I’ve been taking the concept of a ‘staycation’ to a whole new level recently as I’ve been taking holidays close to home. REALLY close to home. A few weeks ago I even went on holiday just half an hour from home when I visited Llangollen. Yes, I packed a suitcase, filled up the car and set off on holiday. And within 30 minutes I was there.
A-mazing!
Even my trips to Portmeirion and Criccieth during my trivago challenge were less than 2 hours away.
Most of us think of holidays as being hundreds of miles away; possibly a plane journey away and to somewhere completely new and exotic. New and exotic is awesome but simple, relaxing and fun is equally as awesome too – especially when you have limited time and funds AND an 3 month old baby.
It wasn’t long ago that I wouldn’t have considered a holiday so close to home. But things change; life changes, priorities change and having a baby definitely changes everything.
I’m sure you’ve already guessed that I love travelling abroad, but since having George it’s not easy to book a last minute flight and set off on an overseas adventure. I don’t want that to stop me travelling so I’m finding new ways to keep exploring without making life too difficult.
As I’ve got older I’ve also felt differently about travelling. There was a time when I wanted to whizz around the world and see and do as much as I possibly could. I wanted to tick places off my bucket list and visit as many new countries as I could. But travelling and holidays aren’t always about the ‘newness’. They’re about spending time with your friends and family, relaxing, enjoying your surroundings and having a break from the norm.
To my surprise, I loved my staycation holiday just as much as I loved any other holiday I’ve taken recently.
I live on the border of North Wales so I’m pretty lucky that there are so many amazing places to visit within a stones throw of home. But wherever you live in the world, I’m sure you’ll have somewhere gorgeous nearby.
Here are just a few of the reasons why I love holidays close to home
- They’re great if you’re short on time as you don’t spend half of your weekend travelling
- You save money on travel expenses
- It’s easier if you’re travelling with kids or pets
- You probably know a little about the local area so you don’t need to do so much research
- It’s easier to book something last minute if you realise you’re going to have amazing weather for the weekend (that's such a British thing to say!)
- It’s easier to get a big group of friends or family together if you’re not going far
- You can still feel like you’re a million miles from home, even if you’re just down the road
What do you think about taking holidays close to home? Do you have any more reasons to love them to add to the list?
Jo
Saturday 4th of July 2015
I would definitely do close to home holidays but I don't think there is anything very close by that is "holiday" worthy. Even the closest beach is about an hour. I have been looking for more weekend trip locations around me and even those seem to be 2 hours away or I've been there =(
Avalon
Tuesday 30th of June 2015
As a kid my family went staycationing at a caravan park the other side of the town with a few other families we knew. It was great fun - it didn't make any difference to us kids that we weren't abroad; we got to all play together and have adventures, so it didn't matter where we were! Plus as we were already friends I think it was less worry for the parents, so they could relax knowing we were off playing safely
TheTravelHack
Friday 3rd of July 2015
It's so nice going away with friends - especially if you have kids. I don't know about you but it's really difficult to organise trips abroad with a group of friends but much easier if we're just going an hour down the road.
Mo Explores
Friday 26th of June 2015
I've never taken a staycation! I've always wanted to, but I always felt like if I can spend the money on a staycation, I might as well put that towards a real vacation. Haha. I really want to one day though!!
Paula McInerney
Thursday 25th of June 2015
Couldn't agree more. Since starting our blog I have become more aware that we had been ignoring what was in our own backyard, and this is why we started a series called Outside my Front Door, where travel writers share the places where they live. Th upshot has been that they have looked at their own homes and discovered a lot more than what they had been seeing. This happened to me when I was trying to decide what to write and I was staring out the window at the Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere. We are now exploring more of our own backyard.
Cathy (MummyTravels)
Wednesday 24th of June 2015
I've started taking far more staycations since my daughter was born and I love discovering and rediscovering the UK - I have been doing the 12 Trips challenge again, after taking part for the first time in 2013/14, and it was great to push me to explore places right on my doorstep. I think sometimes because it's nearby and easy to do any time, it means you never quite get round to booking it...