Staycation: The new way to take a break

We are all human, and sometimes we get tired, stressed and grumpy. The idea of our boring and mundane daily routine can drain us of all our energy, leaving us unhappy and unfulfilled. If the person I’ve just described is you, then you might need a staycation. And given the way the world is set-up now thanks to COVID-19, staycations are just what the doctors have ordered.

Some of you may have heard of the word “staycation” but may not know what it means or why it’s important, well let’s break it done and hopefully after this, you might be encouraged to plan a staycation for yourself.

What is a staycation?

According to the Cambridge dictionary, a staycation is a vacation that you take at home or near your home rather than travelling to another place.

Although staycation is derived from the word vacation, it differs from vacation. The difference between these two experiences is that the latter requires you to travel a far distance oftentimes out of your country or state of residence, while the former can see you spending time in a hotel down the road from your house.

Vacations have served as stress relievers for so many people across the globe, but with the presence of COVID-19, scarce flights to international locations and an unpredictable economy, people are discovering new ways to enjoy themselves and take much-needed breaks from their everyday lives.

Benefits of staycations

Staycations serve as stress relievers: Planning a staycation is relatively easier than planning a full-blown vacation. Although both can relieve stress, the steps that go into planning a vacation are a lot more draining. Finding flight or accommodation options are exhausting. Don’t get us started on the fact that one might have to pay for it in a foreign currency; with crippling exchange rates on the horizon, a staycation offers less hassle.

Staycations encourage you to be an explorer: Whether it’s discovering or rediscovering the beauty of your city, town or region, which we often forget to do due to stress, the fact remains that staycations have an uncanny ability to ignite the explorer in you and encourage you to take advantage of the present moment.

Staycations promote the local economy: The saying goes that charity begins at home, so let’s spend our money at home. Going to hotels in your area, or visiting resorts close by are ways to perform your patriotic duties. As mentioned earlier, the exchange rate between currencies can be downright horrible, so it’s often best to spend in the currency you earn in. Observing staycations in your area will help move some money around, which in turn helps oil up our economic engine for the better. Plus if you didn’t know, money that moves and changes hands is the best kind of money.

Staycation ideas you can try

Number 1: Turn off your phone notifications, ignore your emails and channel all your energy into yourself and your loved ones. You’ll be surprised what you can learn about yourself and your loved ones when you’re not mindlessly scrolling through your phones or electronic devices.

Number 2: Use your staycation to have a good time outdoors in nature: be it in a nearby beach or lake, natural or manmade, don’t discriminate just focus on the beauty that nature has to offer.

Number 3: Get active, you could try cycling, playing volleyball or soccer with friends on the beach. You can bring out your inner child and have a pool day or get into some water sports like boating or jet skiing.

Number 4: Book a stay at a hotel and enjoy the perks of not having to deal with chores like making your bed even if it’s just for one day. You could choose to go the boutique hotel route or shell out some cash on the 5-star hotel options.

Number 5: Head to a theatre, music or comedy show, but if you really want to indulge, feel free to get tickets to all three experiences because you only live once and one can never have enough enjoyment.

Number 6: Plan a spa day, contrary to popular belief, spa days are good for both sexes. You could find a fine list of spas near you when you use Goggle to search for options. Massages, facials and steam baths are just a few things one can experience in order to relieve stress and anxiety.

Number 7: If the hotel option isn’t your cup of tea, feel free to book a stay at an Airbnb space. It offers a more relaxed vibe than traditional hotels and you could also explore a different area, estate or location you’ve never been to before in your city of residence.

Number 8: Forget about cooking your own meals: order takeaway food or go eat out at a nice restaurant; there are a lot of resources like Eat.Drink.Lagos that offer a list of restaurant suggestions and reviews.

Number 9: Road trip. Try booking a staycation on the island if you live on the mainland and vice-versa. The distance between the two places is enough to make you feel like you are on an epic adventure. There’s also the option of travelling a little outside state lines to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

Number 10:  You can stay home, sleep in and hire a cook for the day or weekend to cook your meals, hire a home cleaning service to clean your home and get a masseuse or masseur to give you an in-home spa experience.

So there you have it, all the information you need to plan your very own staycation. There are endless possibilities and combinations that one could use to give themselves the perfect staycation experience.

After reading this, which experience would you choose to indulge in? If you have staycation suggestions that weren’t mentioned, let us know about them in the comments.