Travel

Five Tips to Help You Enjoy Your Staycation

While we are all about the adventure over here at Sincerely, Spain (heck, just deciding to travel or move abroad is an adventure in itself), sometimes it is good to set down roots and get to know the place you are living. In this post, Dani talked about making your host city your home. Today, we want to go one step further and discuss staycations—getting to know your city from a different perspective.

Now, it might seem like a weird thing to take a vacation in the place you are living, but it goes along the lines of not losing that tourist joy of getting to know a place, exploring it as if it was the first time you had ever been there (read the post here). In addition, it can feel incredibly freeing to take a holiday break in your own backyard—you don’t have to worry about planes to catch or forgetting to pack something. If you are thinking about getting out of the life you’re living while staying in the same place, check out these five tips for making the most of your staycation:

 

Nothing like a nice bottle of wine (this one is Italian) to make you feel like you are doing something special.1.) Go off the beaten path:

If you find yourself spending most of your time in one neighborhood (which is quite normal in day-to-day life), why don’t you try going somewhere that is on the other side of town. Or if you feel like you spend a lot of time in the city, find somewhere on the outskirts of town or in nature and vice-versa—if you are always in the country, come into town. Here the recommendation is to go off your own personal beaten path. Look for something that you don’t see every day and allow that to change your perspective on the whole place you are living in.

How can you find these places? Check out recommendations for tourists coming to the area or ask friends for their top recommendations for their guests. And think about you would be most interested in if you were planning a holiday in another city or country. Most likely, there are a bunch of different things that you can do that are not that far away but that you haven’t even considered in the past.

 

2.) Try something luxurious:

Friends of mine cannot travel very far because of health issues and while they tend to go on shorter trips, one of the big things I have learned from them is that treating yourself “at home” can be just as rewarding. In addition, as you don’t have to go very far, the money you save on the travel itself can be invested in your stay. That means you can indulge on a more luxurious stay if your other expenses are lower.

If you are not a big splurger, but you still want to see what it is all about remember that you can take a weekend at the 5 Star hotel any time—even during the off season when it will be significantly cheaper. So, consider what you dream luxury vacation would be and figure out when and how it can work for you. Take into account the flexibility you will have of living in the same place, the reduced travel costs, and the fact that you will be less tired because the travel itself will be easier.

 

3.) Do something you normally wouldn’t:

If you are the kind of person who doesn’t normally go to museums or plays but are interested in checking out the local culture of a place, see what is on for the weekend. If you don’t normally go out partying but kind of want to go wild, try out that place that you would never go to during a normal week. Step outside of your routine and your comfort zone in order to better understand what your city has to offer. Everything from cultural experiences to outdoor adventures are a good option as long as they make you smile a little bit.

If you are stuck without ideas, google what are the most interesting/important things to do in the city and go with the one that sounds like it is the least likely one that you would normally go for (while still being interesting). And remember, the worst case scenario is that you find something that you never want to do again, but, in a best case scenario, you have a new activity to share with all your guests. So, enjoy exploring what your city has to offer and get out there to do something different!

 

I don’t even remember what this vegan dish was and will probably never eat it again, but it was delicious!4.) Eat something new:

If you haven’t figured it out by now, food and drink are important for us at Sincerely, Spain. This is why we believe it can also be fun to step outside your normal “diet comfort zone” and try things that might not normally be on the menu for you. This could be anything from splurging to try the new Michelin Star restaurant in town, going to an all-vegan dinner, or even just trying a kebab place that your friends have recommended but you’ve never been to. By being adventurous with your food choices, you will also get closer to what it is like to be on vacation—things that you haven’t tried before but have been recommended in some way.

At the same time, if there is a place you really love but never really go to because it is too far away, too slow, too expensive, etc. consider making this staycation the time to go. Visiting a restaurant you love but barely go to is also similar to going on holiday every year to a place you love. So, no matter where you eat, the important thing is to eat in a way that makes you feel satisfied with your choices.

 

5.) Relax for a few days or a weekend:

Relaxing is another thing that we don’t tend to do in our day-to-day lives or, for that matter, on vacation. In fact, taking a vacation usually translates into trying to do as much as possible during the days you have so that it was “worth it.” However, if you are planning a simple holiday that doesn’t require much travel, you can afford to take some more time for yourself to relax and pamper yourself however feels right.

In fact, you could even plan a staycation without ever leaving your house if that would be the most relaxing option for you. If you do the grocery shopping—or plan to order in—for a couple of days and organize some at-home spa sessions or movie marathons, giving yourself permission to disconnect and not worry about anything but yourself (something we tend to indulge in more when we are on vacation) can be a wonderful experience.

Share your staycation tips down below! We want to know what you are up to.

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