It seems so often these days, the stress of every day life, the overwhelming (at times) nature of the information pouring at us through channels like Facebook and Instagram, and the beautiful images we see on other networks like Pinterest have us longing to just get away from it all. But sometimes, a vacation just isn’t in the cards. And even if it is, why limit yourself to a vacation where you have to get away? There is another option right in your backyard, and I definitely think it’s worth exploring! That’s why a staycation is a must-try for every person, couple, or family at least once in their lives!

1) It’s a chance to consciously unplug. Technology pulls on us every second. Think about it– how many of us sleep with a cell phone on our side table? It’s often the first thing we look at when we wake up and the last thing we check before we log off for the night. We are constantly connected– on the computer, on our phones, and even when we’re at home. While it’s not always a bad thing to be connected, sometimes it’s nice to take time to consciously unplug. A staycation allows you to do this. You’re still home, you’re still local, you’re still accessible… but you’re also not. When you vacation, it’s easy to unplug– time spent away means you may not have as much signal, you may have a busy schedule that prevents you from connecting online– but a staycation is a lower-commitment way to disconnect yourself. When my son and I enjoyed a recent staycation together, I decided to set a limit: I could Instagram a couple of photos during downtime, and I could check my email and facebook when my son was napping or in bed. By imposing these limits, my standard online time was whittled down to less than 30 minutes each day– enough time to respond to important work and tackle commitments, but also enough to allow my son and I time disconnected from the web. While that’s not something I can do every day (my entire job revolves around the internet!) it is something I can make happen on our staycations. To me, a staycation is a great way to say “I’m stepping away from the web to enjoy this time with my family.” Especially if you’re not staying at a hotel and choosing to stay at home for your staycation, it’s important to make it a clear, conscious commitment, not just a byproduct of being away.

2) It re-establishes bonds that can get lost in the shuffle. One of the most clear indicators of this was when my son asked me to play, and before I could respond yes, he said “No, you can’t, you’re working!” Because I work from home, there’s no way for me to separate work and home life easily, though I do my best to make it a priority to have time to switch off and spend time with my son. But it isn’t just something that deals with work, or plagues those who work from home. How many times are you busy cleaning up the house, doing dishes, making dinner, paying bills, etc that you miss those moments in peace with your children? While every single one of those things is necessary, taking a few days to just bond is a great way to connect with each other. For me, it meant saying “All of these things can be done before or held off until after, because this time is our time for these 3 days.” The thing is, whether you’re vacationing far away, going camping off-the-grid, staycationing at a nearby hotel, or even just camping out at home with board games and movies, choosing to make that time fun time is a great way to re-establish those bonds that get lost sometimes amidst bills and laundry and work. On our staycation, I was able to spend 45 minutes just playing Lego and trains with my son… when I set the worries and stress of everything that pulls at my attention aside, I was able to spend that time bonding with him alone. We came back feeling closer than ever because there was nothing else taking my attention– it was time with him, and nothing else.

3) It helps you find hidden gems near you. One of the worst parts of our annual vacation each year is the food. No, let me rephrase that… the food is great. The bad part is that we only get it once a year, and then can’t have it again until we return. While of course, staycations are a time where things are more special than usual– which means you can’t always go back to the places you see on staycation, in general, you’re staying, which means those hidden gems you love are close enough for you to return more often than if you were 18 hours away. It means that if we absolutely love the food at a great restaurant we try on Staycation, it’s not unheard of for us to be able to go back to that place on occasion (but far more than the annual wait between great seafood from our vacation). We found out that we really love the aquarium near us on our recent staycation. While we can’t afford to go to the aquarium every single time that we think of it, by finding this gem nearby, we can keep an eye out for special promotions that would make it a little bit cheaper so we could go back for a visit, even outside of a staycation.

4) It revives your love for where you live. I’ve lived in the Kansas City metro my entire life. Aside from a few weeks in Germany and my annual summer vacation, I’ve been here in Kansas the whole time. Because of it, I often take it for granted (and sometimes even dream about leaving the area… while I’d never leave my extended family, the thought of moving elsewhere seems appealing at times). Whether you’ve lived somewhere forever or it just feels that way, a staycation is a great way to get in touch with where you live and remember all of those reasons that make you love and embrace where you’re at. One of the biggest things I remembered I loved about my area is the true hospitality in the Kansas City area. After trips to New York City and Chicago (which aren’t rude, but definitely have a less…. super-bend-over-backwards-to-help-you vibe), I was re-acquainted with the fact that a lot of people from Kansas City are really, truly invested in hospitality and making sure everything is just fine. It’s those little things that reaffirms my love for where I live and refreshes the idea that I’d never want to leave.

5) You get all of the fun of planning and enjoying a vacation, without the added expense of travel. Holy cow, gas is expensive. Airline tickets aren’t any better. I had to cancel a trip this summer because I couldn’t find any flights under $500 round trip, and gas for the drive to my annual vacation cost more than the food and lodging combined. It’s truly a problem that isn’t likely to go away soon, so I decided that the money I’d be spending on airlines or gas was better being spent on cool stuff like tickets to stuff in the area, “souvenirs” and stuff from the toy store, or even better than all of that, going unspent and getting saved for something better. A staycation is awesome because you get all of the fun without the expense of travel somewhere else. While I’m not suggesting to never, ever travel, I’m saying that there are times when it might be worthwhile to swap a vacation for a staycation to save. If your excursions and activities are close enough to home, you can save even more by skipping the hotel. It’s a great way to have fun without spending as much money, which is perfect for the budget-conscious (or environment-conscious, too!)

Travel is something I care a lot about. I really do love the fact that there are a lot of great travel destinations in this amazing world that I want to visit, and hopefully someday, I’ll reach all of them on my list (especially Naples!) But every once in awhile, you need some time away from everything, and a staycation is a great way to do that. Whether you’re tight on budget, tight on time, or even fine in everything but just want the change of pace, a staycation is a great way to enjoy time away without truly being away. Staycations open a lot of possibilities and can be a really fun way to bond, and I know personally, I plan to make them a regular event for my family.

If you’re ready to catch the staycation bug, stay tuned Wednesdays this month for more Staycation tips, planning, and ideas so you can plan the best staycation ever.