What exactly is a staycation? Well, it’s a vacation in your own town, city, or a neighboring area. Whether you live in a big city or a small town, you can still enjoy a staycation. I bet there is still something there for you to explore. You just have to know how to find adventure!
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Why We Staycation
Have you ever heard the phrase, “I live where you vacation.”? It pretty much describes where we live in Southwest Florida. It’s always sunny here and basically paradise. People come from all over the world to vacation here. Sadly, we don’t take advantage of the beauty enough.
Fort Myers is a coastal city in Southwest Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico. It’s incredibly beautiful, but we often forget how lucky we are to live here. We get caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle, annoyed of snowbird traffic, and just get use to the scenery. Often times, I find myself complaining rather than enjoying it.
Our family has a timeshare on Fort Myers Beach that we go to every year. For one week out of the year, we pretend to be tourists in our own city. We all look forward to this week every year and some of our most favorite memories come from our time there. We’ve learned to love our staycations for these five reasons.
1. Enjoy the Beauty of Our City
Our city is absolutely beautiful. We have white sanded beaches, streets lined with palms, and it’s always sunny. During our staycation, we take the time to slow down and enjoy it. We walk the beach at sunset, find sea creatures, and build sand castles. One of our favorite things to do is search for shells during low tide. We always find so many unique things. It feels like we are on a tropical vacation, right in our backyard.
2. Get Away From Home
It’s always refreshing to get away from home. A change of scenery is great for my mental health and it is a great way for me to refocus. Traveling, even to the other side of town, gives us a chance to reconnect as a family. It’s one of the reasons we love to travel. Even if we are still in our hometown, we aren’t at home and that’s refreshing.
3. Minimal Travel Expenses
Staycations give us those vacation vibes without the expense. We pay our annual dues for our timeshare, but it’s cheaper than staying at a hotel for a week. We don’t have to worry about flights, rental cars, high gas bills, or wear and tear on our cars. It’s just a short trip to the other side of town.
Because we are traveling 30 minutes away, we can do our shopping beforehand to avoid higher prices at the beach. We don’t have to buy new beach stuff when we get there because we bring our own. We can even go back and forth to home if we forget something. It really is the best budget friendly vacation.
4. It’s a Low-Key Vacation
Staycations are generally low-key and stress-free. Because we live here, we know our way around. There’s no stress of learning a new place or trying to navigate unfamiliar roads. It’s not hard to pack because it’s the same climate we are used to everyday. Being only 30 minuets from home, we aren’t worried about forgetting something. We also don’t have to worry about what’s happening at home.
As business owners, it’s a lot of prep work for Logan to be able to go out of town. Especially when the entire family goes together. Although he takes the week off, he is still available to problem solve and is close enough to step in if needed. It makes for a much more relaxed vacation for him.
5. Fall in Love With Our City
Probably the best thing about staycations is falling in love with your own city. When we are in vacation mode, we slow down enough to enjoy what’s around you. We try new restaurants, enjoy attractions and entertainment, and experience all that our city has to offer.
Staycations allow us to enjoy all the things we “don’t have time for” during a normal week. Like riding bikes on the beach, kayaking, fishing, etc. All the things I love, but never do, because those are vacation things. Maybe we need to learn to view our city like a vacation everyday?!
Do you want to fall in love with your city and learn how to vacation in your own backyard? Try a staycation! It will give you a new perspective and appreciation for where you live. You don’t have to live by the beach in order vacation in your city. There’s adventure everywhere if you look for it!
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[…] don’t have to travel across the country to make memories or have new experiences. Staycations can be just as fun! All you need to do is become a tourist in your own city. It sounds silly, I […]