Vacations can be so expensive, can’t they? You work and save, save and work for months just to take a trip that you spend 2-3 days of traveling (at least) and spend thousands of dollars in a week just to sleep in a hard hotel bed, eat restaurant food all week long and generally hate the world and everyone in it by the time you get back home. (Admit it…you know that is how a lot of family vacations end).
Why? Barring trips to see family, work trips or that once in a lifetime vacation, why do we do it? Because we’re trained to. We grow up thinking that vacations have to be some big trip, to another state or country and we’re conditioned to think that we can’t have fun without all of those things happening! I beg to differ with that thought process.
Don’t spend thousands on a yearly vacation when you can have a staycation for a fraction of the cost! Now let me clarify something…by staycation, I don’t necessarily mean in your home or back yard. Yes, those are awesome options, but for this post, I am using the term to mean anything within a 2 hour drive of your home. 2 hours is close enough that you can sleep in your own bed, that a snack will tide the kids over instead of McDonalds, and that you won’t be spending a boat load in gas for travel costs. Check out these 4 great tips to having an awesome staycation and save your money up for that one “big” trip you want to take!
Look at all of your options –
A lot of people think that do a staycation means that you’ll be bored! Not true! Check your local Chamber of Commerce website, your State websites and local forums for things to do! You might be surprised at what is actually near you that your family would love to do! Be sure to keep local parks, state parks, lakes, play areas and the like in mind.
Keep the kids busy –
“Mom…mom…mom…MOM…MOOOOOMMMM!!” Kids are kids and even if they’re out doing something fun, they will find a way to be bored. Be sure that you bring plenty of snacks, books, toys and other goodies to keep them entertained in case they do get bored while you’re in the car or in the tent. You can’t have an awesome staycation if you’re constantly dealing with a child that won’t let you forget that they’re bored.
Make dinner “new” –
Instead of serving the same old fare, try to come up with something new and exciting or fix a meal that you rarely do at home. This will make your staycation seem like it’s even more exciting! If you grill out every weekend at home, doing so by the lake won’t seem so exciting. Why not take a couple of frozen pizzas and fix those on the grill for dinner? Be creative so that your staycation goes off without a hitch.
Keep it small –
One of the biggest mistakes that I’ve seen families make is planning too much in one day. If you’re within a 2 hour drive of your home, there isn’t much of a need for that. Kids, especially little ones, tire very easily, so planning a zoo trip on the same day as a hike is very likely to end up with Little Susie having a melt-down. Keep your ideas smaller and realistic for the whole family and you will have a great time!
Do you have any other tips to make your staycation awesome?
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