5 Reasons Staycations Are Great
Staycations have been a thing since the mid twentieth century, but kind of blew up 15 years or so ago during the financial crisis. The thing I kind of like about the term is that everyone has their own definition of it. Some people think it means staying at your house and exploring your immediate area. Others think it is maybe your own state, or a few hours from home. There are also some that think it means staying within your own country. I think your definition depends on where you live etc. If in a small European country, then limiting it to your country makes sense. If in a major city, then maybe exploring within that is a thing (hello Brooklyn Bridge). However you want to define it, here are my 5 reasons staycations are great!
**My personal definition of a staycation is anywhere within a few hours of home by vehicle, but you do you!
Debunking Miles & Points Travel Myths
One of the things I have tried to do while covering the miles & points space over the last 7 years is debunk some of the myths in the space. We, along with pretty much any niche groups out there, tend to fall into group think and peer pressure leads to us changing our habits. These are the things that will get me up on that soapbox. Such examples are:
- Taking a trip solely to maximize your redemption versus traveling to what interests you, no matter the value.
- Traveling solely because of the social media influence. Or, traveling somewhere everyone in the miles and points says is great just so you can say you have been there too.
- Never going back to the same place more than once, since there is so much to see out there
- International redemptions are the only worthwhile redemptions
- Thinking you need to fly first class, or only stay in fancy hotels
I have written about a lot of these things over the years or went soapboxing about them on a podcast etc. One of my favorite things to discuss is not overlooking your backyard. Anyone that has met me knows that I have a very real and profound love for Michigan. It is a reason I harp on people not forgetting about their own backyard every few years. It is also a reason for this 5 reasons staycations are great list. Everywhere in the world has something that tons of people would love to see. Please don't forget that.
Even if you don't agree with it, hopefully it encourages you break outside of the normal miles & points patterns we see people fall into. Yes, you are still a worthy traveler if you haven't been to the Maldives or Ventana!
Staycations Give You A Change Of Travel Pace
The first of my 5 reasons staycations are great is that they offer a change of travel pace. There is no set time you need to get up and run out the door. There is no plane, ship or train to catch. You can do things at whatever pace you deem fit. That is otherworldly at times, and it can reduce the amount of stress that vacations put on your friends or family.
Not to mention, there is no award searching for 3, 4, 5 or 6 people for a staycation. Some people love the chase of award searches (cough, cough Brian & Derrick), but that isn't me. It is by far my least favorite part of award travel. I get why some love it, but I am here to say they are wrong! Kidding, of course. If you are like me then there are options at least (shameless ToP award booking services plug).
Offering a different pace of travel is the keystone to staycations in my opinion though. It will wind it's web throughout all 5 reasons that I believe staycations are great.
Staycations Hit Your Wallet, Or Travel Balance, A Little Less Hard
The biggest reason staycations became popular is because they offer a significant savings over other types of vacations. You are cutting down on flights, or even gas costs versus a long road trip, because you are just driving a few hours or less. You are likely going to a less popular tourist area versus your normal travels too, which will reduce your accommodations cost (whether in points or cash). Also, not to state the obvious, but you most likely won't need a rental car or Uber etc.
My real key to saving money on a staycation is the ability to bring so much with you. You can load up your car, until it is overflowing, since you only need to make it work for a few hours. Packing everything into a carry-on for a week can be a totally different stressor for people that you don't really need to worry about here. You can also bring so much from home along with you. Whether it be games, devices, snacks, food from the cupboard, drinks etc. You can clear out your house and not adjust your dining budget much at all if you want. Or, you can at least shop in a place you know where the best deals are before you head out.
5 Reasons Staycations Are Great: They Make It Easier To Travel With Others
My next favorite reason staycations are great is the ability to take others with you on the trip. I am probably safe in saying that most of your friends and family members are not into miles & points. Shocker, I know! That makes traveling to all of these amazing places super expensive for most people. That just isn't in the cards for many, and that is where staycations can come in. Even if you need to chip in some points for the hotels etc. on a staycation, that is a lot less costly versus having to book flights for everyone. Plus, you get to skip all of that horrible searching only to have someone you are paying for say that routing isn't the best. THE ABSOLUTE WORST!
We have been doing a Michigan staycation with my family every summer since our kids were little. We are coming up on 7 or 8 years of memories now. That is even when most of the family lives outside of the state. My sister lives in Ohio so she is still able to drive. When my parents moved to Florida several years back I began booking flights as their birthday and Christmas presents so they didn't have to incur large costs to come home. That was a lot easier to do versus booking stuff for 10 total people.
It offers us all a chance to get together in a less costly and stressful way.
Creates Unique & Lasting Memories
Doing a staycation with the extended family every year also allows the kids to create unique & lasting memories. Mixing in a little travel with your get together just give a different vibe and experience then going to each others houses etc., even if that is perfectly fine too.
Taking out the extended family for a bit, even when it is just my immediate family we create totally unique memories on staycations that we wouldn't on other trips. Why is that? Because we have more quality time together. We aren't racing to the next museum, attraction or event that we tried to cram in during our trip. This all goes back to that different pace of travel.
When you go somewhere more low key, and less expensive, I feel like you don't mind taking your time as much. You can usually stretch out the time you are in an area too. That means late night games by the fire, driving to check out the ice cream shop in a small town 40 minutes away or simply lounging in that shady hammock for a few hours. Those are the type of memories that stand out from my childhood. More so than the trips to Disney, New York City or anything in that same vein. It is the nights of doing something totally random as a family, and it experiencing it in full together.
A Recent For Instance
I'll give you a recent example of such a thing that we did a few weeks ago on our staycation. We were coming back from a Pizza Hut Classic 45 minutes away. Something I would never waste that much time on during a normal trip, but could this time around. I love having my kids experience something that was such a big part of both of our childhoods being 90's kids and all. Pizza Hut was a Friday night mainstay when redeeming our Book It free personal pan pizza and playing Off Road while waiting for a table. Pizza Hut Classic locations (find one if you can) give you all those same vibes.
We then went to what I assume to be the last Radio Shack in existence, because let's keep this 90's thing rolling. How was it? Depressing as hell, but it was another piece of our childhood I got to share with them. Even if it was nowhere near its heyday.
The fun didn't stop there though. On our way home, we randomly stopped at a party store in a small town and told everyone to find one food item they have never seen before. We would then try each one and see who found the best gem. My thinking here was that every area has a food item or something else unique to them, and this gives us a chance to do something fun, inexpensive and maybe find something totally amazing. My mom used to love to look at small grocery stores for unique things just like this, and it is something I wanted to pass on to my kids. We all had a blast scouring the shelves, trying to find the best thing in the store. We probably looked like a family of loons laughing all over the store, which is just the way I like it.
This took up half of a day, but was totally amazing. It is also something we probably would have never done on any other kind of trip.
You Feel More Refreshed Afterwards
The last of my 5 reasons staycations are great is I find myself more refreshed afterwards. That isn't always the case, but it happens more often than not. We have all heard the saying, I need a vacation from my vacation. That is 100% accurate most of the time when flying somewhere and packing in a ton of stuff while you are there. You don't want to lay in bed until 10:30, or take an afternoon nap, when you spend thousands of dollars, or hundreds of thousands in points to get somewhere. You don't have that same urgency, or guilt to maximize, when on a staycation. The different pace of travel comes in clutch again here.
5 Reasons Staycations Are Great: ToP Thoughts
Hopefully this op-ed on staycations hits home for you a bit. It is easy to get caught up in seeing everything the miles and points world opens up to you. That is especially true when just starting out. Now that anywhere is possible, why would you do anything close to home? Let me tell you, that gets exhausting. You need to build in some breaks for yourself, and I think staycations do just that, all while still scratching that travel itch.
Another reason I used to love staycations was because it was the one trip I didn't have to write a review or take a billion photos on. Well, I ruined it with this write up, didn't I?
Let me know if you still work staycations into your travel rotation over in the ToP Facebook Group.
