With the average cost of a vacation for a family of four hovering around $4,500, maybe it’s time to expand our thinking around how much we need to spend to feel sufficiently rested and entertained.
There’s been a push in recent years to keep vacations local. Known as "staycations,” the goal is to save money but still fulfill your family’s need for leisure time and adventure. Here are some great ways to enjoy a five-day break on a budget.
Day #1: Channel your Dora the Explorer
Hop in the car, pick a direction, and drive. Explore surrounding towns that you have never had the time to visit. Talk to the locals, shop the small businesses, enjoy the parks, find the local ice cream shop and indulge. If there are kiddos involved, with a little pre-planning you can organize a scavenger hunt and task them with discovering fun things about the location.
Day #2: Plan a culinary adventure
Create destination-themed meals. Trying new flavors from faraway places is a great way to enjoy a culinary adventure without spending thousands of dollars. Involve the kids and surf the web together for some enticing ideas and then head to your local specialty grocer for the ingredients. Take the time to experiment with new spices or try out new techniques. Set a themed table and enjoy your new epicurean masterpiece.
Day #3: Disconnect for one day
Turn off the laptop and smartphone and just lounge about. Give your family permission to binge on movies or catch up on that television series everyone is talking about – all five seasons of it. Read an entire book cover-to-cover. Before your staycation begins, create activity packs for the kids that include everything they need to do something creative, whether it’s painting, writing, putting on a play, knitting, making jewelry, or anything that feeds their creative juices. The only rule is that everyone has to disconnect.
Day #4: Give back. Feel good.
One sure-fire way to warm your heart is to spend a few hours volunteering for a local nonprofit. These vital organizations can always use extra hands. Contact them a few weeks ahead of time and offer your help. Projects could include helping with a donor mail campaign, walking or playing with dogs at a local animal shelter, helping with food distribution at a food bank, serving meals at a homeless shelter, or visiting an elderly person who lives alone. No matter where you lend your time, you will make new friends and feed your soul in the process.
Day #5: Get organized
Okay, doing work around the house on your staycation may seem counterintuitive, but part of the reason we get stressed and need vacations is because we just haven’t had the time to stay organized. A full day at home might be just what’s needed to clear out the clutter in your home and in your head. Then, when you go back to work, you’ll do so knowing that everything is in its place.
No matter what you plan, a staycation can be the beginning of a more restful year. You’ll have fun, explore new things, get organized, and save money in the process. Just like any vacation, the key is to plan ahead and make sure everyone is involved and engaged in the planning process.
Saving for a home? SAFE can help!
