"Staycation" or staying local

So, the term "Staycation" has been really hot over the past few months. I was actually introduced to the term by Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" in early June. When I first heard it, I thought it was hysterical. Staycation & Holistay.


In my opinion overuse and misinterpretation of the term has worn out it's welcome. The idea behind the "Staycation" is pretty much what I've been doing my entire adult life when I had time off. Hang out at home, do the chores and things around the house you "never have time for", visit with friends, and make a day trip. We just always thought of it as "being broke". The variant of the "Staycation" that we're hearing so much about now is actually still relatively expensive.

Here's an example from a day trip we took yesterday to Six Flags New England.

Parking $15.00
Park admission $39.99 per adult
$29.99 per child under 12
Locker Rental $20.00

So the price to park, rent a locker, and for admission for a family of 4 is $174.96. This does not include the gas to get to the park, any food, midway games, or souvenirs. To get an idea of what a single add-on purchase would cost: one refillable soda @ $12 (and they only offer soda - nothing with an ounce of nutritional value). You see where I'm going here. A simple day trip with the family turns into your family forking over at the least $200. In my mind that's still just a lot of money to spend on recreation and not really any kind of help in this tough economy.

As our kids put their feet in the water at the park they turned to us with smiles on their faces and said "This is so awesome". Don and I laughed and said, "Only cost us $125". I feel more like I'm part of the problem spending that kind of money at a huge corporate park when I could have infused it in a different way locally. I mean the kids had a similar reaction when I brought them to the new "Splash Park" at Lauter Park in Willimantic last week and that cost nothing.

Side note: (We went to the park with a coupon for child prices for adults and a free pass for Robert. It was the Birthday present of the free pass that brought us to the park yesterday. Sure wish we'd had 4.)

I get that Theme Parks and the like are fun and enjoyable, but in staying "local" and visiting them are we really helping our wallets and encouraging "local" exploration and discovery. I don't feel like we are even if the Connecticut Department of Tourism wants me "To make CT my Staycation destination".

Instead of perpetuating '07-style spending habits because of a savings on hotel and airfare, we should be encouraging more economic responsibility. It's time to shift our consumer-driven vacation paradigm. Don't spend money that you don't have. "Time off " does not have to mean spending exorbitant amounts of money.

There's so much to do around where you live but also there's nothing you have to do.

So few of us spend time exploring the town we live in and the surrounding towns. There are bound to be a few hidden gems. A park you didn't know existed. A great little museum. A cute cafe with free wifi. Will you have to do a little more research to find affordable or even free venues? Probably, but no more than you'd spend organizing and agonizing over planning a vacation.

Here are just a couple of ideas most of which cost nothing or not much at all:

• Check out that store you've never been in but always wanted to go in (oh wait, that's Champlions).
• Find a small farm and take a tour.
• Visit the fire station
• Head to the park with a picnic
• Take a hike
• Cook dinner
• Read book
• Sleep late
• Drink coffee at a local cafe
  
• Visit the library
  
• Look for discount or free passes to museums and aquariums at your local library
• Look for local Art and Music festivals
• Make plans with friends