The Benefits of a Staycation with (or without) Friends

Staycation – a vacation spent at home or nearby.

 I could take a staycation anytime. All I need to do is clear my calendar for a day, a couple of days, or longer. But I don’t. Day by day passes, and my daily routine overshadows ideas to investigate a temporary museum exhibit, explore a park, or wander around a picturesque small town.

Friends from out of town visit and I am forced – willingly, along with my husband Steve- to free our schedules, spend time catching up on old times and new ones, and discover nearby haunts. 

Friends we have known for years recently spent several days in our town. They retired to the jungles of Costa Rica (literally, they live on a mountain reached by a dirt road), but occasionally return to civilization to shop and visit family and friends (us!). Steve and I abandoned daily routines to visit and tour with our friends. Our time together renewed my determination to regularly plan special days for a staycation.

The benefits of a staycation are many. Here are a few that might motivate you to plan a staycation of your own:

A staycation is cheaper than an out-of-town getaway. Lodging expenses can catapult a budget into the stratosphere. 

Different activities energize and activate near-dormant brain cells, and when returning to routine you feel re-motivated and revitalized.

A change of scenery bolsters a positive, relaxed, stress-free frame of mind. 

Air travel can be a nightmare. Avoiding airports and lengthy lines, with no suitcases to lug, no headaches stuck in traffic on the way to the airport or need to pay an exorbitant fee for a driver to the airport, no queasy stomach after consuming airport and plane food, no total exhaustion when the experience ends – results in a positive vacation experience. Flying is anything but stress-free nowadays.

A collection of new, hopefully interesting experiences is added to your memory bank. 

You have something new to talk about!

Folks don’t have to travel to distant shores to uncover new places, new people, and new ideas. Unique experiences, often places hidden from the madness of mainstream tourism, are probably within a couple of hours drive for most people. 

Vacations are costly, and I love to travel. But my budget demands I limit my away time. Staycations fill the need for a break without breaking the bank.

A change of routine keeps us younger at heart.

Motion is good. Physical and mental movement is a key to a healthy lifestyle. 

I have reached an age when putting off until tomorrow usually results in a longer bucket list of stuff I will never do.

Number one on my bucket list: DON’T put off until tomorrow what can be accomplished today.

EXCEPT…I am resigned to the fact that I will never cross off everything on my bucket and to-do list. As long as these are items such as cleaning drawers and closets, I don’t care.