Staycation > Vacation?

[pete6032]

OP you're losing out.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/10/happiness.possessions/

 

[DrPizza]

The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime.

You may not realize it at a younger age, but I think it would suck to be 60 and reflect back on all your experiences, only to realize that you frittered away your life by sitting around doing nothing on your days off.

More wisdom from Pink Floyd, that I believe applies to these staycations:

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.

So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say.

 

[Midwayman]

Then you're doing it wrong. You do the beach vacation when its 20 degrees back home. Basking in the sun then isn't so bad.

 

[purbeast0]

Ah, another person just like me. :thumbsup:

Beach vacations bore me. I don't find it fun sitting on a beach all day and reading. I'd rather do that in a nice, airconditioned house. When I'm on vacation, I want to learn something or experience the history and culture of the place.

when i go to the caribbean i don't just go lie on the beach all day. i'm usually around a beach though. if we're with a group we will bring drinks and hang out at the beach for a while. but we'll also go on snorkel trips, go cruise on boats out on the crystal clear blue waters, take day trips to other places, etc. i'd get bored just sitting on a beach all day too. but i could literally snorkel all day and not be bored. i never get bored of it.

Keys should be nice. Nice clear water, up here in NOVA the water sucks. Plus you might not even need a wetsuit/gloves which is nice for some of the drills. If you buy your own gear prepare to spend about $2000 on it.

yeah when i went in september the water was awesome, no need for any wetsuit at all. i may try to go back in september or october. i was really impressed with snorkeling in the keys though, especially at john pennekamp park. i saw a lot of stuff there as well as awesome coral gardens than i've seen at other places in the caribbean. i also saw a 6ft shark which was pretty awesome. there is a lot of variety in the keys on what you see.

 

[nageov3t]

Yes, fewer people from overseas visit the U.S. these days. It's a crying shame, but hopefully our politics and economy will get better in the future.

I mean, but like, not really... having a shitty economy tends to be good for tourism, as it means more buying power for visitors (as long as it's not so shitty that it becomes like Detroit, where people are afraid to visit)

http://travel.trade.gov/tinews/archive/tinews2013/20131216.html

http://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/images/2011/may/travel-tourism-chart.jpg

 

[Fritzo]

I love vacations for the sense of new experiences, freedom, and fun. The problem is you have to allocate a LOT of money for that feeling. Vacations where you worry about spending too much every second tend to be worse than just staying at home.

 

[yinan]

when i go to the caribbean i don't just go lie on the beach all day. i'm usually around a beach though. if we're with a group we will bring drinks and hang out at the beach for a while. but we'll also go on snorkel trips, go cruise on boats out on the crystal clear blue waters, take day trips to other places, etc. i'd get bored just sitting on a beach all day too. but i could literally snorkel all day and not be bored. i never get bored of it.



yeah when i went in september the water was awesome, no need for any wetsuit at all. i may try to go back in september or october. i was really impressed with snorkeling in the keys though, especially at john pennekamp park. i saw a lot of stuff there as well as awesome coral gardens than i've seen at other places in the caribbean. i also saw a 6ft shark which was pretty awesome. there is a lot of variety in the keys on what you see.

Then I might actually have to visit the keys. I do not want to go diving in water that has no visibility. Being 100 feet under water and still being able to see a great distance is awesome.

 

[Blackjack200]

You may not realize it at a younger age, but I think it would suck to be 60 and reflect back on all your experiences, only to realize that you frittered away your life by sitting around doing nothing on your days off.

More wisdom from Pink Floyd, that I believe applies to these staycations:

I know that you're not suggesting otherwise, but I just want to point out that you can spend your vacation time in a memorable and meaningful way without taking a traditional vacation.

For example:

• Learn to play an instrument
• Learn to cook
• Read classic literature
• Spend time with your brother/aunt/niece/parents
• Volunteer with Habitat

Point being that just because you can't afford to fly to the galapogos, doesn't mean you have to turn into a grease stain on the couch.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I love vacations for the sense of new experiences, freedom, and fun. The problem is you have to allocate a LOT of money for that feeling. Vacations where you worry about spending too much every second tend to be worse than just staying at home.

I completely agree. Seems like even best planned vacations end up with some expense, accident or disaster you didn't account for, so trying to work out a reasonable budget can be difficult.

 

[rh71]

I'm home every day of the week. Get me outta here!

But seriously, kids & vacations = good memories for all. I love showing my 5 year olds videos of when they were like 2. It brings a huge smile to their faces. Now they're getting to the age where they'll remember more. We only do 1 vaca a year due to cost & scheduling between camp and school so it's really no big deal dollar-wise.

 

[boomhower]

I usually don't either. I'll take a couple days a year for a trip to my parents that costs us a few hundred bucks all together. The results is after six years I have enough time I could call in for the better part of two months I have so much time built up. With my schedule being only working 14 of 28 days a month with two three day weekends a staycation is a weekly occurrence as it is.

 

[feralkid]

I mean, but like, not really... having a shitty economy tends to be good for tourism, as it means more buying power for visitors (as long as it's not so shitty that it becomes like Detroit, where people are afraid to visit)

http://travel.trade.gov/tinews/archive/tinews2013/20131216.html

http://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/images/2011/may/travel-tourism-chart.jpg

Good info, but did you have to step on my joke?

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Do elaborate.

I buy a lot of WWII crap and have quite a collection going.

<--- WWII nerd.

I know that you're not suggesting otherwise, but I just want to point out that you can spend your vacation time in a memorable and meaningful way without taking a traditional vacation.

For example:

• Learn to play an instrument
• Learn to cook
• Read classic literature
• Spend time with your brother/aunt/niece/parents
• Volunteer with Habitat

Point being that just because you can't afford to fly to the galapogos, doesn't mean you have to turn into a grease stain on the couch.

I enjoy hobbies MUCH more than vacations. I find them much more relaxing than going to a new place and not having any bearing on what to do/where to go.

I definitely am not one that paces around because I haven't visited anywhere out of town recently.

I love vacations for the sense of new experiences, freedom, and fun. The problem is you have to allocate a LOT of money for that feeling. Vacations where you worry about spending too much every second tend to be worse than just staying at home.

This is also part of the problem for me personally. There are a lot of activities that I'd like to do that aren't entirely location specific (skydiving, scuba diving) so I think that's another reason why I'm more inclined to stay around where I live.

But then again, I'm a very goal oriented person. I don't like the whole "Hey, let's go to Seattle next month!", I'm more of a "Hey, let's go to Seattle sometime next year. Let's start to put some money towards a fund for the trip/activities"

 

[Gooberlx2]

Depends on how I'm feeling and, of course, budget. I definitely like staycations to just relax, catch up on sleep, work on pet projects, go hiking locally, go see movies, etc...

But nothing can replace experiencing another part of the world. We recently did a couple weeks in Europe. It can be exhausting with all the walking and trying to keep to a plan/schedule to get all the sites in...but it was amazing. It was my wife's first time to Europe, and she's already itching to see more.

Then there's the tropical relax on the beach kind of vacation. A more expensive version of a staycation. I like those too, but they can get boring if they drag on too long.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

there's room for both imo.

sometimes i like to stay home and veg out or catch up on side projects. other times i want to try new foods, experience new culture, etc.

some people like to load up their motorcycle with camping gear and ride to different areas of the country or (a different country). I know a guy that usually does one trip overseas every year. they rent bikes and everything. some people like to chase waves. i know a guy that surfs at a foreign beach once a year. stuff like that.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I work hard so I take that thing that is actually not real (money) and use it.

We do a big trip every other year. Budget conscious to an extent but we do it.

I don't understand why people do the work->eat->sleep thing. Might as well be dead.

What pisses me off though? Going to Niagara Falls and seeing tourists taking photos of themselves with their family in front of the falls just to walk away. They don't even spend 10 seconds just enjoying the air they breath (look at the water fall). Not sure why these people even spent money. And I am dead serious. I see this all of the time. And it is not 1% of the people. It's more like 20%.

Having said that, we take our camera to Disney but I have a rule that we spend atleast one day without it. It's usually the best day.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I buy a lot of WWII crap and have quite a collection going.

<--- WWII nerd.

Been to any WWII sites?

 

[CountZero]

You may not realize it at a younger age, but I think it would suck to be 60 and reflect back on all your experiences, only to realize that you frittered away your life by sitting around doing nothing on your days off.

More wisdom from Pink Floyd, that I believe applies to these staycations:

Its even worse than that, that assumes you actually grow old enough to be short of breath.

You just don't know when your number is up. Car accident, cancer, undetected heart defect, etc. can take you out at any time. Or you could find out you have a degenerative disease and your mobility, sight, general health will decline dramatically over time.

You don't know what the future holds. Staycations certainly have their place. But if you had a week left on this planet would the new guitar, bigger bank account or memories of traveling with your SO hold the most value? What about those you leave behind?

Life is a balancing act between planning for the future and living in the now and for me I want to see more of this planet than I have so far. If culture, history or natural beauty just don't interest you then go forth and buy stuff and use vacation time to use it.

 

[purbeast0]

I work hard so I take that thing that is actually not real (money) and use it.

We do a big trip every other year. Budget conscious to an extent but we do it.

I don't understand why people do the work->eat->sleep thing. Might as well be dead.

What pisses me off though? Going to Niagara Falls and seeing tourists taking photos of themselves with their family in front of the falls just to walk away. They don't even spend 10 seconds just enjoying the air they breath (look at the water fall). Not sure why these people even spent money. And I am dead serious. I see this all of the time. And it is not 1% of the people. It's more like 20%.

Having said that, we take our camera to Disney but I have a rule that we spend atleast one day without it. It's usually the best day.

it's because the new generation doesn't care about the experiences and enjoying it at all. all they want to do is take a pic and post it on their facebook to say they were there and have all of their friends get jealous of not being there.

i remember when i hiked at the 7 sacred pools up the mountain 2 miles through the bamboo forest, to be greeted at the base of a 400ft waterfall. that is one of the most surreal experiences in my life and i can remember it like it was yesterday (it was september 2008). my wife and i hung out up there, in the water as well with the 400ft waterfall barging down on us, for quite some time. we had a picnic right up there at the base of it. it was simply amazing.

(and btw, the water isn't that comfortable hitting you from that distance lol, and luckily there were no rocks)

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Staycation is only enjoyable if you can turn off your work phone, ignore your work email and properly unplug. A lot of people are bad at that, so the only real vacation they can have is going abroad, where their cell phone doesn't work. It is also advisable to go do something you don't normally do that is vacation like (I guess it depends where you live). It is awesome to have a fun day and then come home to your bed and not have to deal with packing.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Vacation vs. staycation? One is not inherently better than the other. Money is also not really a factor. I've had expensive vacations that sucked and cheap stays at home time that rocked. It's how I spent the time and if it was enjoyable that matters most to me.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Been to any WWII sites?

Nope. Would go to Normandy in a heartbeat though.

 

[Kadarin]

I like taking extended weekend short trips. For example, a few weeks ago the g/f and I drove down the California coast south of Carmel through Big Sur down to Hearst Castle and spent 3 nights in Cambria. It was awesome, we toured the castle, spent time walking on the beach and hanging out with seals, went wine tasting, watched the sunsets, sat in a pub on the beach in Morro Bay, looked at awesome scenery on the coast, and so forth. Loved it!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Nope. Would go to Normandy in a heartbeat though.

I went there last year. It exceeded my extremely high expectations by miles and is the best vacation I've ever had.

 

[DrPizza]

I know that you're not suggesting otherwise, but I just want to point out that you can spend your vacation time in a memorable and meaningful way without taking a traditional vacation.
Point being that just because you can't afford to fly to the galapogos, doesn't mean you have to turn into a grease stain on the couch.

I agree completely. But, it does address the OP:

I'd much rather take a few days off, sleep in, and just not have to do anything.