With summer holidays looming in the near future and the rising cost of travel and accommodation, consider the option to plan a meaningful staycation for your family. A staycation is the idea of staying at home while enjoying vacation time and activities together. To set the stage for this unique experience, include luxuries your family enjoys when staying at a hotel, eating at restaurants, camping and visiting new and interesting venues. Turn your home and hometown into a holiday destination inviting the opportunity to view familiar spaces with a new perspective.
Just as you would plan a travel holiday, a staycation involves planning as well. To get the ball rolling, choose the dates for your staycation then introduce the idea to your family with excitement and possibilities. Be open to any initial suggestions as children are creative creatures and may propose a scheme to thoughtfully consider. The following ideas are shared to inspire you and your family as you plan a meaningful staycation. Some suggestions may be saved to surprise your children or your spouse and others chosen together to suit the interests and dreams of family members drawing them into the staycation magic.
Vacation Mode
Whether you are planning a couple days staycation or a week or more, change your and your family’s daily routine. Prepare for the staycation by setting up a USPS Hold Mail service while you are “away,” schedule work days off, clear the calendar, limit e-mail check-ins, laundry, shopping and other distractions thereby enabling the focus to simply be family time.
Prior to the family’s “departure,” put together travel kits including travel-sized soaps, shampoo, toothpaste as well as a few items for each individual’s “hotel room.” As in a hotel, family members dress for breakfast and sit down to a set table and helping themselves to a simple breakfast buffet. Meals assume a more magical prospect with the simple addition of place cards and menus which are posted daily. Candles and appropriate background music add to the ambiance of your dining experiences.
Outdoor meals are an exciting change to meals inside. Packing up a lunch or dinner picnic to enjoy in the backyard, park, playground or community pool is a memorable change for everyone. Ordering “room service” is also a treat. Offer coupons for a special room service breakfast or cocoa before bed. As you plan a meaningful staycation, be mindful that the simple, thoughtful and personal touches are what makes this experience special.
Staycation Activities
A soft, daily routine keeps a comfortable flow as you plan a meaningful staycation. After breakfast, gather with your child or children for reading and learning time together with The Golden Days at Home Early Childhood Lesson Plans. This quality at home curriculum looks back to a quieter, gentler time to share together. Nature walks, nursery rhymes, simple art projects, hands-on science discovery and other classic childhood activities fill the lessons you teach. Choose the monthly lesson plan bundle that coordinates with your staycation time of year. This nurturing time together may end up being everyone’s favorite time of day during your family’s staycation.
Heading out on daily afternoon excursions around town gifts an opportunity to explore new places or finally visit venues you’ve always wanted to see. Are there new-to-you parks or playgrounds, museums or swimming pools to enjoy? Perhaps a miniature golf course or hiking trail to try out together? Pack up a snack or meal picnic and enjoy staying out as long as you would like to, you’re on staycation!
When you plan a meaningful staycation, slow, empty evenings are a magical opportunity for special events. Roast sausages over an open fire followed by s’mores. Pitch a tent in the backyard, roll out the sleeping bags and sleep outside. Set up an outdoor movie to watch in your pajamas as you share a big bowl of popcorn. Welcome ideas family members think up during your staycation as familiar home resources are on hand, a definite advantage during a staycation.
Making Memories
Take photos throughout your staycation to record the memories you are making together. Exploring your home town can be as exciting as visiting a new area and preserving these experiences will bring welcomed family conversations in the future as you revisit this time spent together.
Remember loved ones far away as you plan a meaningful staycation. Collect postcards from the different venues your family visits. Children can draw a picture or write a few lines and send to grandparents or far away family members sharing their experiences. Souvenirs are an immediate reminder of a special place or time. Offer the opportunity for each child to choose one, modest souvenir from your family’s staycation. It could be a flower picked on a hike, a sticker or a magnet from a museum you visited. It is a small memento during this special time together.
A Change is as Good as a Rest
There are many benefits when you plan a meaningful staycation. It is a great option for a limited vacation budget and not only do you and your family take a break from the familiar, everyday routine, but you also invite the welcomed opportunity to unwind together in the comfort of your own home. Adding unique and special touches to your loosely prepared staycation itinerary transforms the ordinary to the extraordinary. Filling your days with activities suited to your family’s ages and interests makes the staycation meaningful as well as memorable. As you take time to explore your surroundings together in a new way, your home and home town will expand with all the goodness it has to offer.
A staycation is something your family can look forward to. There is a saying in the UK that states, “A change is as good as a rest.” This idiom suggests the act of changing your schedule or routine refreshes and energizes your mind and body offering the same benefits as taking a break. A staycation can be just that, an opportunity to change up the family’s familiar day-to-day regimen while being surrounded by all the comforts of home.
Written by Janet Nicole Meyer for Golden Days at Home.
Sunflower Houses is a magical book inviting you into the garden for faerie tea parties, to grow a floral clock garden, create children’s hideaways and so much more inspiration as you interact with nature. It has been a favorite in our family igniting the tradition of growing a sunflower house each and every year! Sunflower Houses: Garden Discoveries for children of All Ages by Sharon Lovejoy
