HOW TO PLAN A SOLO STAYCATION
First, let’s explain what a Staycation is, as in Europe the term is rather new. Emerged in the United States, a staycation is a neologism deriving from the contraction of “stay” and “vacation”, referring to a holiday that you take at home or near your home rather than traveling to another place. It became popular since Covid-19, due to new restrictions on travel, both domestically and internationally. Therefore, many travelers felt trapped in their own country and had to discover how to be on Holiday in their own city or nearby.
We all dream of traveling to new places, always searching for new adventures and opportunities to leave our homes. This need of going away from home as soon as we have more than two days off is even more present among people that live alone. I’ve spent a lot of time analyzing my escapism behavior and that of my close single friends. I’ve concluded that single people use this escapism to avoid the distress of spending time with themselves. Or simply for running away from underlying problems they don’t want to address. In psychology, escapism is generally defined as a desire or behavior to ignore, evade, or avoid reality. As far as I am concerned, travel is a positive means of escape.
We are very routinized human beings: we do similar things in similar ways. By spending time in unfamiliar places, we become tolerant and even accepting of our own discomfort and more confident in our ability to navigate ambiguous situations. When coming back home from a holiday, we find the thrill and adrenaline of being home again, back to our routine. Until this hormone lives our body and we look again for the thrill of traveling. And just like that, a new cycle begins.
But what if we could find that thrill with the help of this new American concept: Staycation?
Discovering your city through new lenses will make you fall in love with it and experience the thrill of traveling. The problem is that we are so absorbed in our daily routine that we forget to live in the present moment and be aware of our surroundings. So, how can you turn a weekend spent at home into an unforgettable city break?
Here is my guide on how to Be a tourist in your own city!
PLAN YOUR WEEKEND IN ADVANCE
Reserve the weekend! Plan every detail of your staycation the same way you would plan a vacation. Get inspiration from Instagram and Travel Blogs. Look for unique experiences and activities done by all tourists. Set up an itinerary and pin it to your Google Maps.
RESERVE A new ACCOMMODATION
You need to find the thrill of coming back home, remember? So, list your place in Airbnb and find another Airbnb for your Staycation. This will truly give credibility to your Staycation and you will be even more motivated to go along with this Staycation preparation. Not an Airbnb fan? Book a hotel through Booking.com or Hotels.com.
PREPARE YOUR CAMERA or phone
You’re a tourist in your own city, so start acting like it. Search for the most instagramable places in your city or nearby your hometown and save those locations. Get inspiration for pose ideas. Create bookmarks on Instagram or Pinterest, to know exactly what to do on the spot.
BOOK different GROUP ACTIVITIES
I’m sure you’ve never done some tourist activities in your own town. That is normal, no one does. Well, it’s time to change this and discover what your city has to offer. Book a wine degustation, or take a historical tour of your city. You can also take a museum tour guide or go to the theater. Photography tours are also a good fit for your Staycation.
CHOOSE NEW way of TRANSPORTATION
Traveling is all about getting out of your comfort zone. If when you are home you are driving your car, but take public transportation while on a trip, you should do the same thing. Go for a Metro or a city bus tour, or why not, take a bike and go for a tour in the city. You will discover neighborhoods you did not know existed.
DISCOVER NEW CAFES & RESTAURANTS
Get out of your routine and search for the most iconic restaurants or instagramable cafés in your town. It’s the perfect occasion to try new world-class international cuisines. I am sure that you will find at least Chinese, Thai or Indian food in your home town. So, why not give it a try? Do you like eating meat? Why not try discovering what vegetarian restaurants are proposing instead?
DID YOU LIKE MY GUIDE ON PLANNING A STAYCATION?
What tips would you add to this list?
Tell me in the comments section what are your must-do-solo-activities when you plan a Staycation.
As long as you have a young spirit, you can do whatever you like exactly at your age.
Just enjoy what you are doing. The rest is silence.
