Law #10: MASTER THE ART OF THE STAYCATION
A staycation is a genuine break from the pressures of work and life, like a vacation, without the emotional energy, planning time, and financial investment. Mastering the art of planning the perfect solo, family, or friend group staycation will score you special nuggets of high-quality resting time, mental resets, and opportunities to revamp your body and mind. A vacation is to a holiday feast what a staycation is to everyday eating. Invest in a good vacation once or a couple of times a year the way you do a holiday feast, and plan staycations in between your vacations to feed your mind, body, and soul throughout the year.
To have an effective staycation, you have to plan thoroughly. To help you get your plan game on, here are your options.
Do it at home. Perhaps first to mind when you hear "staycation," staying at home is undoubtedly an option. You can make this as simple or fabulously complex as you’d like. On the simpler side, setting up a schedule of rest and relaxation, even if it’s just resting, reading, or watching a few episodes of a Netflix series, creates the makings of a super simple but effective staycation. If you want to ratchet it up a notch (or a few notches!), plan an entire schedule of fabulous experiences that might include bringing in a mobile massage experience, cooking an authentic spread, ordering a 5-course meal delivery, or setting up a luxurious bath bomb. Another option for an at-home staycation could be immersing yourself in a DIY project, as long as it’s totally for fun and leisure and not part of a honey-do list. If you’re staycationing as a group at home, bake in a game night. Whatever your tastes for a staycation, list out what you want to achieve and look for options to deliver on those desires.
Outdoors at home. Camping out in your backyard can be a fantastic experience with or without kids. Bring out that inner kid vibe or a romantic vibe if you're with someone special by pitching a tent outside and spending a night under the stars. If you’ve got a fire pit, light it up and roast some marshmallows. If you’re doing it in a group, pitch one or a couple of tents and have an outdoor movie night with some of these ideas. If you’re setting up an outdoor staycation with kids and the weather is great, consider creating an outdoor water theme park experience like this or this, and make sure you try some of these ideas, too.
Indoor camping. Who says a camping experience has to be outdoors? Bring your camping indoors by pitching a tent or creating a makeshift one inside for a fun twist. Here are some pretty cool ideas for having fun with indoor camping if you need some inspo.
Hotel. A staycation is a perfect time to check out a local hotel that you haven’t tried. Check out a new property that just launched, or book one that you’ve been waiting on for a while. A trip to a local day spa or one at the hotel can help you relax and soak up the staycation vibes. You’ll also need to eat, so indulge at a restaurant you’ll enjoy or at the hotel eatery.
Hostel. Don’t discount hostels. Over the last few decades, some hostel chains and some boutique offerings have upped the hostel game. Staying in a doesn’t necessarily mean sharing a room with a half dozen people or using a shared bathroom. Private rooms with en-suite bathroom options if you're solo, or a shared room if you're in a group, could mean that you get the privacy (and cleanliness!) you need while hanging out with a bunch of cool people who are likely visiting your city from all over the world. Hostels have a way of attracting a diverse group of people with extraordinary stories, different languages, diverse cooking preferences, and more. If you’re staycationing as a local, you’re likely going to be a big hit since the out-of-townsfolk will want to get your perspective or invite you out.
Vacation rental. Love the feeling of escaping familiar surroundings and exploring another home? Sometimes, the right kind of home can be all you need to stimulate those relaxing staycation vibes. With more and more options added to vacation rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO each day, find a home that fits your preferences and that gives you something exciting to anticipate. A house on a hill, on the other side of town, a beach home, one in the mountains, one with a master bathroom with a jetted tub, a mini or full out mansion, a house with a pool and a Jacuzzi if you don’t have one at home—the options endless. If you’re traveling in a group, splitting the costs between several people may help you to go big if that suits your group's tastes. A group staycation can be a load of fun in the right property and great company. Pack some fun games, your favorite PJs, and create some memories.
Explore your city. Take to the streets of your city and explore things that you don’t often get a chance to visit. Check out a museum, theater production, or some parks. Catch a fabulous outdoor event or a farmers market for some local or artisan goodies. Explore nature with forest walks, beach visits, desert experiences, or mountains if you’ve got them nearby. Check out local hotspots curated online or ask friends and colleagues for ideas and plan your hit list.
Preparation is everything, so be prepared. If you’re staying home, get the house cleaned by someone else to start your staycation with the right kinds of vibes. If bringing in someone to clean isn't an option for you, get it done before you start your staycation. If you’re getting out to a hotel or hostel or experiencing things around town, make sure you make your reservations in advance.
Send invitations. If you’re organizing an experience that includes others, but you're planning it without their help, spice up the affair with a well-crafted invitation to set the tone for your experience upfront.
Plan fun staycation activities that create positive anticipation. Whatever experience you choose, wrap in some fun, memorable activities that you'll look forward to on the days leading up to the staycation.
Consider hiring help. When we think of a staycation, we often think of experiences that don’t include staff that you'd typically find at hotels. Of course, if you’ve chosen to do your staycation at a hotel, you may have access to room service, housekeeping, etc. But you can bring that into any of your staycation experiences with a bit of planning and forethought. Maybe a cook, housekeeper, nanny for the children, or an in-home massage, facial, or hair service. With the current gig economy, with a little bit of planning, you can find just about anything you want in many areas. Just do your research, think about whether you really need the help and whether that help will allow you to enjoy your staycation more, or if it'll increase your anxiety. If you do bring anyone in, make sure to keep things safe. Research any platform you use very well, read all their reviews, and ask potential service providers questions before committing.
Stay in the staycation spirit. Avoid getting sucked into your regular household chores, grocery shopping, and paying bills during your staycation. You’re off work to be outside of your everyday routine. Treat it like a vacation and don’t schedule things like doctor's appointments, even telemedicine, during that time unless you’re having an emergency.
Implement boundaries for work and nonessential personal matters. We believe people treat you the way you allow them to treat you. If you answer emails within 30 seconds of receiving them throughout the day, everyone will expect you to do that in the future, no matter when they come through. Practice implementing boundaries, at least during your staycation. Whatever day(s) you choose, make sure to block that time off like you would any other vacation and keep those guardrails up. Let everyone know as much as they need to know about what you’re doing, and then stay true to your notices. For friends and family who aren't part of your staycation, if that means you’re not going to be available to help with things like resetting the TV remote, make it known and stick to it. If it means putting up a vacation auto-responder for work emails, do it and stick to it.
Reduce interruptions from phones, tablets, and watches. Use your focus settings in iPhone or focus mode on Android to reduce the buzzes from text messages, emails, social media, and other notifications. You may find that you like these focus setting so much that you implement similar structures during your day to give you a break from those pesky little notifications.
Designate someone to take care of things in your absence. If you’d feel better knowing that someone has got an eye on things that matter to you when you’re in staycation mode, delegate the task to someone you trust.
Theme it out. Have some fun with your staycation theme! Maybe you’re going for an Aladdin theme in your indoor or outdoor staycation—and yes, we believe an Aladdin theme is appropriate with or without kids! Or maybe you’re setting up a princess for a day staycation theme. Get creative and go all out! Create an experience that is truly memorable and Instagram-worthy, even if you don’t take 30 minutes to grab the perfect photo to post.
Blend your options. Don’t be afraid to mix and match your staycation options. You may spend one of your days inside and another camping outside. You may spend a day in a hotel and finish up with a couple of days at home. You may have a staycation based at home, but spend time at hotel restaurants and spas. The most important thing is to have a base. Your base will be the option you choose from above that represents the core of your staycation. But once you establish your base, don’t be afraid to have excursions from that base, as long as it doesn’t make things too complex or cause stress and anxiety getting to and from your locations.
Make a budget. Not having a budget can cause us to overspend, but it can also sometimes cause us to underdeliver on our goals by underspending. Create a budget, not only for the restrictive nature of not overspending but also so that you know how much you can spend to maximize your staycation opportunities. Figure out what's comfortable for you based on what you’re trying to achieve and how much you can afford. Don’t go into debt or break the bank, especially since you have tremendous opportunities to have a wonderful experience on a dime if your resources are limited. Also, use the power of a group to maximize dollars. Of course, don’t settle for a group experience if you won’t enjoy it—you can find a way to staycation solo and keep it within budget, even if it means a shorter time or staying home.
Have a plan. When we say have a plan, we mean get down to a granular agenda level. Your "plan" may be to have no agenda whatsoever, and that’s fine—that's a plan if that works for you. The deeper you dig into your schedule and plan out your experience, the more robust you’ll find that it can be without stressing you out. A comforting thing about a staycation, as opposed to a vacation, is that you know where you are, and you're likely familiar with the city because you live there. That means you won't be on edge about some things that you may get anxious about when traveling in unknown territory. Those points of familiarity may allow you to pack even more into a staycation than you would typically be able to fit into a vacation without feeling overwhelmed. No matter what, move at your own pace, and plan the way you feel the best planning.
Prioritize and remember you can always do it again. As you plan out what you want to do, your list may grow so much that you can’t get it all done in this staycation. That’s OK! Prioritize things you absolutely want to do this time around and plan to do the rest later. How awesome would it be to have a rockstar staycation that you remember forever and walk out of that same experience having planned out the next one?
“Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.”
- Hazrat Inayat Khan
“Home should be an anchor, a port in a storm, a refuge, a happy place in which to dwell, a place where we are loved and where we can love.”
- Marvin J. Ashton
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”
- Napoleon Hill
“The ultimate luxury is being able to relax and enjoy your home.”
- Jeff Lincoln
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
- Jane Austen
“Sometimes, home has a heartbeat.”
- Beau Taplin
“No matter where you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”
- Anthony J. D’Angelo
Over the years, I’ve experienced every one of these options for a staycation. My favorite is definitely getting out of the house and into a good Airbnb. At this stage of my life, I'm often taking my parents and extended family out and about, and it’s incredible to get everyone under one gorgeous roof for a few days and nights of fun. While I haven’t tried out a hostel in a few decades—yes, decades—I remember those days of meeting people from all over the world quite fondly. I long for a time when it’s safe to do that again because I may try it out in one of those new boutique, posh hostels that are springing up around Hollywood...maybe!
There is no reversal to this law. With options starting from no financial investment beyond what you’re already paying and with the flexibility to set your staycation terms, let nothing get in the way of layering staycations between your vacations as often as you can to reset your mind, body, and soul.