Make a Staycation Your Best Vacation

We are creatures of habit. When we spend the weekend with our families, we go to the same parks and beaches. The places we know have the right amount of shade and a parking lot that always has a space. When friends are in town we take them to the bars and restaurants we already like. And when we go out for date nights, we follow the formula that has already worked.

This isn’t at all a bad thing; it’s a way of ensuring we have a good time when we only have a few hours to spare. But, occasionally, it can start to feel a little constrictive. While the bar you always take out-of-town friends to is great, you’ve heard about one a few streets over where waiters in tennis whites serve drinks on an Astroturf rooftop. You might hate it, but you also might love it.

A staycation – a vacation you take in your own city – might be exactly what you need. An opportunity to try that new Mexican place, wander through a different park, and maybe find something new to love about the place you live.

We’ve put together a few tips to help you make the best of your staycation.

Book a hotel room

You probably have a perfectly good home, but that home has sheets that need changing, an oven that’s overdue for a deep clean, and a laptop with work you could be getting started on. A staycation has two rules: no work, and no chores.

Make a list of some places you’d like to go

Is there a museum you always meant to check out, but never got around to? Or a place you can only get to by ferry that always seemed like too much work? Make a list of those places you’ve heard about but never had a chance to see. Now’s your chance.

Read travel blogs and magazines about your city

You might find a place listed in a blog or magazine that you’ve never even heard of, like the smallest park in the world, or a topiary garden in a suburban front yard. Reading travel blogs and articles will also help you look at your city differently; it’s not the place with the crappy train system that made you late for a meeting on Tuesday, it’s actually a cool place that people choose to visit.  You could also try searching your city on Instagram to find some activities worth bragging about. 

Find out what events are on

Is there a film festival in town, or an exhibition at the art gallery? Those things can be easy to miss when you’re thinking about your 6am alarm, or all the washing that needs to be done. Check Facebook’s events page to find out what’s happening in your area.

If you’re enjoying your staycation in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, or Chicago, we’d love to have you stay with us. We’ll even feed you free cupcakes. Take a look at some of our great locations and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER to see what is happening…