I know loads of people that do staycations, but they spend more than if they’d have gone away. I think one important aspect of a vacation is when you’ve turned off the phone and tv and been together – so I try to replicate this on staycations. I’ve done a few staycations in the past and loved them, but I also make sure I get away the following year!

We live in small town Ontario so there are lots of opportunities for daytripping. Love the Niagara area. We usually take a week off in August and will go somewhere for 1 or 2 nights within reasonable driving distance. I always take a cooler filled with pop and water and a snack bag full of munchies that I won’t buy the rest of the year. We try to stay in a hotel with a pool which is fun for our son – and us too! We limit ourselves to one or two touristy things that cost $ and look for free things to do. We also try to eat where the locals do.

The rest of the week we veg out at home, sleep in, sit on the patio with a cold drink in hand, do whatever we want. No chores – I plan ahead the week before so that all cleaning, laundry etc is done and we have groceries in the house for easy on mom meals. BBQ burgers, sausage , salads, veg and dip etc. Maybe a take out pizza. We end the week with a walk to our local icecream shop and everyone gets whatever their heart desires. You want a banana split -go for it. It’s the only time we get something other than a regular cone. It’s amazing how much we look forward to it and it’s become a family tradition.

Love your blog Gail.

The luxury of going to bed when I want, getting up when I want (and not to the buzz of an alarm clock at 5 am) and doing pretty much whatever I choose for two weeks is enough of a vacation for me! Walking the dogs, visiting my parents, gardening, napping, quilting, staying up late, sleeping in – decadent, to someone who works full time all the rest of the year.

Fortunately neither my husband or I have the travel bug and other than my hubby’s trips to Sask (from Alta) to see family once or twice a year, we haven’t been on an “away from home” vacation for more than 10 years, and I don’t miss it.

Staycations are an awesome idea.

Via Rail often has deals in the summer for travelling with children. My friend & I are hoping to take our sons on there 1st train ride to a town that’s about 100KM away or so. We’re going to go for the day and I don’t think it will cost much more than $40/each (parent & child) for the train. It would cost me $20 for gas, and this way we both get to relax and have some fun. We’re going to visit a nice park there and have a picnic lunch. We’re considering planning it to stay the night too. By sharing a motel room with a kitchenette – we’ll save a ton!

As a younger person living in Toronto, I have a few options that I use.
* I use my under 30 discount to see Ballet performances for $20 (though I also make a donation)
* I use my under 30 discount to go to the orchestra for $12 (again, make a donation)
* I browse the city pages for free events, and make a point of going to them. Luminato was great – why not go to the festivals in your own city instead of spending the money to travel somewhere else (my landlord and I were chatting about that a few weeks ago)
* I head over to the city’s islands for a nice walk and spend the evening with my friend on her boat (she lives in her parents’ boat during the summer semester while working on the island) – it’s even better when I stay overnight!
* I make plans to go out in the middle of the week instead of waiting for the weekend for fun things, even if I don’t have vacation time
* I meet up with my friend and her daughter, and find all the free (or under $10) things that we can do with a 4 year old and have fun – we visit parks/gardens/find a farm to pick fruits, etc – we try to do things to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for her and to enjoy time together
* go swimming
* go to wonderland
* sit outside and watch the stars (when they’re visible)
* get the tourist maps for the city and use the coupons in them
* I just go somewhere and explore where it takes me

really, it’s all about taking the time to enjoy yourself and the world around you (even if it’s limited to a smaller locale). Anything can be exciting if you haven’t done it before, or don’t do it on a regular basis. That’s the point of a vacation – to get a break from your everyday and enjoy things on your own terms!

And, even if you have a limited budget to work with, it’s amazing what you can find. Even going for a walk in a new neighbourhood usually uncovers gems of interest.

Wonderful post Gail, as always. This year my sister and I are using holiday time to spend a week volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary.. both of us have always wanted to learn a little bit about rehab for injured critters. It will be my first ‘volunteer vacation’ but I expect I’ll enjoy it in a different way than lounging on an exotic beach. Otherwise, I’m taking holiday time on Mondays to make every weekend a long weekend and will definitely apply the staycation principle and make the most of my beautiful surroundings!

I have been agonizing over a 4 day gap I have in childcare/school in november and was planning on going to Florida for vacation. I was getting stresssed out by the cost, spending time surfing for cheap flights etc. Staying close but going to a hotel for even one day will give us the pool access that will make it feel like a trip. And if I officially declare it “Staycation” then we can do some really fun things with the kids. Like going to the zoo for 3 days in a row and then to a farm or something, with breaks at a pool in between. wow. I’m excited even thinking about it.

We do “staycations” all the time (though we never thought to name them!).
Mostly we challenge ourselves to find a new park everyday (within a 50 km radius) and try a new restraunt once. The kids pressure us to see the local museums, and tourist walks and we check out the art galleries and antique shops (they can be like a museum too). Sometimes we hook up the tent trailer and head just out of town to a nearby family farm, it’s on the waterfront and we get to visit family and get away from our suburb home while enjoying FREE camping on the beach!

I have a money saving alternative to birthdays I’d like to share with you. Since turning 30, me and my girlfriends have opted out of getting each other gifts for birthdays (and Christmas). With all the other money and time obligations in our adult lives, we found that the most precious gift we could give each other was some catching-up time! So we invented “UNBIRTHDAY” parties. We get together (the 4 of us) annually specifically to go to a fancy restaurant and celebrate our friendship. After dinner we watch sappy girlie movies, laugh and catch up till dawn. We all live in different towns, but close enough to make it feasable for an overnight visit. By not getting gifts we can afford to have a terrific time together!