Updated: 02/22/19 | February 22nd, 2019
There always seems to be a new term entering the travel lexicon: traveler, tourist, flashpacker, voluntourism…the list goes on.
And I get it.
People always like to define something (especially fellow travelers). I guess giving something a name means you feel like you understand it. and the latest word that seems to be catching on is “staycation”.
Okay, the word has been around for a while but when my pals on Facebook tell me they are taking a “staycation,” that’s when I know the word has gone mainstream.
A “staycation” is officially defined (by me) as staying home while taking time off from work in lieu of going overseas or to some different locality.
There are many travel words I am a fan of but “staycation” is not one of them. It’s a way for people to convince themselves they are doing something when they are really just staying home from work — a little mental maneuver to convince them they are on holiday.
But a holiday (vacation) is when you leave the comfort of your house and go somewhere. It doesn’t need to be someplace far and your trip doesn’t need to last a long time. You can go on vacation to Europe or the next town over for two days. Take a weekend out in the woods. All you need to do is something different than your normal routine.
Staying home from work for a week is not a vacation — it’s staying home from work for a week. Moreover, staying home might tempt you to check your work e-mail or fall into stressful habits that don’t let you get one of the terrific benefits of a vacation: time to relax!
Yet since a vacation is so prized by people, people have designated this stay-at-home activity as something special. You already know how I feel, but if you are intent on having a “staycation,” there are a number of things you can do to mix things up while staying at home:
1. Volunteer – break out of the norm and go help others with your time. There are many people who need help right now — including people in your own community. responsible volunteering is a terrific way to connect with people from different backgrounds and experiences while giving back to your community.
Not sure where to start? begin with your interests. Vad gillar du att göra? Is there some way you can incorporate that into your volunteering. For example, if you enjoy playing chess or art or sports you can try volunteering at an after-school program. If you enjoy running or outdoor activities, see if there is a group that does park or trail maintenance/litter cleanups. Food banks are another common place that almost always needs volunteer help, and there is one in every community.
There is no shortage of people and organizations that need help. All you need to do is take that first step!
2. learn a new skill – Take a cooking class, learn yoga, or learn how to build desks. learn how to build a travel blog. A vacation doesn’t have to be about going somewhere. You can learn something new. If you are going to stay at home, then stay home and do something.
A terrific place to start is to check platforms like meetup.com or Couchsurfing for events, workshops, or local clubs. See if there is anything offered that sounds interesting and then just dive in!
3. Take a roadtrip – If you have a lot of time off work, you should go out and do something. remember travel doesn’t have to be to some exotic place — it can happen right in your own hometown. Go take a few days to explore your area. learning something new about your hometown can be just as good as getting on a plane to go somewhere.
Want to make it even more exciting? find some other travelers to join you! meeting and traveling with complete strangers is par for the course when you’re backpacking. Why not try doing the same at home. use Couchsurfing or online travel groups like The Nomadic Network to find people in your area who want to do an impromptu road trip. It’s a terrific way to add some excitement to your trip and make it much more interesting. Plus, you can split the cost to save yourself some money. double win!
4. set a goal – try to do something different each day to keep things interesting. Why not make a game out of it? promise yourself each day to try one new type of ethnic food, or see a movie from a different country, or check out one new part of town. travel is a terrific personal development tool. It’s about experiencing new things and trying something different. Doing it home still captures that essence.
To keep yourself engaged and on track, share your experiences on social media. Make a video of yourself trying the new foods or exploring your town. get your pals and family involved by taking ideas from them. The more postive and engaged you can make your experiences, the more likely it is that you’ll stick with it and enjoy it.
5. Don’t stay in your house – In order to break your routine, be sure to find another place to stay. staying at home wJag har bara fallit i gamla rutiner, vilket inte är vad vi vill göra! Vi försöker komma ut och omfamna något nytt och utnyttja vår fritid. Hoppa över Netflix och gå ut ur ditt hus. Hitta en lokal Airbnb eller till och med ett vandrarhem. Gör något ovanligt. Det hjälper dig att få ett nytt perspektiv och få din resa att känna sig mycket mer autentisk och uppfriskande.
Om du kommer att vara borta i några dagar kan du överväga att sätta upp ditt hus eller lägenhet att hyra på Airbnb. På så sätt kan du tjäna lite pengar på sidan för att finansiera din resa samtidigt som du tvingar dig själv att komma ut ur huset och in i ett nytt äventyr!
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Resor är mer än att flytta från plats till plats. Det handlar om att göra olika aktiviteter utanför din normala komfortzon. Så om du verkligen kommer att stanna hemma, flytta ut från din mentala komfortzon och resa till nya idéer. Det är bättre än att sitta på soffan i en vecka och titta på “American Idol.” Bara, snälla, undvik den typiska “Staycation.”
Hur man reser världen på $ 50 per dag
Min New York Times bästsäljande pocketbok för World Travel kommer att lära dig hur du bemästrar konsten att resa så att du kommer att gå av misshandlad väg, spara pengar och ha en djupare reseupplevelse. Det är din A till Z -planeringsguide som BBC kallade “Bibeln för budgetresenärer.”
Klicka här för att lära dig mer och börja läsa det idag!
Boka din resa: logistiska tips och tricks
Boka din flygning
Hitta en lågkostnadsflyg genom att använda Skyscanner. Det är min favorit sökmotor eftersom den söker webbplatser och flygbolag runt om i världen så du vet alltid att ingen sten är obestämd.
Boka ditt boende
Du kan boka ditt vandrarhem med Hostelworld. Om du vill stanna någon annanstans än ett vandrarhem, använd Booking.com eftersom de konsekvent returnerar de billigaste priserna för pensionat och hotell.
Glöm inte reseförsäkring
Reseförsäkring skyddar dig mot sjukdom, skada, stöld och avbokningar. Det är omfattande skydd om vad som helst går fel. Jag går aldrig på en resa utan det som jag måste använda det många gånger tidigare. Mina favoritföretag som erbjuder bästa service och värde är:
SafetyWing (bäst för alla)
Försäkra min resa (för de över 70)
Medjet (för ytterligare evakueringstäckning)
Redo att boka din resa?
Kolla in min resurssida för de bästa företagen att använda när du reser. Jag listar alla de jag använder när jag reser. De är de bästa i klassen och du kan inte gå fel med att använda dem på din resa.