Staycations are the trend of the trend right now. It is one of my favorite things to do so I thought I would provide a staycation guide tips for all those who love doing it or it just trying it for the first time. Why is it so popular? It is popular because it saves you money yet brings the family together like vacations are known for. Ah, relaxation! Breath in that Ah, fun in the sun! And of course, no staycation would be complete without the Ah, sweet do nothing kind of days! I personally love this trend of vacations for those reasons. However, there are tips you need to know to guide staycations for hotels.
First Things First: What are Staycations Anyways?
Honestly, this was a great debate at my home. One says “it is when your home” and the other says “as long as you are in the same city it is a staycation“. Who is right? Which one do you think? Well, I took matters into my own hands and did what any logical person would do when there is a great debate in the house. I Googled it! And we were both right! Staycations are when you are either in your home or within the city or country. The main point is that you are not traveling aboard to some other destination around the world. Your traveling around your hometown.
Without finding the answer, I would have believed both anyway. Reason being it ends up becoming the same thing. You still save money on your vacation with flights. Flights sure take a chunk out of your wallet. The one difference is that one is in your home and the other is a hotel within your city. Both give you a chance to explore your city’s activities and both provide that family bonding time.
Here Are Your 5 Staycation Tips to Guide You:
1. Preparing for a Staycation
Preparations for a staycation is just like a preparing for a vacation. Just because you are still in the city, it does not mean that you need to lack in the preparations. You do not want to be sitting in a hotel completely having no idea what is going to happen next. You need your own itinerary. Where are you going to sleep? Is there any restaurants around to dine at? What are you going to do on your staycation? Those are questions you have to consider ahead of time. Research, research, research! Make note of everything popular around the city and make note of events going on around the time of your staycation. Also, make note of what your family is interested in doing so that there is something for everyone on this staycation trip.
As for packing, consider the time you are going to be there. For a weekend getaway a simple duffle bag will do and for a week, you can definitely use your suitcase for all your essentials. Also, make sure you have a list. It is all about being prepared. You don’t want to have to come back over and over because you forgot something. It will defeat the purpose of being away from home.
Staycation Hotels
Okay, so there is no hotel that is named staycation hotels or certain ones you have to stay at. Look for an affordable one that benefits your family. Affordable does not mean cheap motels. If that is what you were imagining then, throw that out of your mind. There are plenty of quality hotels in your city that is stunning enough for your stay and doesn’t break your bank. It is out there, do not lose hope in that. I almost backed out of getting a hotel because of that thought. There are many hotels right in your backyard at an amazing price. Here is my number one tip to look for an affordable hotel: look for one on Groupon Getaways. Yes, I said it! That is it, I found an amazing hotel just by going out of the box of tradition hotel searches and found an awesome hotel for a week. That is just me, though, you can find hotels are any site just make sure to compare prices, photos, and reviews.
My family and I went to Sandman Hotel a couple weeks ago for our staycation and have the most relaxing time. Very nice building and it was connected to a Denny’s. One minus was that they were a little stingy on providing more toilet paper (I mean there is a ton of us in one room, there was no way one was going to be enough lol) but overall, I really enjoyed the interior and exterior. The pool was my siblings and son’s favorite part. It even had an indoor water slide as well. Unfortunately, I missed out on that pool opportunity since I arrived later than the rest of my family. Oh well, I still got to enjoy myself!
Staycation Food
“I am hungry. What is for breakfast…lunch…dinner?” Families know this is the number one question we hear from kids and some men. But since you were prepared ahead of time, you already have this covered. You may have bought groceries for your hotel because it has a kitchenette or you may have restaurants planned out or even delivery menus in hand. Believe it or not, bringing your own food is the most affordable way to save on your vacation. Apart from flights, food it is the third most expensive part of the vacation because you have to consider three meals per day. If you are with the whole family, that adds up with the tip. You can easily cut that cost down by having a hotel that provides breakfast then have food for lunches and dinner. Also, consider going to restaurants on important days during your staycations, such as the first day and the last day.
For my recent staycation, we went to Denny’s for brunch one day, had pizza delivered another night. Brunches are perfect to keep everyone full for the rest of the day. I know that my brunch kept my full until dinner. For my siblings and son, they just needed a little snack later on and they were fine. We saved the dinner nights for restaurants for the first night there and the night before we had to check out.
Staycation Activities
Ready for some fun! We all tend to forget there are treasures to explore right in our backyard. It is so easy to take an advantage of all the activities we have right here in our city and push the thought of going to another day. Since you have done the work of knowing all the activities you wanted to check out and explore you already have your days planned out. For families:
amusement parks, science center, zoo and water parks are great places to go to. If you want something more out of tradition, check out events around the city like
food festivals,Â
circuses, concerts, a national park or take a bus tour. The list is endless! Each city has their own site where you can find out where are places or sights to check out or even events that are rolling into town.
During my staycations, I have actually gotten to go to places that I been wanting to check out for a very long time such as like the places I have mentioned above such as the
Toronto Science Center and
Toronto Zoo. Recently, my family and I got to check out an indoor amusement park called Fantasy Fair at Woodbine Mall. It was absolutely perfect for my family. It has fewer crowds for my little sister who has autism and can’t handle crowds. Plus it has rides that both adults and kids can go on. I have to say that, it was the most enjoyable day that we all have ever had in a very long time. Worth every minute. Worth every ride and price was not that much either. The only thing I wish I knew was that we have gotten our tickets even cheaper with Groupon ahead of time. Â Always check, lesson learned.
What Did We Learn?
- Be Prepared! – Research everything from best deals to what activities to explore to hotels.
- Hotel – Not all affordable hotels are bad. Explore deals and try out of the box places like Groupon Getaways for fantastic deals.
- Food – Save money by bringing our own food, combine meal time such a brunch and save restaurant days for the first night and last day of staycation.
- Activites – Research the city and find fun activities like places you always wanted to go such a zoo or amusement park. Also, check out events around the city like food festivals or city tours. Save money on your activity but checking out sites like Groupon!
I hope you have some time, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment to say how much you enjoyed my post or even say hi, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram page or even subscribe. I will do the same! Have a wonderfully creative week!
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