----Just because you aren’t booking flights and reserving rental cars, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan out what places you want to visit, special activities you want to do and where you want to splurge and eat out. If you don’t plan anything, then it’s likely you’ll fall back into your regular routine and you really won’t be staycationing at all. The more you plan, the less likely you are to let other people hone in on your time with family as well!
First thing is first: WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE/MAKE GUIDELINES?
----Embrace the vacation attitude! Agree on staycation guidelines! Is it to explore somewhere new? Stay home? Find as many off the wall things to do? See all the art museums? Hit the main attractions in one to two days? We all have different opinions on practically everything and that includes your definition of “relaxing.” Before you set to on your wonderful staycation talk to your spouse and kids about what your expectations are for your at-home vacation. For example, will you be allowing friends to come over, or is this a family-only event? What kind of chores are you able to let go for a week while you rest and relax? Is this a social media and electronics-free week? If you set your expectations about your staycation ahead of time, you will all be more likely to enjoy it.
Then! You need to decide WHERE?
----How much time do you have? How far do you want to drive? Whats the weather going to be like?
Next! Figure out the INTERESTS of those traveling.
----This can be before OR after the where but it need to be in the planning process somewhere. But do you have an art and theatre lover? Do you have an outdoor enthusiast? Someone who loves cars or animals or science?
Now on to RESEARCH!
---Get your pen and paper out or in my case a handy dandy notebook and start taking notes. Find out what is popular, search for your interests in the area. Make sure to find out days and hours open, cost, age limits, parking cost, if reservations are required, I even read reviews for hidden tips and tricks to help us enjoy the attraction more. Write down some attractions that are indoors too! Having a backup plan with help if you had outdoor attractions scheduled and then you have bad weather. Nothing worse than scrambling to think of something to do when you don't even know they area! This is also a great time to look into what coupons are out their for the attractions you want to see! Look at all the travel websites and apps that can help make your gas tank getaway more interesting.
Go the EXTRA MILE!
---Print out a map of the city. Pinpoint the attractions you want to go to. This helps in knowing about where you want to stay if you need a hotel. Plus it will allow you to see the driving distance between places to help maximize your time there to see the most. You don't want to spend any more time in the car driving back and forth across town than you need to! We like to book with Holiday Inn's personally because most we have found have kids eat and stay free program and their free breakfasts are awesome! But...Holiday Inn website also has a ‘Local Guide’ tab that tells you the distance the hotel is from popular destinations.
Finally! START BOOKING!
---For attractions, make sure to buy tickets if you can online for advanced reservations and for ease at arrival. Look into crossover passport/membership programs like ASTC.ORG. For hotels, you can even take a chance on hotels and book last minute. HOW? Be nice, use your sweet talking, and ask hotels if they have any last minute booking deals about 3 hours before check in or after 3pm. BUT know your prices first to make sure you're getting a good deal! Also, knowing what your kids enjoy to do while at a hotel helps when checking what amenities are available. For example, do your kids love swimming while at hotels? Check to make sure the hotel you pick has a pool. Or perhaps you’d love to have a family movie night, ask if there are DVD players available or consider packing cables to allow you to stream a movie from your device onto the hotel tv. Also, for a fun little tip, be sure to notify the hotel if you’re celebrating a special event during your stay. Sometimes they will leave a nice little surprise for you! Oh and I might fib a little with how many kids I have. Having four kids and two adults...we book a double queen room. For our family we have two kids to a bed, my husband and I to a bed, one in a play pen and another on a little cot. You can always ask for extra pillows and blankets or use the heavy comforters for a little "bed" on the floor.
Last! GO HAVE FUN!! Take a break from the cell phones and computers and electronics. Be present, enjoy the now, go with the flow, be flexible, turn off your alarms, throw the sleep schedule out the window, clear your schedule, tell everyone you will be MIA except for emergencies, take a housework hiatus. No cleaning, no grocery shopping, no mowing the lawn, NO housework! Sure, you are probably thinking… well, these things need to get done. While I know things come up (i.e. a winter staycation may require you to shovel snow so you can get out of your driveway, or a summer staycation may require you to water a plant or two); however, as hard as it may be, try to think like you are on vacation out of the country. If you were flying off to a tropical beach, the above things wouldn’t be getting done for that week, so why should this week be any exception to the rule? Stock up on groceries ahead of time, mow the lawn in preparation the week before… essentially, just free yourself up as much as feasible for YOU and YOUR FAMILY! CONNECT! I will be worth it! I promise!
Go the EXTRA MILE!
---Print out a map of the city. Pinpoint the attractions you want to go to. This helps in knowing about where you want to stay if you need a hotel. Plus it will allow you to see the driving distance between places to help maximize your time there to see the most. You don't want to spend any more time in the car driving back and forth across town than you need to! We like to book with Holiday Inn's personally because most we have found have kids eat and stay free program and their free breakfasts are awesome! But...Holiday Inn website also has a ‘Local Guide’ tab that tells you the distance the hotel is from popular destinations.
Finally! START BOOKING!
---For attractions, make sure to buy tickets if you can online for advanced reservations and for ease at arrival. Look into crossover passport/membership programs like ASTC.ORG. For hotels, you can even take a chance on hotels and book last minute. HOW? Be nice, use your sweet talking, and ask hotels if they have any last minute booking deals about 3 hours before check in or after 3pm. BUT know your prices first to make sure you're getting a good deal! Also, knowing what your kids enjoy to do while at a hotel helps when checking what amenities are available. For example, do your kids love swimming while at hotels? Check to make sure the hotel you pick has a pool. Or perhaps you’d love to have a family movie night, ask if there are DVD players available or consider packing cables to allow you to stream a movie from your device onto the hotel tv. Also, for a fun little tip, be sure to notify the hotel if you’re celebrating a special event during your stay. Sometimes they will leave a nice little surprise for you! Oh and I might fib a little with how many kids I have. Having four kids and two adults...we book a double queen room. For our family we have two kids to a bed, my husband and I to a bed, one in a play pen and another on a little cot. You can always ask for extra pillows and blankets or use the heavy comforters for a little "bed" on the floor.
Last! GO HAVE FUN!! Take a break from the cell phones and computers and electronics. Be present, enjoy the now, go with the flow, be flexible, turn off your alarms, throw the sleep schedule out the window, clear your schedule, tell everyone you will be MIA except for emergencies, take a housework hiatus. No cleaning, no grocery shopping, no mowing the lawn, NO housework! Sure, you are probably thinking… well, these things need to get done. While I know things come up (i.e. a winter staycation may require you to shovel snow so you can get out of your driveway, or a summer staycation may require you to water a plant or two); however, as hard as it may be, try to think like you are on vacation out of the country. If you were flying off to a tropical beach, the above things wouldn’t be getting done for that week, so why should this week be any exception to the rule? Stock up on groceries ahead of time, mow the lawn in preparation the week before… essentially, just free yourself up as much as feasible for YOU and YOUR FAMILY! CONNECT! I will be worth it! I promise!
