on in the area you plan to be in.
We have found so many gem ideas, and most of the time, it was free.
Do the simple task of researching, and you’ll see how much more there is to do while you are on your staycation.
3. Stay Longer Than a Day
Who takes a staycation for just one day?
Ummm, no one.
If you plan on staying for just one night, forget about it.
Stay home and save yourself some money.
You will spend most of your time out of your hotel room, so what’s the point of getting a room?
At the very least, go on a staycation for two days.
That way, you will be able to get the feeling of leaving your hotel room, doing some activity, and heading back to call it a day, unlike worrying about packing if you decided to take a one-day staycation instead.
Then, you can wake up and enjoy some room service or a nice breakfast at one of the restaurants in the hotel.
4. Pack Light
This actually goes for a lot of things in life.
Packing light will always be the better option when it comes to traveling.
Whether it be to pay a visit to a family member or to travel all the way to a tropical island for your next vacation.
Take what you NEED and leave all the unnecessary items at home.
That eight pairs of underwear that you are taking on your 3-day staycation?
Yeah, you won’t be needing half of them.
Keep things really simple, and use that energy to do some fun activity instead.
5. Have Money to Spend
This is one of the better staycation tips on this list, as penny-pinching and staycations do not go hand in hand.
That recipe calls for a lot more stress than if you were to stay at home.
Not to say you shouldn’t try to save more money, but it would make things that much more “vacation-like.”
You can go without any extra money to spend and stress out, or you can have extra and relax as you intended.
Staycations don’t require a loan but don’t go on one if you have no money to spend.
6. Explore & Recon
I know I was in the military, but I think a nice recon of a place is always a good idea.
Not to see where bad guys are but to see what cool things are available.
We have stayed at many hotels in our career as a “staycationer,” but we always seem to find something we never saw the precious time.
We’ve found that some have member’s lounges, spas, and even services like laundry and gym usage.
You can find hiking adventures, cool swimming spots, and my favorite golf packages.
Don’t waste your time thinking of what to do, and have a plan going into your next staycation.
7. Inquire on Memberships and Deals
Hotels offer many amenities for their guests, and sometimes they have discounts and/or memberships.
If you’re a frequent hotel stayer, you might want to look into getting a membership of some sort.
The same owners run most hotels, so they usually have a membership for whatever hotels they own.
They have a membership for several hotels that we pay annually for our area.
It costs $400 for the year, and it comes with a bunch of awesomeness.
- 4 free nights to one of 7 different hotels
- 20% off restaurants and bars at these hotels
- 4 free pool passes to each hotel
- 10 free drinks at any restaurant or bar
- Plus others
Other things come with our membership, but those are the most notable ones.
The four nights alone costs almost $1k, so it’s smarter for us to get the membership.
It’s different in your area, but it won’t hurt to inquire.
8. Utilize Free Transportation
We love our cars, and we use them to get us to our destination, but give Betsy a break and use some of your hotel’s services.
9. Be Spontaneous
Routine is great for some things but not so much for staycations.
Go out there with an open mind and forget about work.
Forget about what you feel is needed to be done and do things the way you feel or want to do them.
Staycations are meant to be fun, and what fun is one if you are doing things like a robot?
Do things you never thought you’d do before.
Go parasailing, ride an elephant, or see what nice entertainment they have in your area.
This is one of the better staycation tips and one that will help you have that much more fun.
10. Leave Work Out of it
We all work, and it’s something we have to do.
Without it, how could we go on a staycation?
It’s not likely unless you inherited some money or you’re making money online.
That’s not the case for most of you, but that’s okay.
You do want to consider that you need to leave work, wherever it is.
Tell your boss you’ll be away for a bit and enjoy your family.
Conclusion – Have Fun!
In case you forgot, don’t forget to have fun.
Staycations are one of the best things to do, especially during this whole Coronavirus nonsense, so take one and enjoy yourself.
Remember to stay safe and follow all guidelines, or you might end up like tennis superstar Nova Djokovic, who wasn’t vaccinated and couldn’t participate in this year’s French Open.
If you aren’t vaccinated, I totally understand but do remember that some places require vaccination cards.
Besides that, I hope these staycation tips have helped you in one way or another, as you look forward to a nice little getaway.
If you have any tips you would like to share, please do so in the comments section below, as we’d love to hear from you.
Until next time, enjoy your next staycation!
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