Vacation or Staycation?
As I’ve been packing and preparing all week to leave for the Outer Banks on Sunday, I began to wonder if more people really are taking staycations this year. A week doesn’t go by when I don’t see something referring to “taking a staycation” (a word I hate by the way), promoting the advent of being a tourist in your own town. While I admit there are places and things I’ve never seen in Atlanta (and I’m a native), I never once thought about taking the week off and staying here. To me, a week off from work without going anywhere is a waste of time unless you have family in town or a special occasion to occupy your time. In my world, vacation = long drive or flight. I want to spend that day traveling. It’s part of the vacation.
So, what does everyone else think? Has anyone done the staycation thing? Do you have ideas you can share? Or do you all prefer real vacations? Just some things to discuss while I’m on the beach with an adult beverage in my hand.
I’ve done it. Long trips are a luxury for me, and I wanted to go do stuff more frequently. Even though the term “staycation” is relatively new marketing, it has helped me open my eyes to the state I live in. I’m on a mission to explore more state parks and have more camping weekends, now that I’ve tried it a few times.
Twenty years ago I would have never imagined doing anything outside that involved bugs or peddling, but then again twenty years ago I spent a lot of my time watching television, toiling in traffic and wasting my weekends with the inanity of shopping malls.
I still want to do long trips, and I save my cash carefully so that I can take them at least twice a year.