Is it Vacation If You Stay Home with the Kids?
August 15th, 2009
This guest post was written Kristin Sundin Brandt, who is a work-life balance contributor for BusinessBalance.com
I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted. After another year of working, traveling, shuttling kids, housework, home improvements and other commitments, I am pooped, and so is the rest of my family. Which is probably why, when my husband starts talking about our vacation plans, I just want to run upstairs and hide under my bed.
This year, in light of my need to slow down, and my husband’s desire to save some money, we have decided to spend our two-week vacation (mostly) at home. While the idea of limiting our time in the car does sound lovely, there is one major challenge – ensuring we actually vacation, and don’t just spend two weeks at home doing laundry and yelling at our incredibly bored children.
With that in mind, here is what I have planned for our staycation:
• Play tourist for the day – How many of us live near landmarks (natural or manmade) visited by tourists, but never by us? A visit to my state’s office of travel and tourism web site has provided me with a list of fun daytrips including the Butterfly Place in Westford, Old Sturbridge Village (which I haven’t been to since I was a kid) and the Brockton Rox (a minor league baseball team).
• Explore new rail trails – We love riding our bikes on local rail trails, but they are packed with people during the weekend. Our vacation is the perfect opportunity to discover new trails, using TrailLink.com as our guide, while everyone else is at work!
• Take in a movie –There are very few things better than taking in a double-feature at the local drive-in, snuggled up with the kids and my husband on a big blanket. And, since we can sleep in the next morning, we don’t have to wait for the weekend. Visit DriveInMovie.com to find a theater near you.
• Hook up with friends – As much as I enjoy hanging out with my family, there can be too much of a good thing. Fortunately, we have friends who will be on “staycation” during the same weeks as my family, meaning we can work together to have fun and keep everyone amused. It also gives us the opportunity to share childcare so both families can get things done around the house.
• Hit the road – We are planning a three-day trip to a local amusement park, including a stay at a local hotel where we plan on swimming in the pool, renting movies in the room and taking advantage of the available spa services (okay, that last one is for me). We used tripadvisor.com to find a family friendly hotel that was near the park.
• Make a photo album – At the end of each vacation I always make a photo album of our adventures. It’s a fun way to relive each trip, and easier if I do it right away. I’m already working on this year’s book in iPhoto.
Are you taking a staycation this year? If so, what have you got planned?
In addition to co-hosting “ManicMommies,” Kristin Brandt is a full-time account executive and project supervisor with a marketing and advertising agency outside Boston. Kristin blogs for the work/life section of BusinessBalance.com, a web site designed by Embassy Suites Hotels specifically with an eye for how to help business travelers on the road. She is credited with coming up with the name “Manic Mommies,” a term many American moms now use to describe themselves! The mother of two small children, Kristin is the more “computer-savvy” of the Manic Mommies and is responsible for editing the podcast and maintaining the Web site. Kristin is fascinated by any new, shiny gadget and often jokes that her daughter is doomed to inherit a pile of junk jewelry and old technology.
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