Everywhere people are crying because of pain at the pump. Vacations to other states are being cancelled. Afternoon “Sunday Drives” are a thing of the past. Even every day errands are becoming unecessary as people desparately attempt to save money on what has now become liquid gold.
Usually every summer, Kevin and I make 3-4 day trips to Folly Beach in Charleston, SC. It’s about 110 miles from here. Even though most of it’s highway miles, we still use up nearly a half a tank of gas one way. With the price of gas at $4.00, a round trip means nearly $50 in gas expenditure – and that’s just to get there! As a one-income family with a new baby, we really can’t afford the luxury of hightailing it to the beach on a whim any more.
Then there’s the wedding of Kevin’s cousin that we unfortunately had to miss 2 weeks ago due to the fact that the current cost of gas to drive to upstate New York (where Kevin’s family lives) would have been far too enormous.
We’re penny pinching on gas so tightly right now that even the thought of driving across town gives us the heebiejeebies!
Have you cancelled your vacation this year due to high gas prices?
There’s no need for sadness! “Staycations” can be just as fun as their traveling counterpart. Why spend hours driving to the beach when there are community swimming pools around the corner? Why plan a remote getaway when you can relax in the beauty and serenity near you? You don’t need to travel to the city for excitement when you can create your own at home.
Gasoline prices are edging toward five dollars a gallon and the hassle and expense of air travel is also increasing. Families, overburdened with the high costs of caring for growing children and aging parents are saving money by vacationing at home this year. But how to make it into a real vacation, and not just a list of to-do’s and ta-da’s? When you follow these tips, you’ll “return” from your staycation refreshed, recharged and reconnected to your family:
1. Make planning top priority. Set aside time to have a family meeting and encourage everyone to talk about what activities they want to include. This preparation will give your family a better understanding and appreciation of each other. This will also reduce the tension and arguments that might ensue later about what you were going to do together.
2. When your staycation begins, take a complete break from all work. Don’t check your emails (personal or business). Don’t call work for updates about projects. Let extended family members know you are “away”. This is your free time so resist home-related chores as well. Leave the beds unmade or arrange for someone to come in and clean so that you won’t be temped to work around the house. Turn off the phones. Do set aside time for any home activities you enjoy for relaxation – gardening or scrap booking, for example.
3. Act as you would on a vacation away from home. Go to bed and get up when you want – don’t set your alarm clock. Let the kids stay up past their bedtime if you are doing something out of the ordinary. Enjoy a special breakfast out one day. Relax in the sun and read a page-turner or amusing beach book. Exercise in ways that aren’t easy while you are working – a morning tennis or golf game, a midday horseback ride through the countryside, a leisurely hike at sunset. Splurge on a night out at a fancy restaurant or for tickets to an entertaining event.
4. Consider this time as a week of weekends. Have fun with your family – play board games together, make popcorn and rent classic movies, go to the park for a pick-up basketball game, take in a concert under the stars, get bleacher tickets for a baseball game, go for family bike rides or long walks in the neighborhood, splash each other in the community pool. Have a barbeque and let each family member cook or prepare a different part of the menu. Plan your own Olympics competition with events appropriate for your children’s ages. Put on a play. Stage a family drama or fashion show. Put up an old slip and slide and act crazy out in the backyard!
5. Explore your immediate surroundings and discover something new. Envision your city as a tourist would. Pick up local travel magazines. Visit your city’s chamber of commerce for literature and planning ideas. Seek out websites for your town that showcase hidden treasures. Take a city bus tour and see the sights that you’ve never noticed before. Expand your horizons and those of your family members. Visit a museum near you – often they offer entrance fee free days or discounts for local patrons. Participate together in a creative activity like ceramic painting or a mini-course in photography at the community center. Visit the campus of a local college and wander through the library. You may uncover an interest you never realized you had.
6. Remember to include the universal vacation ritual – take lots of photos and videos to share with your friends. Looking at the pictures of your family’s smiling faces will enhance your memories of the special times you spent together. Continue the feelings of togetherness by creating an album commemorating your first family staycation.
The decision to spend your vacation at home together this summer can deepen the bonds and transform your family. Without the tension that travel creates or the stress of high gas costs in this uncertain economy, you will find that the time socializing with family this summer is more relaxing than ever.
