How to Staycation (So It's Actually Fun)

It's summer! But ticket prices are ridiculous, airports are awful - and, there's lots of great stuff nearby. So, how to plan a fantastic staycation?

My family on vacation this summer. Our children declared they would rather “walk by themselves.”

I recently went overseas with my family, which was amazing - and also exhausting, crazy expensive, and ended with my children declaring I am no longer authorized to share ‘interesting history facts’ with them.

Maybe we should have simply enjoyed a staycation? Does that actually work?

Did you really need to fly across the country for this?

Staycations work! In fact, studies show that a vacation-at-home can meaningfully restore psychological wellbeing as much as traveling. In one study, participants who took local day trips reported significantly higher levels of mental restoration — especially when the experiences felt relaxing, novel, or nostalgic — which resulted in boosts in optimism, resilience and greater life satisfaction. When staycations and vacations are compared head to head, researchers find no meaningful difference in overall happiness or pleasure. (While travel slightly increases social activity and reduces work rumination, it’s also more stressful.) So, spend a weekend re-visiting a favorite spot — or trying something new —in your hometown, and treat it like a “real” vacation by turning off notifications, booking a day at the spa and disconnecting from daily routines.

The best part of a vacation is staging the perfect photo - and then sending it to mom.

The key to making a staycation successful is mentally “switching off.” And we do that by sleeping more, adopting what researchers call the “tourist gaze” (visit new places, walk new routes, look for all the weirdness you usually ignore), and planning out your hometown “trip” in detail (when we schedule enjoyable activities, our hippocampus is activated, making the rewards more fulfilling when the plan is fulfilled). So activate your email ‘away’ message (and don’t check your inbox), and plan simple but novel experiences like a local food tour, a backyard movie night, or a nature walk with a friend. It’s not about physical distance — it’s about mental distance.

Alexandra says: “My boyfriend dumped me right before I visited Paris and the Love-Lock Bridge. I made the best of it.”

And, finally, treat your home like a hotel. Buy scented candles and stock your bathroom with fancy lotions. (Lavender and bergamot have been shown to promote calmness and relaxation, while peppermint can boost alertness and mood.) Hire a cleaning person to visit — both before, and during your staycation — to keep everything tidy and nice. Get some plush towels. Have breakfast in bed (spousal room service!), lunch at a river-side cafe, or a picnic in the park. (When people say meals on vacation were amazing, it’s usually because the scenery, not the food, was great.) And, most of all, allow yourself to luxuriate in doing nothing. We often relax on vacations because we have no other choice — the only option is go to the beach and read, or slowly wander through a museum — and that lack of choices forces us to slow down. So give yourself permission to be lazy — and to do whatever you want.

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What’s been your favorite staycation? What did you do? Let us know in the comments!