For many of us, summer is the time to unwind, relax, and vacation, either via a long weekend at the lake or a planned trip out of state to the beach. But this year, many vacations have been put on hold or even completely canceled due to COVID-19. That means your relaxation will have to wait – or will it?
Many are learning the benefits of a “staycation,” in which you stay in your town, but still take time off from work to relax in whatever way you can. Today, we’ll discuss not only the details of how to staycation, but also give some of our favorite examples and ideas.
What is a Staycation?
The words “stay” and “vacation” mashed up into one word are fairly self-explanatory, but to give you a bit more context, a staycation is typically any sort of miniature vacation where you stay in or near your city or town. Sometimes people think a staycation means staying home the entire time, and that is completely allowed, but it’s not the only way to do it.
If you don’t go about it intentionally, a staycation can quickly become unplanned days off, which is basically just a weekend with even less structure. Adding some sort of agenda and rules to your staycation may sound a bit strange, but it can actually lead to a far better experience.
Create a Staycation Budget
The first step is to create a budget, even if that means just setting a specific number that you cannot go over. You can take it a step further, especially if you have a highly detailed agenda because that way you can decide how much you can afford to spend during each activity.
A budget might not sound like a relaxing thing to do in your spare time, but like the structure mentioned above, it actually makes things much simpler. With an agenda and budget in place, you don’t have to spend your precious free time thinking about what you’ll do next and if you can afford it.
Turning Your Own Home into a Staycation
While you can absolutely do more than leaving your house, it’s completely acceptable to plan an entire staycation that involves being in your apartment and complex the entire time. While you might be hesitant after lengthy periods of social distancing, it can still be a great way to get some fresh air.
Various Ways to Staycation
These are our favorite ideas for your staycation.
SPA DAY
While nothing can quite measure up to an actual day at the spa, getting massages and sitting in the sauna, you can still create quite a relaxing setup at home. Put on some relaxing music, light a candle you love, and do whatever you can do yourself that you enjoy doing at the spa, like a moisturizing face mask, cucumber slices on the eyes, or soaking your feet in Epsom salt.
ROAD “TRIP”
So, your massive, once-in-a-lifetime road trip is postponed until next year – that doesn’t mean you have to stay out of the car entirely. Take a trip to somewhere interesting in-state or just beyond the borders. Many experts agree that it’s safe to do most outdoor activities as long as you’re not getting close to others, so a small drive to a hike, like the ones in the Wichita Mountains, is a great way to unwind.
TURN OFF THE SCREENS
Technology is great – it gives us access to information and capabilities like never before. But it can also really take over our everyday agendas, resulting in days spent working on computers, then reading on our smartphones, and watching TV before bed on streaming services. For a staycation, it might be a good idea to schedule some time with no screens allowed, even if it’s just for an hour or two. Instead, you can read or listen to music, or simply sit and relax together.
HAVE A FULL DAY
One of the best things about a vacation is returning to the hotel or rental home exhausted after a long day of sightseeing. You can do the same thing on your staycation, too. You could start the day with a long hike, then walk around an area of town you’ve never seen before, followed by some time at your apartment pool, leading to a relaxed evening after a full day of fun.
FAMILY (OR SOLO) PROJECT
Downtime is a great opportunity to accomplish projects and tasks that you might have always wanted to do but never had the chance. If you have children, it could be fun to start a new hobby together, something you’ve never done, such as learning to play guitar, painting with lessons from Bob Ross, or doing a puzzle.
Relaxation is Key
No matter what your situation or staycation agenda, the point is to relax. A day off is different than a staycation. On a day off, you’ll often clean the house, run some errands, and maybe watch some unstructured TV. The point of your staycation is to make an actual vacation for yourself, without the hassle of travel.
During this strange time, we are here for you, providing apartment and storage solutions for those in the Norman, OKC, and Tulsa areas. Contact us today to learn more about our many options!
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