What's a staycation? A vacation where you stay at or near your home. With gas prices sky high, it's easy to see why people are not wanting to drive long distances this year. A staycation can be every bit as fun and relaxing as a vacation to some exotic destination in the tropics, if you plan ahead to make it fun, and full of excitement and enjoyment.
Now is the time to experience all those places and events near your hometown that you always talked about.
You can set a limit for how far you'll travel away from home this year, anything from a couple hundred miles to staying right in your own back yard.
Once you've decided on the maximum distance from home, then start trying to find any activity, place, or event within those limits that you might find interesting.
County and state fairs are expected to be busier than ever this year, as the home town folks need some fun, and aren't traveling nearly as much as in previous years. Buy tickets ahead if you can so you don't miss out. Most fairs are really fun for the whole family, with everything from talent contests, great food, carnival rides, to the traditional blue ribbon contests and farm animals for the kids to pet.
If you've never visited your areas museums or heritage houses, zoos, or unusual roadside attractions; then now is a great year to do this. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce for suggestions and brochures.
Where I live, within a radius of fifty miles, I found wine country tours, hot air balloon rides, an aviation museum, tours of the state capital, train rides, the End of the Oregon Trail Museum, so many camping sites I lost count, in every place from ocean beach campgrounds to beside sparkling mountain lakes.
There are also garden tours, sporting events, concerts at Portland, Oregon, riverboat rides, covered bridge tours, and countless unique and interesting places to eat.
That's just a tiny sampling of what is available in my area. I could spend the whole summer doing nothing but going to these events, and not even make a dent in the possibilities for staycation fun near me. No matter where you live, the same is sure to be true for you.
Camping is very popular this year, and so is backyard staycationing. Don't make the mistake of spending a small fortune on camping equipment or backyard barbecue equipment though, you can have a lot of fun for very little money. A small hibachi barbecue costs less than twenty dollars and you can cook a lot of good meals on it.
If you aren't a nature lover, then choose the nearest large city and explore it this year. The nearest city to me is Portland, Oregon, and there are many low-cost but fun activities to do in Portland.
Powell Books, for example, is a great place to explore, it's huge! You don't have to spend a fortune, but a day spent exploring the book stacks doesn't have to cost a lot and it's fun.
Books make me think of libraries, so find out all that is available at your local library. You can check out dvd's and there are fun activities for the kids, as well as the grown-ups, in most libraries.
To really make your staycation fun and enjoyable, plan it out, and make a budget. If you stick to your budget, you can still find a ton of things to do in your area. I did, and you can too.
