Need a winter escape?
Try a “stay-cation”
If you're planning to stay close to
home this winter, you may find you can enjoy a “stay-cation” more
than a traditional getaway.
A well-planned, stay-at-home vacation
avoids traditional holiday hassles like budgeting, arranging for house-, pet-
or child-minding services, vaccines and passports, packing and unpacking. A
stay-cation is easier to plan and, without exhausting prep and travel time,
can ultimately be more relaxing.
Just be sure to do a little planning
so your precious vacation time doesn't slip away doing chores or running errands.
Also, during your break, screen calls and turn off cell phones and email. Act
as you would if you were really out of town.
Here are some ways for you to enjoy
your free time at home:
- Check in. For an indulgent stay-cation, splurge on a short
stay in a local hotel, and enjoy the added relaxation with luxurious amenities
and room service. Depending on where you live and the time of year, you may
be able to enjoy off-peak or last-minute discounts.
- Hire household help. Part of the attraction of a vacation
can be having someone else make up your room or prepare your meals. Consider
calling a housekeeping service the day before your vacation starts so you
get a break from your chores. Stock up on prepared meals, make a few dinners
in advance or grab your favourite take-out menus. For a splurge, consider
hiring a personal chef or meal catering service to cook a meal or two for
the family while you enjoy time together.
- Play tourist. Do the stuff you “always wanted to
do” with your family. Take the kids to the zoo, a theme park or a conservation
area. Go for a sleigh ride or try dog sledding, skiing or horseback riding.
Make the best of winter and head to the park to skate or toboggan.
- Stoke your romance. Use your free time to rekindle the
romance with the one you love. Enjoy dinner or brunch at your favourite restaurant.
Go for a coffee and read the paper. Take a walk together. Do something out
of the ordinary, like going to a movie in the afternoon, getting tickets for
a sports event or booking time at a spa together.
- Travel vicariously. Do something that will provide the
flavour of being away. Try that new Moroccan restaurant. Visit the new exhibit
at a gallery or museum. Take a course on Portuguese cooking, Ikebana (Japanese
flower-arranging), Chinese brush painting or conversational Spanish.
With a few carefully planned activities,
staying at home can be as relaxing and fun as going away.