How to Have a Relaxing Staycation

Staycations are a growing trend, as people cut back on their spending on travel and choose to spend their vacations at home. Staycations can be a great way to save money, and there are many things you can do to make your staycation fun and interesting. Previously, I've written about fun ideas for a family winter break staycation, and ideas for easy-to-plan staycation adventures.

However, sometimes you just need a break from the stresses of everyday life, and don't want to fill your vacation time with activities. You simply want to relax.

Perhaps you've realized that you desperately need some rest and relaxation, and time to recharge your batteries. You may have decided to forgo travelling on your vacation, and relax at home instead.

Or maybe you only have a few days off, and want to ensure you end up feeling as well rested as possible when it's time to go back to work.

How do you ensure your staycation is actually relaxing? If relaxation is your goal, you certainly don't want to spend your vacation running errands and doing housework or projects around the house. To avoid this trap, you need a plan.

Read on for ideas and tips on how to plan a stress-relieving staycation that will relax and reinvigorate you.

Once you've decided that you want a relaxing staycation, it's best to do a little planning and preparation, so that you can actually relax once your vacation starts. Here are a few suggestions:

- If you have children, and really just want to be able to relax on your staycation, you should consider if your staycation plans involve your kids or not. I know, this sounds terrible, but it's much easier to relax if you're not trying to keep your children entertained at the same time. Remember, what you find relaxing might be plain boring to them!

For this reason, you may want to time your staycation for when the kids are in school, or at day camp, for at least part of the time. Or consider asking a friend or relative if the kids could stay with them for a couple of days. If this is not an option, try to plan to have at least some time on your own during your staycation, even if it's just a few hours.

- Try to do a bit of decluttering and cleaning before your vacation starts, so you won't be tempted to spend your time doing that when you should be relaxing. Maybe you could even kick off your staycation by having a maid service give your house a good cleaning, so you have one less thing to worry about.

- Along the same lines, be sure to stock up on groceries and healthy snacks before your staycation starts. If you can, it's very helpful to prepare a few meals ahead of time that can be kept in the freezer and just heated up when you are hungry. Unless you really enjoy cooking and find it relaxing, you don't want to spend your relaxation time in the kitchen.

- Sometimes it can be helpful to pretend that you are actually going away on vacation, so that you force yourself to do the things that you normally would before vacation, instead of having to do them on your staycation. If you do the laundry, pay your bills, and run errands like picking up the dry cleaning before your staycation begins, you will find it much easier to relax, and won't need to feel guilty about it.

- If your staycation plans involve reading - and I really think they should - make sure you have lots of reading material available. You may want to include a trip to the library or bookstore in your staycation plans, but you can also borrow books and magazines from a friend, or download books to read on your tablet or e-reader.

Before your staycation starts, make a list of activities that you find enjoyable. It's always good to have this list to refer to, so you don't end up lying around in your pyjamas wondering what to do. Everyone is different, but here is a list of relaxing activities to choose from:

• Reading
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Walking
• Hiking
• Sitting by a fire
• Having coffee with a friend
• Meeting an old friend for lunch
• Getting a massage
• Getting a manicure or pedicure
• Taking a bubble bath
• Watching movies
• Watching a sunset
• Going on a picnic
• Browsing through a museum or art gallery

A stay-at-home vacation is also a perfect time to enjoy one of your hobbies that you may not normally have much time for. Activities like scrapbooking, crafts, gardening, writing, baking, painting, photography, or fishing can also be a wonderful way to relax on your staycation.

Whatever makes you happy, be sure to find time to enjoy it on your staycation.

We all need a chance to unwind and recharge from time to time. Making relaxation your number one priority may be just what you need on your next vacation.

After all, if you don't take care of yourself, who else will?