5 Tips for Planning a Staycation

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Taking all of your vacation days is an important component of your peak performance at home and work. Vacations allow you to disconnect from your regular routine and then return rested and rejuvenated. If money or time is tight, a staycation is a great alternative to a traditional vacation. A staycation is simply a vacation taken at home. Following a few simple tips, you can enjoy the benefits of a holiday without having to pack your suitcase.

Here are 5 tips to make your staycation a success:

1. Be enthusiastic
Your attitude about a staycation is critical to its success. If you are thinking that it is a second class version of the "real thing", then you will likely be somewhat unsatisfied with the experience. Decide what you want the focus of your staycation to be: relaxation, adventure, recreation, culture. Ask yourself what you want to get out of your time off. Consider what you like best about a traditional vacation and include that aspect in your planning.

2. Plan your itinerary
Lack of planning is one of the biggest reasons people are disappointed with a staycation. Think about the amount of planning that goes into a traditional vacation. Put the same amount of energy into planning this time off. Create an itinerary. Decide what activities you'd like to do, local attractions you might like to visit, or events you might like to attend.

3. Prepare ahead
Lack of preparation is the other big reason people find staycations disappointing. The important thing to avoid is blurring the lines between regular household chores and your time off. Be strict about not picking away at your list of undone house jobs. Just like a traditional vacation, take care of tasks around the house ahead of time: tidy things up, stock up the refrigerator if you'll be eating at home, do the laundry.

4. Unplug from work
The best way to get a break from work is to actually take a break, so unplug from the office during your staycation. Tell people you are going on holidays, create an absence message for your voicemail and email, leave your blackberry in the drawer. These suggestions apply to traditional vacations as well!

5. Treat it like a vacation
Approach your staycation in the same way you would a traditional vacation. Plan a start and end date. Take photos. Try new things. Visit different restaurants.

Read
Five Ways to Plan a Low Cost Retreat
Are you vacation deprived?

Laurel Vespi, certified life coach, award winning author and chief executive guru of stone circle coaching, ignites businesses & individuals to new levels of CHANGE. Laurel works with clients internationally, providing unconventional yet practical tips that make the seemingly impossible... possible! Sign up for Laurel's free ezine and get a free guidebook to blissful living at www.stonecirclecoaching.com