10 reasons why you should take a staycation

Why would I want to stay home and vacation? Take a staycation? Have you checked the gas pump prices lately? There's a major reason at least where I live in Houston. Houston is a big, sprawling city and I can easily drive 55 miles just to see my friends across town. If I even want to drive to the next big city like Dallas, San Antonio or Austin, I'm going to rack up mileage in the 300-400 mile range. At the going prices, there's-no-place-like-home is starting to sound like my summer anthem.

Have you taken a staycation before?

There are probably as many reasons as there are people when it comes to why someone might want to stay home and visit their hometown instead of traveling somewhere else. But there are some pretty consistent reasons that float to the top whenever staycations are discussed. So here's ten main reasons why you might want to choose a staycation instead of a vacation this year.

1. GAS PRICES! Have you been to the pumps lately?
2. Airline fares have skyrocketed due to--wait for it--GAS PRICES.
3. Exhaustion. Too tired or too much trouble to plan a week or two-week vacation.
4. Money. Your overall financial picture just isn't rosy enough to justify a the cost of a regular vacation this year.
5. Love of dog. You love your dog and want to plan a trip where the dog can come along. (Most cats are homebodies.) It's a good time to get to know all the dog-friendly places in your hometown.
6. Hate flying. You hate to fly anyway and the trains just aren't cooperating with their limited and rather lengthy schedu
7. No time to explore hometown You haven't spent any time exploring your hometown or city in years. This is a good time to get back to basics and rediscover your home town or city.
8. Love of hometown. You love your city and have realized that there are even more places to explore and experiences to enjoy.
9. Not limited to the backyard. Staycations are more than mere backyard vacations. They are an opportunity to do the old fashioned in-the-car family summer vacation visiting historical and cultural sites but doing it in your home town. Don't limit yourself.
10. The need for relaxation.A staycation is an opportunity to actually take a relaxing vacation. How much work do you do in advance of your normal vacations? How stressed are you from the packing and traveling? All that hassle is gone. A staycation can be one of the most relaxing vacations you've ever had.

Turn your staycation idea into a plan

My Staycation Story

I took my first staycation as an adult back in the early 90s. My friend and I decided to take a week to explore the city. I'd often talked about the musems but hadn't been since I was a child. So we planned a week starting off with a terrific visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science complete with Cockrell Butterfly Center, Planetarium, and even the Bug Zoo. All that was located together right next to Miller Outdoor Theater--and that was sitting almost on top of the Houston Zoo. So what did we do? We spent one entire day exploring the museum. We took our time, relaxed and pretended we were new to the city. We walked around the park, unpacked our picnic lunch and took in the sites. We talked about the sculptures, the history and the surroundings.

The next day was Zoo Day. We spent most of the day at the zoo. It was a stone's throw from another museum. Our basic plan was to work areas. We planned our days to maximize our exploration and minimize our driving--Houston is such a driving city that we wanted to spend more time at the sites--and spent a week visiting a wide variety of attractions in various parts of the city. We spent a week. We could have easily spent two or three. It was one of the best vacations I've had. I would never have guessed that 10 years later I'd be co-writing two travel books on Houston. You just never know.

Check On These Titles for More Staycation Ideas

The Great American Staycation: How to Make a Vacation at Home Fun for the Whole Family (and Your Wallet!)

The Great American Staycation - Kindle Version

Having written two travel guidebooks about my home city, Houston, and one travel book on history adventures in Texas, I'm a big fan of staycations. Traveling is nothing new to me. I was on the move from the age of 2 weeks when my parents moved from Philadelphia, PA to Buffalo, NY and that was just the beginning. I've had a life of travel. But I have to tell you, one of my fondest travel memories is that of the staycation I took back in the early 90s. One week exploring Houston--before I wrote any books--and it was fun.