You hear it all the time: “I need a vacation!" Everyone knows that that familiar feeling of dread on Sunday evenings. Well, that feeling is telling you something! Mental health workers tell us all the time that everyone needs a vacation. Some employers even insist their employees take one. However, what do you do when gas is over $4.00 a gallon and the price of everything has risen? You stay home and vacation! (Otherwise known as a "staycation.")

Staycation is the newest buzz word for staying home and vacationing. It sounds odd and really not doable, but with some planning and organization, it is possible! The key is to making your staycation successful is to treat it as a typical vacation — both mentally and physically.  Many families are trading in their travel plans and replacing them with backyard getaways.   From backyard camping adventures to romantic getaways for two, families can reap the benefits a traditional vacation offers by staying home.

At this point you’re asking, "How?"  The phone is so close, e-mail just takes a second to read and what about the housework, the laundry, and the chores?  Ask yourself this: when you are on vacation, do you spend a lot of time on the phone or reading e-mail?  How much housework or laundry do you do when you are in another city?  I am going to go out on a limb and assume the answer to these questions is a resounding no. The success of a staycation rests on how you approach it mentally. With the right attitude it can be a success.

Begin by planning just as if you were heading out of town on a typical vacation. Make a list of what needs to be done before you leave; clean house, pay bills, pick up reading material, buy new flip flops, sunscreen, etc.  Be sure to include notifying family and friends that you will be on “vacation” and the date you are “returning." Answer e-mails, prepare the “out of office reply.” (If you're an Etsy seller, update your online shop notifying customers you are on vacation and when you will return.  Etsy has made it easy by offering banners you can add to your site that inform viewers that you are on vacation.)

Sit down and talk to your family.  Ask everyone what they would like to do while on staycation and include the little ones.  Do they want to head to the water, go sightseeing, shopping?  Do they want to go camping in the backyard?  You can do all of this and never leave your hometown.  Begin by gathering up information on your city.  Do some research just as if you were heading out of town. What tourist attractions are nearby?  Pick out some restaurants you have never tried. You can save money by eating one meal out a day, lunch one day, breakfast the next, then dinner.  Stop by the local Automobile Association and get some maps and a tour book of your own city. You’ll be surprised at what you may find awaits you in your little neck of the woods.

Money does not need to be a deal breaker, either. Borrow any equipment you don’t have.  If you decide to go backyard camping and don’t have a tent, ask around; someone is bound to have one.  The same goes for a grill and a bug zapper. Buy paper plates and get that cooler out (don’t forget the ice!).  Make smores, tell ghost stories and count the stars.  Set the blender on the counter and make smoothies and tropical drinks if you are having a fun in the sun staycation. Wear your bathing suit all day and run through the sprinkler.  Stop at the dollar store and buy fun sunglasses for everyone. The idea is to do what you do when you are on vacation and staying at a hotel or campground…have fun! Ultimately, you're spending time and relaxing with you family, and you'll be much better off when you “return."

I live in Cleveland, Ohio. Lake Erie is on my doorstep, which opens up a multitude of opportunities for my family of four.  Our adventure is an African Safari and it begins at the Cleveland Zoo, which is free to residents on Mondays. The agenda for our staycation is as follows: we'll pack our own lunch and eat at the park, then head west (approximately 90 minutes away) and book a room at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, an African themed water park resort. 

In the morning, we'll hop in the car and head to Port Clinton, Ohio for a visit to African Safari Wildlife. At a cost of $45.00 per car we can spend the day driving around the “safari." From there, we'll head back to the hotel for pizza and some time relaxing by the pool. The kids can enjoy the water while mom and dad sip tropical drinks and recline on lounge chairs. (Very relaxing!) In the morning, we'll take the ferry and head over to the boardwalk of Put-n-Bay (an island in Lake Erie).   Spending the day walking the island will leave us exhausted as we head back to the mainland for the drive home. At the end of the day, we'll arrive home from our safari refreshed and exhausted, but with lots of memories!

For those of you wanting to visit distant lands you can visit the local ethnic restaurants, shops and venues.  Ask questions, learn about their culture, and try some ethnic dishes.  After all you are on an adventure aren’t you?!

The idea is not to necessarily visit someplace new and exotic but to have fun and try new things.  A vacation can be whatever it is that leaves you refreshed and refueled.  It’s a mindset and that doesn’t cost a penny.

Resources:
AAA.com
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
African Safari Wildlife Park
Kalahiri Resorts

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