With the talk of the economy, the recession, and job cuts, you may think you don’t need to plan for a vacation in the coming months. We need vacations now more than ever. Vacations are necessary to recharge and avoid burnout. Without one, you may crash and burn while sitting behind your desk.
When you go on vacation, don’t check work e-mail, call in or come by and say, “Oh, I’m not really here.” When you go on vacation, you go. You vacate. You leave work.
Right now, there are some deals to be had on the Internet if you do want to get out of town. However, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on vacation, you can have a “staycation.” This word has become part of the lexicon in the past couple of years back when the only thing we worried about was rising gas prices.
Here are a few ideas to have a happy and nurturing staycation:
Become a tourist in your own town. Go and do all those things tourists usually do. Spend the day at museums, aquariums, and other attractions. Most attractions have discounted coupons or have discounted or free days during the week. For example, most museums have a free day for the community.
Take a short trip. Explore nearby cities and towns for a long weekend. There are lots of cute towns and bed and breakfasts. Put names of cities in a hat and pull one out.
Have a Spa Day. What a better way to relax than enjoy your favorite spa, and then still sleep in your own bed. Most spas offer a spa lunch so you can get your tootsies painted and have a bit to eat.
Take a class. Use your time off to take a class. You can go to yoga for a week, attend a wine tasting, take a cooking class, or sign up for a class through a local university or other continuing education program.
Sit by the beach or pool. Nothing’s more relaxing than sitting by a body of water and reading a trashy book. Don’t have access to a beach or pool? Find another relaxing place — even if it’s your own living room.
Whatever you do, take time for yourself. It’s more important than ever to take care of yourself.
