Beech Tree News Network

Many take time during the warm summer months to enjoy the nice weather and take a break from their normal schedules. A couple of weeks ago, my daughter enjoyed a staycation with planned excursions. Whatever the vacation type, many of us look forward to these interruptions to our daily routines.
 
The term “staycation” was new to me, but Wikipedia reported that it has been in use for more than a decade and was added to the 2009 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. A staycation is a period in which an individual or a family stays home, participating in leisure activities within driving distance and sleeping in their own beds at night. They might make a day trip to a local entertainment site one day and play in the backyard pool another. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting start and end dates, planning ahead for activities, and avoiding routine schedules, thereby creating the feel of a traditional vacation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staycation). Since lodging and some travel expense is eliminated, staycations may be far less costly than a vacation involving extensive travel. Costs might include local transportation expenses, local attraction expenses and dining out. Staycationers do not experience many of the stresses associated with travel, such as packing, long drives, and waiting in airports. Some may also enjoy the advantage of spending as much time as possible engaged in leisure activities while enjoying the comforts of home. Staycationers may even report feeling more rested.

On the flip side, traveling is sometimes required to accomplish a vacation goal. Some recent U.S. travel statistics provided by the U.S. Travel Association’s Domestic Travel Market Report (https://www.ustravel.org/news/press-kit/travel-facts-and-statistics) showed:
•    Fewer adults are traveling with children.
•    Leisure travelers are older than business travelers.
•    Traveling households earn more than non-traveling households.
Additionally, the top five leisure travel activities for U.S. domestic travelers have been (https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/page/2013/08/US_Travel_Answ...): (1) visiting relatives, (2) shopping, (3) visiting friends, (4) fine dining, and (5) beaches. While these statistics are interesting, they are not shocking.

I asked friends and family whether they have enjoyed or planned a staycation or a vacation this year. Their replies are below:
•    Going on a road trip to the upper Midwest with some friends for about a week in mid-August.
•    Yes, we’ve planned both road trips and staycations.
•    Already did, and we traveled this year.
•    I have taken time off to stay home and will be taking time to travel soon, too.
•    We went to Yellowstone National Park, the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and Jackson Hole. This was an amazing trip with breathtaking scenery!
•    Stay home mostly. The vacation can be anywhere. The purpose is a break from your normal routine and resting your mind and body from the stress of your occupation. Fun can be enjoying just being.
•    Travel all the way! Although I would love to just take off and stay home.
•    We will take a short vacation in October and will be traveling.
•    We went to the beach in June.
•    Yes, we close our family business for two weeks every July. This year, we had a staycation. Loved not hearing the alarm clock every morning and doing what we wanted every day or nothing at all. Some days I never got out of my pajamas all day.
•    My time off is pretty much over. I’ve spent it working on me. It’s been too short, but wonderful!
•    Yes, I took time off my new job to go to Hawaii in May!
•     Not this year.
•    I’d rather stay home and enjoy what I have when I have the time or go somewhere to ride. More fun and more feasible than an actual vacation.

Vacation can mean either staying home or going somewhere, but indicates taking a break. Earl Wilson said “A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/vacation.html). Whether one day or several, hopefully, we’ll all take a break – it helps.