Staycations

The Solopreneur’s Guide to a Fabulous Staycation

dayat — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:54:59 +0000

According to leading research company Gallup, more than 50% of Americans now plan summer “staycations”- that is, they vacation at home.

For many, it’s a great way to unwind without stressing their budgets or dealing with the hassles that come along with air travel or high gas prices. But a staycation can also be ripe with pitfalls.

Saying you’ll treat it like a “real” vacation and actually doing it are two very different things thanks to proximity… proximity to emails that beckon, proximity to organization projects that have been put on hold for far too long, and proximity to the guest bedroom you’ve been wanting to redecorate like the one you saw on HGTV.

But if you do just a little advance planning and put some smart strategies in place, your staycation can be one of the best vacations you’ve had in a long time.

Start by unplugging from work completely:

* Mark the staycation on your calendar just like you would a regular vacation. Do not plan ANY work-related tasks or appointments for that week. Period.

* Let all of your clients and other contacts that you do business with on a regular basis know you’ll be on vacation. We recommend NOT telling them it’s a staycation. If they ask where you’re going – which many people will – let them know that you’ve decided not to disclose the location until you return so that the paparazzi won’t know where to find you. smiley

* Put an “out of office” message on your email, and record an away message on your office voicemail. Do NOT give out your cell phone number “in case of an emergency.” Trust us. It’s amazing what some people think constitutes as an emergency these days!

* And if you’ll be staycationing with a significant other or a friend, work out a buddy system where you help each other stay in vacation mode. For example, if you’re “buddy” starts stressing about checking voicemails, remind him or her that they’re on vacation and then quickly distract them with a mojito.

The next key is to make sure you don’t unplug from work only to get sucked into a long list of chores around the house. Remember: the idea is to RELAX just like you would on a vacation away from home. The best way to do that is to plan out activities ahead of time that will keep you in a vacation state of mind.

Here are a few to consider:

* Go grocery shopping the last day before you start your staycation. Stock up on a ton of healthy meals and snacks, as well as a few special treats. (S’mores anyone?) You might also want to buy ingredients for a recipe or two you’ve always wanted to try, but simply haven’t had the time. And don’t forget to stop at the liquor store for a few bottles of wine… or a case of Corona. smiley

* Book spa treatments to pamper yourself from head to toe, including a body scrub, facial, manicure, pedicure, deep hair conditioning and, most importantly, a massage. You may also want to find a spa with complimentary extras. My favorite one here in Baltimore has a Tuscan room with a warm jetted pool, a eucalyptus steam room and sauna – all complimentary.

* Plan recreational activities, like scheduling a few tee times or reserving a racquetball court. Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, make an appointment for rock climbing, kayaking or even trapeze lessons – the latter of which are cropping up all around the country.

* Select at least one non-related business book to read during the week. If you need some ideas, Oprah’s book club always has great suggestions.

* Make reservations for a night or two out at a favorite restaurant or one you’ve been meaning to try. Or consider signing up for cooking lessons at a local culinary school.

* Load up your iPod with beach-worthy tunes, like Cheeseburger in Paradise, Boys of Summer, Summertime Blues, Surfin’ USA, Vacation, Kokomo, Centerfield, and Born to Run (among many others).

* Do all the things tourists do when they visit your town. Go to museums. Buy tickets to see a show. Take an open-air bus tour. Check out a local concert.

What about you? Are you planning a “real” vacation this year, or will you be staycationing? What are your strategies to ensure you have a fun and relaxing time? Let us know!

Awesome Cities in the US To Take a Staycation

dayat — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:54:44 +0000

Rest and recreation doesn’t always have to entail traveling all the way to the other side of the world. While the idea sounds very tempting, there are times that you just need to take a quick break from the hustle and bustle of the city. It doesn’t have to be some place remote either-a brief and temporary change of environment will do the trick.

Have you ever had a staycation? The United States is filled with hundreds of staycation-friendly cities. We’ve rounded up some of our favorites to help you pick the destination where you can spend 3-5 days to reboot, relax, and rejuvenate.

Las Vegas, Nevada. Need we say more? A few nights in the sin city is definitely one of the best ways to have a staycation. They have some of the world’s luxury hotels. If you’re idea of a staycation mostly involves getting a massage, dialing room service for food, or just staying in, then you’re in the right place. If you have something else in mind, though, like trying your luck in the casino, Las Vegas surely won’t disappoint!

Tampa, Florida. For most people, staycations in Tampa mean soaking up the sun and hitting the beach. That’s a good way to spend a few days in the city because the beaches in Tampa are some of the finest the United States has to offer. Not in the mood for swimming or sunbathing? That’s perfectly fine because it just means you have more time to sample Tampa’s amazing restaurants. Most of them are located in Tampa Bay, so if you’re up for some great eats, we recommend that you may the bay your first stop.

Portland, Oregon. If you want the whole package-food, fun, rest and recreation, Portland, Oregon is definitely a good choice. Find culinary gems in the food carts around the city, give your legs a workout and cycle through its bike-friendly road (while you’re at it, breeze through some of the city’s funky neighborhoods), or reconnect with the nature and hike through some of Oregon’s iconic trails. A fair warning if you have future staycation plans in Oregon, though-be ready to fall in love with the city that you might actually want to move in!

Birmingham, Alabama. One of the best reasons why Birmingham is one of the best places to have a staycation in is because it’s so low-key that it’s easy to blend in. For example, you can attend one of the free fitness classes at Railroad Park like a true local. There are also a lot of nooks around the city that could be a perfect spot for you to catch up on your reading list while sipping on a cup of Birmingham coffee.

Which ever of this city you will stay, you’re bound to find a luxury hotel that suits your needs and feels like home. Channel your inner tourist and don’t waste a moment to refreshed and recharged!

Using Your Town’s Network, Planning Solutions For a Fun Filled Staycation

dayat — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 17:33:39 +0000

Introducing the “Staycation”You don’t need to spend a lot of cash to take a vacation or drive for hours to go to the beach or an “official” vacation spot. Instead, you can take a “staycation.” You’ll save money and support business in your community. How to find out what’s going on in your neck of the woods? Look online; it’s free! Website hosting deals and easy site builder tools have made it easier than ever for the cool spots and hot venues in your area to be easy to find on the Web.Some define vacation as three-plus days away from home, where you and your friends and family partake in relaxing activities. Of course, that depends on your definition of “relaxing activities.” Relaxing can entail spending time in a cabin, on a beach, boating-anything.But what if you can’t afford to take a traditional vacation? Does taking a vacation really require spending money, going to a new destination? Maybe not. There’s a fairly new word that’s being used every now and then: “staycation.”A staycation is taking a vacation while staying at home. It’s finding fun things to do that do not require spending a large chunk of change. There are relaxing, entertaining things you can do within driving distance if you explore locally.Where do you look? Online, of course. You see, others have been in your position. Businesses (restaurants, shops, ice cream parlors, hotels, zoos, museums-you get the idea) within 50 miles or so from your home have planned ahead, anticipating that someday, you and others will search for them online. They have websites that let you know that interesting, fun, exciting adventures await just around the bend.GooglingThe first thing you can do is to search. Go to your favorite search engine and search words like “staycation your town.” If you live in the St. Louis area for instance, you can search “staycation stl”. Or if you’re in Florida, try “staycation south Florida”. The first couple of links should list some activities and places to visit in your area.What to Look ForWhat could you possibly do close to home? So perhaps a festival or an outdoor concert might be fun. Botanical gardens, museums (art and history), miniature golf-places you normally wouldn’t visit because you’ve ignored them, are now front and center. You can check your community calendar for ideas.If it’s summer or early fall, farmers’ crops are bursting with natural sweetness, ready to be picked by you and your family. So gather your baskets and head to the nearest orchard. Pick some juicy peaches and make a cobbler with the kids. Have the kids find the perfect pumpkin to carve later. You can even throw in a science lesson.Your town is celebrating homecoming. Food, carnival games, friends-small town goodness that comes around once a year. Take your staycation the week of homecoming.Have you seen any flyers for local theatre productions lately? Or perhaps your kids are in a play. Make it a huge night with dinner beforehand and ice cream afterwards.Money TalksLocal businesses often offer promotions online. So check out their pricing. Either way, you’ll be saving since you’re not taking that expensive trip to the beach. Larger groups often can get more affordable pricing. So invite another family to join you and split the cost.Time Off PleaseAre you ready to plan your next staycation? Here’s how you can start planning:Be mindful of local events. Check out your town’s online event calendar.
Take out your own calendar and schedule some time for you and your family to do nothing but have fun.
Pencil in activities for each day.
Tell family members that your only rules are to have fun, sleep in, and smile.
Meals and clean up: Plan fun meals that won’t make a big mess and require participation. At the end of each day, have everyone pitch in for 15 minutes to clean up.And there you have it…staycation fun. To create a souvenir of one staycation or keep a log of all of your local adventures, consider getting a free website and sharing your experiences with extended family and friends who have moved away. Web hosting companies will offer affordable or free website hosting that includes an easy website builder tool. You don’t have to spend a lot to “publish” your online scrapbook!

The Benefits of The Staycation

dayat — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 17:34:13 +0000

The term staycation has been on everyone’s lips in recent times… but what is a staycation?A staycation is the term used to describe persons spending their vacation within their own town, city or country. In other words it’s playing tourist in your own backyard. The rise in popularity in this form of vacation has come about for a number of reasons.These include the skyrocketing oil prices, the severe world recession and to a lesser extent the increased security checks at airports. All these factors have forced individuals to rethink their spending habits or simply to consider issues related to personal safety.Whatever is the reason for the rise in popularity this method of vacationing has brought numerous benefits to both the individual and the local economy. Here are five benefits of the popular staycation…Reduces Travel MisfortuneThere probably isn’t a traveler who hasn’t suffered some travel misfortune or another. Actually mishaps when traveling seem par for the course they range from lost luggage, stolen merchandise, delayed and cancel flights. Staycations tend to eliminate most of these unfortunate incidents simply because you are basically on your own turf.You therefore have greater control over your luggage, your merchandise and your schedule this eliminates most of the common mishaps.Keeps Money in Your PocketTravel over long distances whether it’s overseas or inland really tugs at the purse strings and with the cost of inputs such as fuel constantly rising traveling has hit the pocket hard. Travelers have been forced to dig deeper in their resources to afford the escalating cost of everything from baggage fees to increase ticket prices.By keeping you in your area the staycation has eliminated all of this putting more money for leisure activities in the pocket of the persons taking that much needed vacation.Keeps Local Economies a floatMany of the local economies based on tourism have found the going pretty tough lay offs and reduce hours of work has been the order of the day during this recession. As many vacation seekers hit by increase cost has refrain from spending money in areas such as travel.The local economy therefore has been hard hit; the staycation therefore provides the opportunity for persons to spend money within their communities. This has led to numerous spend offs such as keeping jobs going within the restaurants, hotels, car rental agencies and even manufacturing.Increased Rest and RelaxationOne of the main reasons for traveling and vacations is rest and relaxation but traveling to distant places can be tiring. Standing in long queues, flight delays and lost luggage all add to the stress in today’s world. The staycation because of its close proximity removes most of these factors allowing you to have that extra time to relax and enjoy the amenities on offer.Increased Local KnowledgeMost of us live in community’s too busy going about our day to day lives often oblivious to all that’s going on around us. Many of the facilities, attractions, accommodation and even restaurants tend to go unnoticed.Take a staycation and all this seem to change once you are switch off from the daily grind you instantly become more aware. This is great especially if you have kids this certainly increases their local knowledge putting them in a better position to speak with knowledge and passion about their communities.While the staycation may have come about because of the recession and other global challenges its popularity as the perfect alternative to the traditional vacation guarantee that it is here to stay.

The Perfect Summer “Staycation”

dayat — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 10:05:53 +0000

A family vacation can be the most magical time of your life. Fun, enjoyment, excitement, and adventure. However, they can also be a very expensive. A staycation is the vacation package that doesn’t cost the Earth, yet allows you to enjoy all the benefits that you would normally derive from a family vacation.Simply put, a staycation is a holiday in your own home or neighbourhood, and it’s the big buzzword this summer. There are so many exciting staycation ideas and wonderful activities to participate in. Staying in is the new going away!The key to a successful staycation is to plan it well, otherwise it just becomes a random succession of days that you may just spending watching the tube or pottering about the house. Whilst there is nothing wrong with these ways of chilling out, they don’t make the most of your time off work.The Key to a Successful StaycationPlan it well. Before your staycation commences brainstorm lots of ideas of all the things you really want to do with your family.
Just like a conventional vacation, you are on holiday, so tell people you are not to be reached, unless of course there is an emergency.
No work talk, you are on holiday.Staycation IdeasThere are so many things you can do on a staycation. Here are a few ideas to get you started;A family sports day – challenge other families to a day of activities over the park.
Visit the gems in your neighbourhood – the museums and places of historic interest that you drive past everyday, but have never had the time to investigate further.
Photographic Zoo Safari – take lots of snaps of the wonderful animals in your local zoo.
Learn to play a musical instrument – just picking up a few guitar chords will enable you to strum along to most pop and rock songs