Staycations – the answer to your credit crunch woes

So you can’t afford two weeks in the exotic sun, you probably still deserve a break, and I’m sure your brain is already telling you its time to take a break from the usual daily grind of your life. A staycation is about pulling yourself out of your daily routine, experiencing new things, visiting new places and moving away from the compulsion of your daily activities.

We’ve compiled a list of things you may want to consider to ensure your staycation goes with a bang

• Make sure your staycation is a vacation. Get into the mindset that you are on holiday, even if you haven’t actually travelled very far. This means not answering calls from the office, not meticulously cleaning up the house every day and pushing to the back of your mind all the usual stresses of your life.
• Research the web for activities, deals for short trips and events in your area. It is incredibly difficult to achieve the first item of this list if you spend each day of your staycation at home, where you will feel compelled to attend to life’s tasks. There are many offers for activities and short breaks throughout the web (many on this site), that can make getting away for short periods of time very straightforward.
• Go see the relatives. Whether they are up the road or 200 miles away, spending time in a social environment outside your house is an obvious way to have a staycation, and it needn’t cost the earth. Accommodation bargains are out there to be had, and if you are prepared to travel off peak, public transport can be a reasonable alternative to the spiralling cost of fuel.
• Try new things! Its very easy to “never have the time” on a regular day to day basis, but on a staycation your time is literally your own, the goal is to fill it with new experiences. Check out hobbies that you may be interested in and see if you can get involved on a trial basis.
• Treat yourself. Obviously the purpose of a staycation is to reduce the budget of your annual holiday, however that doesn’t mean to say you shouldn’t spend a penny. Try to eat out as much as your budget will allow, particularly if you are going away for a short period of time in this country. There is a wealth of cuisine beyond your kitchen – go experience it!
• Do you know your surroundings? Very easy to miss out on the beauty of places you drive past on a day to day basis on your way to work. If you think about it, how much do you miss on the commute between home and work? Do the same journey, but take your time, consider your surroundings, perhaps there are shops you always walk past and have never been in, or countryside that flies past at 70 miles an hour, but is actual scenic and relaxing when strolling through at 2miles an hour.

Copyright Bedsearcher 2009