Staycations became popular during the financial crisis between 2007 and 2010 and proved to be a great way to take a break without blowing your budget. Below are 15 staycation ideas if you’re considering taking a vacation at home this year.
15 Budget Staycation Ideas
1. Go on a tasting tour of your city.
Some cities may have guided tours but it may be more fun if you make your own. Consider all of the places you’ve wanted to try in your city but haven’t and create a map of where you plan to go. If you want to keep it super cheap, invite a friend, order appetizers, and split the bill.
2. Take a walk or a bike ride through your town.
Once again, there are some cities that have walking (or biking) tours. However, you probably already know all of the good places to take a nice walk or ride through town. Spend as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors during your staycation. The fresh air is good for you and it’s free.
3. Check out local breweries.
Microbreweries and wineries have become extremely popular. Most – if not all – large metropolitan areas have a native beer or wine (or both). Many of these establishments also hold daily tours, give away free tastes, and have fairly reasonable prices. See if there is a brewery tour near you.
4. Binge watch TV or movies.
In 2013, the term “binge-watching” rose in popularity when Netflix began releasing batches of TV episodes. A staycation is a perfect time to catch up on all those shows and movies you’ve been meaning to watch or even the book series you’ve been meaning to start reading.
5. Turn your bathroom into an aromatherapy spa.
You don’t need much to transform your bathroom at home into a spa. Just grab a few bath bombs, bath salts, or bubble bath from the store, cucumbers for your eyes, and a nice robe. Spend some time soaking in the tub before retiring to bed for a nice nap.
6. Do yoga.
Whether you want to head to a quick yoga class or you do it in your living room, a staycation is a great time to practice yoga. Many people find the stretches and breathing to be relaxing.
7. Host a get-together.
Since you’ll be at home, you can plan a get-together with a few friends or family. Check out Pinterest for cheap and easy recipes as well as budget-friendly activities.
8. Take a class.
Plan to take a class during your time off. An art class or pottery class might be fun. You can also consider fitness classes or dancing classes if you prefer something more active.
9. Visit a local museum or park.
Does your city or town have a museum or amusement park nearby you can visit? These are great staycation destinations. For the most part, admission for locals to these establishments is relatively cheap and you’ll have a day full of fun.
10. Go on a picnic.
Another great staycation idea is planning an elaborate picnic. Instead of the usual PB&J (with a side of ants), plan to have fresh fruit, cheese, and possibly some wine. Treat yourself! After all, it’s your vacation.
Staycation Ideas for the Family
11. Let a different family member choose the activity for the day.
For many families, deciding what you’ll do with your vacation time can be difficult. Not everyone in the family has the same interested. If you’re having a staycation, consider letting a different member of the family choose what you’ll do each day.
12. Hold a board game tournament.
Throw a small board game tournament. Even you don’t have many board games at home already, you can find them fairly cheap in secondhand stores. Some of the classics, like Candyland and Connect Four, can be found relatively cheap as well. You can also see about borrowing games from friends and family.
13. Organize a babysitting trade-off with another family.
Parents may be looking for some time alone during their staycation, especially if you have younger kids. If there is another family you trust, consider organizing a babysitting trade-off with them. Agree that you’ll watch their kids gratis if they will babysit your children for a night (free) during your staycation.
14. Camp out in the backyard.
Camping out with the family can be fun but the gear, food, and travel can quickly add up. Try setting up camp in the backyard, starting a bonfire, and telling stories. You can sleep out in a tent in the back or if you’d prefer, you can put out the fire and head to your own bed at the end of the night.
15. Have a water game day.
This is the perfect summertime staycation activity for the family. You can purchase water balloons and water guns fairly cheap. If you’re up to it, you can also set up your very own DIY water slide. Once you get everything set up, you can have a water gun fight and slip-n-slide style fun without spending water park prices.
Depending on where you live, you may have more activities available during your vacation. These are just 15 of the many great staycation ideas out there.
Readers, do you have a staycation idea that should be added to the list? Drop us your ideas in the comment section below!
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