Natalia Lusinski
- A staycation is a perfect getaway from your daily life — and it costs much less money and time than a regular vacation.
- Whether you decide to stay local or explore a nearby area you’ve never visited, you’ll get to see your home in a different light.
- Here are 10 easy ways to plan the perfect staycation this summer.
For many people, summertime is vacation time. However, limited time off or cash in the vacation fund can make taking a dream trip difficult.
A great alternative is a staycation, where you have a vacation-like experience without venturing too far from home. Whether you stay in your own city or visit a nearby one, the goal of a staycation is the same as a vacation: To take a break from your day-to-day life.
I’m a digital nomad currently living in Lisbon, Portugal. However, I recently needed to get away for a few days — and on a budget. For about $ 2, I took a train 45 minutes to the fairy-tale city of Sintra, home to several castles and breathtaking views. I found a guest house on Booking.com for about $ 30 a night, and my staycation began.
If you’re looking for ideas on how to plan the perfect staycation of your own, here are 10 ways to do it:
1. Figure out what you want to do
Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock
Dannie Fountain, a marketing strategist and digital nomad who has visited nearly 100 countries in the past three years, believes that the key to a great staycation is first figuring out what you want to do, whether it’s a spa getaway or a hiking adventure.
“Then, choose the ‘where’ based on the place near you that offers the best of the ‘what,'” she told Business Insider.
2. Create a staycation budget
GaudiLab/Shutterstock
Kevin Gallegos, vice president at Freedom Financial Network, said that it’s important to have a staycation budget in place.
“Just as you would (should) create a vacation budget, decide how much you can spend on your staycation,” he told Business Insider via email. “Do not go into debt to take a vacation, at home or away.”
However, Byron Ellis, a certified financial planner with United Capital and founder of “Doing Money Right,” said that you should still splurge a little on your staycation.
“You have saved a great deal by not purchasing airline tickets, not sliding the credit card at the gas pump, and/or not paying for a room every night, so why not splurge a bit,” he said. “In the end, though, you want to spend much less than if you had gone out of town, but you don’t have to make it feel like you are on a budget.”
3. Use online resources
Daxiao Productions/Shutterstock
“Staycations are a great way to fall in love with your home city, and many websites offer discounted tickets to tours and events that are worth buying,” Cory Sarrett, a consultant for La Galerie Hotel in New Orleans, La., told Business Insider.
If you need some staycation inspiration, there are plenty of apps that can help. For instance, Jetsetter not only has hotel deals, they also have trip tips and destination guides.
Depending on where you live, you can also get great ideas from TimeOut, Viator, and TripAdvisor. Then there are other sites, where you can get discounts on fun experiences and food, such as LivingSocial, Groupon, and Restaurant.com.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- I dropped everything and bought a one-way ticket to Switzerland, and it was the best decision of my life
- The 6 smartest things I did before I had my second child
- I’m from Ohio — here are 6 things all Midwesterners know to be true
SEE ALSO: How one woman planned a 10-day trip to 3 continents with a limited budget and little time off work
