A staycation is a period in which an individual or family stays home and participates in leisure
activities within driving distance, sleeping in their own beds at night.
They might make day trips to local tourist sites, swimming venues, or engage in fun activities
such as horseback riding, paintball, hiking or visiting museums.
Most of the time it involves dining out more frequently than usual.
Staycations achieved popularity in the US during the financial crisis of 2007–2010.
Staycations also became a popular phenomenon in the UK in 2009 as a weak pound made overseas
holidays significantly more expensive.
Common activities of a staycation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local
parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals and amusement parks.
Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end
date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional
vacation.
Etymology The word staycation is a portmanteau of stay
and vacation.
The term "daycation" is also sometimes used.
The blog Wordspy.com attributes the earliest reference to this term as coming from a 2003
article in The Sun News.
According to a Connecticut travel blog, the word "staycation" was originally coined by
Canadian comedian Brent Butt in the television show Corner Gas, in the episode "Mail Fraud",
which first aired October 24, 2005.
The word became widely used in the United States during May 2008 as the summer travel
season began with gas prices reaching record highs, leading many people to cut back on
expenses including travel.
The term was added to the 2009 version of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.
A closely related concept and term is nearcation, which is taking a vacation to a location relatively
close to home.
"Nearcation" and "staycation" may be used interchangeably since the travel destination
may be in the same metropolitan region in which one resides and it is unclear how far
away a destination needs to be until it becomes no longer a "staycation".
Nearcation is a portmanteau of near and vacation.
The alternate naycation has been used to signify total abstention from travel.
Lake Superior State University added the word to its 2009 List of Banished Words.
The citation noted that vacation is not synonymous with travel, and thus a separate term isn't
necessary to describe a vacation during which one stays at home.
Benefits of a staycation Staycations are far less costly than a vacation
involving traveling.
There are no lodging costs and travel expenses are minimal.
Costs may include transportation for local trips, dining, and local attractions.
"The American Automobile Association said the average North American vacation will cost
$244 per day for two people for lodging and meals....
Add some kids and airfare, and a 10-day vacation could top $8,000."
Staycations do not have the stress associated with travel, such as packing, long drives,
or waits at airports.
Indeed, a few people go as far as leaving their home only for their usual errands.
Those with backyard swimming pools have an advantage as they can spend more time swimming
without leaving their property and sometimes have as much fun as they might have had going
anywhere.
Staycations may be of economic benefit to some local businesses, who get customers from
the area providing them with business.
In 2008, the tourism bureaus of many U.S. cities also began promoting staycations for
their residents to help replace the tourism dollars lost from a drop in out-of-town visitors.
Risks of a staycation As staycationers are close to their places
of employment, they may be tempted to go to work at least part of the time, and their
bosses may feel their employees are available to be called into work.
Staycationers also have access to their email at home as they would regularly, allowing
them to be contacted, and feeling the temptation to keep up with this contact.
These risks can be balanced by strictly adhering rules that make the experience feel like a
real get-away, such as "no checking email," or "no watching television."
Staycationers may spend money they had not planned as retailers and other advertisers
offer "deals" to encourage staycationers to spend money.
These may include hotels making package deals in hopes of luring planned staycationers to
do some travel.
Staycationers can also finish a stay-at-home vacation feeling unsatisfied if they allow
themselves to fall into their daily monotony and include household projects, errands, and
other menial tasks in their vacation at home or near home.
See also CouchSurfing
Day-tripper References
External links