My three-week vacation just ended, and I’m sitting here feeling refreshed for the first time in months. We didn’t go anywhere fancy. We didn’t book flights or hotels. We simply stayed home. Well… mostly. And we also spent a few days tackling some paint work that had been nagging at us. But other than that, we pretty much did nothing. And I needed exactly that: staycationing.
My job has been hectic for the past few months. I’m talking about the kind of chaos that makes you wish you went on sick leave instead. Just the thought of navigating airports, packing suitcases, and all the travel logistics felt exhausting. My fiancé was on the same page so we pressed the pause button. Norwegian summer days are awesome. The sun doesn’t really go down and we were incredibly lucky with the weather. Living by the sea doesn’t hurt either.
I didn’t know this had a name until recently, but what we did is called “staycationing”. It’s basically taking time off work without going anywhere but treating the vacation time spent at home and in your regular environment as if it were a destination.
The Benefits of staycationning
Obviously, cost is the main advantage. No flights, no hotels, no inflated tourist prices for mediocre meals. The money we would have spent on a vacation stayed in our bank account, which meant we could splurge on small luxuries at home like better coffee or fresh pastries but also just save and invest it.
The environmental impact is significant too. Air travel is one of the most carbon-intensive activities most of us engage in, and while we are nowhere near having the carbon footprint of a billionaire, every bit helps. If you’re travelling to visit family or experience different cultures, that’s perfectly fine, but if all you plan on doing is sleep in, sunbathe on the beach, and sip cocktails by the pool, maybe you don’t need to fly and can do that closer to home? So Instead of contributing to over-tourism in already busy destinations, we recreated the same vibe at home: sunbeds, ice cold drinks, plenty of watermelon and ice cream, frequent dips and walking around in our beach attire.
But perhaps most surprisingly, there’s the gratitude. When you’re not constantly on the go, you have space and time to digest your own life. By slowing down , I noticed new things: museums I had never seen before, historical buildings, new food spots, cute shops, new scenic routes, new swimming spots. The area where I live is not bad at all and I’m lucky life brought me here.
How to Actually Staycation
The key to a successful staycation is treating it like a real vacation, which means establishing boundaries and being intentional about how you spend your time.
Set clear work boundaries.
You are off work so turn off email notifications. Set up an out-of-office message. Physically place your work stuff somewhere you won’t see it. The psychological shift matters more than you think.
Make plans, but not too many.
Make loose plans for each day. Maybe a walk to a part of town you rarely visit, or trying a new recipe, or hanging out with some friends. But keep things flexible enough that you can follow our energy and mood.
Become a tourist in your own area.
Visit that museum you’ve haven’t been to since you were a kid. Take the scenic route to places you usually rush to. Try restaurants you’ve walked past a hundred times. Book that local experience that only tourists do. This of course depends on where you live, but go to a beach, or a lake or a hike in the mountains, have a drink at the terrace of a cafe, book a spa day, go biking… Why not even set up your camping gear in your backyard? The list is endless because there is always something to do.
Embrace doing nothing.
For most people, this might be the hardest part. We’re conditioned to fill every moment with productivity or stimulation. But some of the best moments come from sitting in the garden with coffee, watching the birds fly and letting thoughts come and go without feeling the need to act on them.
Create rituals that mark the time as special.
Start each morning later than usual. Make a nice breakfast everyday and take the time to enjoy it. Get ready and dress nicely like you would after a beach day. Have aperitivos before dinner. Moments like these help distinguish vacation time from regular time.
The art of staycationing is more than just staying home. It’s about letting yourself simply exist without constantly having to do something. It’s about enjoying what you have rather than always chasing the next experience. And the best part? You can also staycation on weekends!
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