Why You Should Take a Staycation
With summer coming to an unfortunate end soon you’re probably counting down the days to two important life events: the day your kids go back to school and the day when winter vacation starts. But what if you could go on vacation over and over and over again?
This is the concept behind the staycation- taking a vacation in your own hometown lasting anywhere from a long weekend to the whole week. You can visit that museum you’ve always wanted to go to, try out that new Italian restaurant downtown that just opened up or just stay at home in your pajamas eating ice cream on the couch all day. Staycations and vacations that don’t require a long flight are taking off and it’s easy to see why:
1. You Can Have a Whole Vacation for Less than the Cost of a Hotel Room
Most people save for months and months before their flights depart. How much for a one day pass for an adult to stand in line at Disney World? Over $100. The average cost of an NYC hotel room in September? Over $400. Your flight to Bora Bora? More than one month’s rent, unless you’re renting out the Playboy mansion of course.
You can relax and put your feet up for far less at home. Treat yourself to a spa day, nice candlelit dinner, and a movie (IMAX if you want to splurge) for less than $100 for the entire day. Enjoy free activities like going hiking, riding your bike, or even camping in your own backyard that will do not only your wallet good but your body as well. Saving money on these smaller staycations can help you save up money for a grand vacation in celebration of an important birthday, wedding anniversary or family reunion. Or, if you want to be responsible you can always put the money saved back into your business…
2. Save Your Days for When You Really Need Them
The average worker in the USA has just 10 days of paid vacation a year while our European friends fare a little better with an average of 20. That doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that the ideal vacation lasts 8 days according to science (why weren’t we invited to participate in this study?). This makes perfect sense as who would pay over $2000 on flights and accommodation for a dream European vacation that lasts only 4 days?
The only predictable part of life is that it is unpredictable so make sure to reserve some vacation days to account for this. If you take just one “ideal” vacation and are an American, this leaves you with only 2 extra days with paid leave. Chances are if your best friend has a last minute wedding in Las Vegas, your dog becomes ill or your sister had her baby early you would want more than 2 days off of work.
3. Get a New Appreciation for Your Home Town
Sure we all can’t live in London, Paris or New York but chances are there are some interesting spots in your own hometown. Take an overnight camping trip to your local park, take a drive to the nearest city or venture out to a baseball game to support your minor league sluggers. You can even decorate your own house or apartment to look like your favorite destination if you can’t disassociate your home from your daily routine.
Taking a vacation in your own hometown also eliminates the unknowns of traveling abroad. When going to a place you’ve only seen on Instagram you don’t know which neighborhoods are unsafe, if there are any scams to look out for or, god forbid, you’re being overcharged for a beer in a touristy neighborhood. There’s even been studies that show that the reason you can’t sleep well in a hotel room the first night is because half of your brain is keeping you on alert for trouble in an unknown space. Rest assured, you can sleep safe and sound in your own bedroom on your luxury staycation.
4. No Need for a Baby/Dog/House Sitter
As much as we would like it to be true, our lives don’t get put on pause just because we leave for vacation. If you leave for some exotic destination who is going to take care of your precious Pomeranian? Trying to have a peaceful week without the kids? You can’t just leave them alone in the house to pilfer the pantry, cut up the carpet or be a nuisance to your neighbors. And who wants to return home to an overstuffed mailbox and front lawn full of newspapers?
When you take a staycation there is no need to hire a person (or dump the responsibilities on a loyal friend) as even if you don’t stay in your own home you can take your kids and animals you consider to be your children. Being so close you can also check up on your home if needed.
5. Keep Tabs on Your Business (If You Really Want to)
Once you have the plans for your real babies, it’s time to think about your other baby: your business. Sure, it would be a dream to just relax for a day or two (or ten) without worrying about your bottom line, but you know in reality that just won’t work. If there’s an emergency at the office and you’re in Oslo you can’t just drop everything to go there and fix the problem. Chances are when you’re in Egypt you’ll have limited access to your emails and might miss something important that your employees try to share with you. And think you’ll have internet access in Iceland? Don’t fool yourself.
Keeping yourself local when relaxing keeps you from missing out on important emergencies in your business- but remember only emergencies! You deserve to have time off to relax so if it’s a simple email about a coffee machine or changing the toilet paper in the office, then let it go to your inbox.
Whether you decide to take a dream vacation to Paris or visit your local park, Invoice Home goes with you wherever you go. Create and send invoices on your laptop wherever there is wifi: in the airport, a cafe in China, or in your own comfy bed. Or, if you’re traveling light, you can send your invoices and get paid using our mobile app. With our unlimited plan you can send as many invoices as you need which means you’ll make enough money for your dream vacation (or staycation) in no time.
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