Do you want a vacation this summer, but don’t have the money? Then you are going to love this guest post about staycation tips by Sumara from ExtraDoughPro.com.
What do you do if you don’t have extra time or money to invest in an honest-to-goodness summer vacation? What if your family can never agree on a vacation destination? How can you keep your family happy and occupied if you stick close to home for two months in the summer?
The answer is a staycation.
Planning a staycation doesn’t mean you’re lazy and unwilling to make travel arrangements. Nor does it mean you don’t have the brainpower to come up with an interesting itinerary. On the contrary, a staycation is a thoughtful choice that more and more families are making.
First of all, a staycation saves a ton of money. There are no airplane tickets, hotel reservations, or car rentals to purchase. And there’s no need to lose sleep over what to pack! In fact, the trickiest part of a “home vacation” may be getting your family on board with the idea. To that end, here are 10 clever staycation ideas to kick off the summer.
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10 Clever Staycation Ideas
Staycation tip #1 – Get out
No matter where you live, there are bound to be hiking trails in the nearby vicinity. It doesn’t matter if you lace up your boots, fill up your backpacks, and head to the woods or if you stay in your flip-flops, grab sunhats and meander around the local park. The idea is to take your time to appreciate your surroundings and notice things that you’re usually too harried to see.
Staycation tip #2 – Get crafty
Young kids love decorating driveways and sidewalks with chalk and then rinsing the colors away with a hose. Older kids will enjoy researching how to make kites and then hosting a kite race and a ceremony for the winner.
Staycation tip #3 – Get cooking
Recruit the whole family for an at-home restaurant. Assign tasks to each individual (from host to server to cook to patron), come up with a name for the establishment, and create a menu. Don’t forget the costumes and decorations! Consider “opening” the restaurant enough times over the summer so everyone has a chance to play each role.
Staycation tip #4 – Keep current
Stay on top of the summer blockbusters by checking out a matinee movie. There are two major advantages to seeing a film in the afternoon. First of all, the prices are slashed. Secondly, there are fewer folks in the theater so you and your family are almost guaranteed to get the best seats in the house!
Staycation tip #5 – Keep cool
On those dog days of summer when it feels too hot to blink, head to the nearest pool or a park that sports a water feature. For free swimming opportunities, scope out your town’s Parks and Recreation Department or visit a local YMCA. If you have a yard, set up a sprinkler and let the kids get wet and wild!
Staycation tip #6 – Keep a calendar
How many times have you said you’ll remember something, only to forget it days later? Don’t let this happen to your fun-filled summer! Make or buy a large-scale calendar that has lots of room for writing and drawing. Keep a set of markers, some stickers, and colored pencils nearby, and encourage all family members to add something (a picture, a quote, a comment) to the calendar every day.
Staycation tip #7 – Make some money
Make a lemonade stand that’s impossible to ignore. Create colorful signs and displays, give your lemonade mixture a memorable name, offer two-for-one specials, and advertise a free treat with each purchase. If the offerings are irresistible, the energy level stays high and everyone has a good time (not to mention the cash that’ll be rolling in!)
Staycation tip #8 – Make a theme
Take turns choosing a theme for the day. For example, you may pick “France,” and line up croissants for breakfast, play French tunes throughout the day, and cue a movie set in Paris for the evening’s entertainment. Other ideas are a color theme, a letter theme, or a day when you do everything backward!
Staycation tip #9 – Make a difference
Not everyone is able to take a summer break. With this in mind, bake cookies and deliver them to your local firefighters and other community workers. This may seem like a small thing, but it’s a thoughtful gesture that won’t be forgotten.
Staycation tip #10 – Make and keep memories
Be sure to snap photos of all the different activities your family enjoys as well as the rainy days spent indoors. When summer is coming to a close, work together to create a photo album/scrapbook that will be a keepsake the whole family will appreciate for years to come.
Choose to stay behind
Certainly, it’s possible to travel on a budget. However, it requires a good deal of strategizing about how to get the best deals and the biggest bang for your buck. Chances are you’ll spend a tremendous amount of time on research and preparations and struggle to keep all the logistics straight.
Instead of spending my time making endless plans and constantly running the numbers, I’ve put my energy into having the best summer staycation possible. As the days pass, I’m grateful that we’re not jet-setting around the globe because quality family time happens at home, too.
Author Bio
Samara Kamenecka is a VA specializing in SEO and content creation. She aims to help all moms find the perfect side hustle over at ExtraDoughPro.com, where she writes about everything from VIPKid reviews to other online teaching opportunities.
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