Comments on: How to Build Your Own “Modified Staycation” Vacation Package

By: Andrew Hallam

Andrew Hallam — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 01:40:18 +0000

Looking at your photos makes me homesick!
And they remind me of a honeymoon my wife and I took to your area of the world. OK, we have loads of honeymoons, but this one was particularly funny. We live in Singapore (but I’m Canadian and my wife is American).
I grew up in Kamloops, and wanted to show my wife the Thompson/Okanagan area. We drove to Penticton, but found that camping was really expensive. I was willing to spring for it, but my wife said the prices were outrageous. So we proceeded to a beautiful restaurant overlooking the lake, where we spent a ridiculously high sum on dinner (ever read the book Predictably Irrational?) and then we drove to the Skaha Estates area, pulled our car into a paved driveway (at 10pm) of a home that was 95% completed and pitched a tent next to the house. There was even an open porta-potty in the front yard. I would have sprung for the campground, but my wife was inconsistently cheap: $120 for dinner; $0 for camping.

By: George

George — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:09:20 +0000

I have never really heard the term ‘staycation’ until coming across your site. It is really a neat idea. I guess we have done it in a modified sense. We take some trips a couple of hours away and stay in a cabin,eat-in except for maybe one meal a day and site see. We enjoy that a lot.

Really enjoyed your site, keep up the good work.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:29:12 +0000

I blew off a 3-week fly & drive & visit lots of friends vacation this summer for a stay at home vacation. It was wonderful – I hiked in the mountains, took time for my favorite coffee shops and relaxed a lot. And planned my January vacation in NZ

By: Jon Hartman

Jon Hartman — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:12:54 +0000

Irrespective of the intention of the article, the biggest takeaway I acquired was to appreciate the local opportunities. Speaking as someone that may be relocating in three months, it’s a great reminder to get out and enjoy your local area, instead of necessarily leaving to go find other stuff to do. It’s amazing how we only seem to take advantage of 1/10th of the activities close to home.

Thanks for the reminder.

By: Timothy Chu

Timothy Chu — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:04:32 +0000

Something in-between going to a restaurant and buying groceries is to get pre-cooked food at a deli at the supermarket. Cheaper than a restaurant (plus you save on tip), and no dishes to clean.

By: RJ Weiss

RJ Weiss — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:06:50 +0000

Great article. I love taking staycations. Great post.

One tip that my wife and I use for out staycation is to set the dates in advance, then plan it last minute based on deals available.

One time we used Priceline and get a $50 a night, 4 star hotel in the city of Chicago. We took the train down and had a great 3 day trip for about $100 a day.

By: donjoe

donjoe — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:23:23 +0000

Minimum ingredients for a staycation to feel like a vacation:
- radical change of immediate surroundings (you don’t have to travel long distances for that) – where you spend your time, where you go to sleep and wake up etc.
- complete elimination of chores (don’t have anything around to clean up, fix or cook unless it’s an absolute pleasure for you to do that)
- have at least one uncommon experience, something you can’t engage in too often (e.g. go to a once-a-year festival).

I did these things last year on my week-long first-time staycation at the edge of the city and it worked out great – it ended with a 2-day music festival (there was also wine, if it matters) and left me feeling rested/disconnected like any proper vacation.

By: Take A Modified Staycation To Enjoy The Best Of Both Worlds | Lifehacker Australia

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 21:41:35 +0000

[...] How to Build Your Own “Modified Staycation” Vacation Package [SquawkFox via WiseBread] Tagged:holidayssaving money [...]

By: Frugal Babe

Frugal Babe — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:53:48 +0000

Our son is almost two, and we haven’t done any traveling with him at all so far – it’s so much easier to just hang out near home. We live in a state that gets lots of tourism dollars from people visiting, and I figure we might as well take advantage of that ourselves. I’ve lived here for 17 years now, and there are still lots of close-to-home spots that I haven’t seen. We’re planning to take lots of “staycations” over the next few years, and focus on appreciating what we have in our own backyard. Long distance travel lost a lot of its appeal for us when our son was born – traveling with a little kid just doesn’t appeal to us.

By: Doctor Stock

Doctor Stock — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:23:37 +0000

I spent some time around that area last year… beautiful. I plan on returning sometime this Summer… cheaper than other vacations, fun, and relaxing! A great budget builder, not buster.