Planning A Staycation

Planning a staycation

The past month has been pretty shit. With Ben ending up in the emergency department twice in one week in March, follow up tests, uni essays due, and it being in one of my two peak work periods each year… I haven’t had downtime. I am keeping myself safely above water but I don’t feel happy.

 

Planning A Staycation

 

However, as I have a “normal” job and all that now, I realised that I am able to take time off work and not do anything of value. Woo!

 

Of course, I would love to get away, location-wise, but this is my year of catching up financially, and having only been in my job for just over three months, I am so NOT caught up from a few years of part time scrimping.

 

Staycation it is.

 

So I started Googling stuff for a staycation… and came across far too many posts full of printables to attach to bags of popcorn. And shit like that. Sure, it’s cute or whatever. But a label doesn’t mean I’m having a staycation FFS.

 

Planning A Staycation

 

The next things I came across were lists like:

  • Go to museum
  • Go to park
  • Eat cabbage

Ok, I made that last one up. Either way, they’re not really what I consider unique things…they’re just things you can do any time.

 

Same goes for eating out – I don’t really enjoy that. I also can’t sleep in on any day of the week – my body is so used to waking up early that it does it without thinking.

 

So far the only useful posts I’ve seen mention making sure your house isn’t full of annoying shit to start. So yeah, the week before I staycate, I will make sure the washing is up to date and I’ve cleaned the odd dish so you can really appreciate our bright orange benchtop.

 

I Live A Staycation Life

 

I think this is making it harder to plan (aka see the value in the staycation at all) by my lifestyle.

 

I live by the beach. I semi-regularly get to see the sunrise on a deserted beach alone. We hang out my candlelight a bit. We have bbqs with family over a fire pit and hang out for long evenings. We have breakfast bbqs at the beach. A favourite thing to do on weekends in make a faux movie pit and binge-watch our favourite tv shows. I go for walks in botanical gardens often. I trawl garage sales and op shops on the weekend.

 

This is my problem – nothing seems particularly special to make a week off any different from any other weekend for me.

 

(And yes, #FirstWorldProblems, I get it. If I don’t acknowledge it here, I expect someone will comment and tell me so. Consider it acknowledged, mmkay?)

 

I hate being the only driver in the house so I also don’t want to do tasks that involve much driving – because driving is a big chore to me and drags down the whole day. (So that lets theme parks out.)

 

After reading a lot of blog posts I’ve managed to come up with only a few ideas:

  • Glow in the dark mini golf
  • King Island walk (depending on the weather!)
  • Mt-Cootha Gardens & Planetarium (I can’t remember the last time I went there – possibly as a really young kid)
  • Two local take-away places for dinner – I like them enough that I actually don’t mind paying for someone else to cook 🙂

 

That’s all I’ve got after a lot of Googling.

 

What are your tips for a successful staycation? Have you written a blog post about it – tips or a recap or anything else? Please leave me a link!

 

And any specific advice for Brisbane or north Brisbane is also welcomed – because it’s my backyard and while I should know it, I feel stumped.

 

25 Replies to “Planning A Staycation”

  1. I’m on staycation right now. I’ve been to the movies, the shops, the cinema and eaten out. Now I’m bored and trying to pick something interesting to do today.

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      That’s where I don’t want to end up! I really am having trouble seeing the benefit of a staycation but the bank account is begging me to respect it.

  2. Staycations are fun! I get to play my piano, go for a long walk by the beach, watch all the shows and movies I want and make my favourite pasta dish.

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      I have ordered some DVDs from my library so the lazy parts are sure looking up 🙂

  3. I used to travel a bit for a job I was in so from some time in the early 2000s I rarely travelled when on holidays. Instead I would just take time off and stay at home. The not-working was enough of a holiday for me. I’d visit family of course, but mostly I’d read, binge-watch DVDs and catch up on chores (things someone needs to be home for visiting tradesmen etc…) that I didn’t get to do when working!

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      I guess I have it too good most of the time haha. I just don’t think I’ll be able to differentiate from a weekend at this rate.

  4. Paul’s daughters live in Morayfield and have headed to Borumba Dam a few times for the day on a weekend. http://www.seqwater.com.au/water-supply/dam-operations/borumba-dam

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      I’ve given up on dams after I had a freak out the other year trying to get to one – I am NOT good with hills. Good idea for people without issues though lol.

  5. Oh also check your council website for any events. The more obscure ones don’t seem to get as much coverage. A friend also goes strawberry picking at a farm on the sunshine coast. From memory for a fee you get to keep everything you pick.

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      That’s a good point – there’s often small events on during the weekday that I can’t go to.

  6. I just edited a US post on Mumtastic that I thought was fantastic. You might like to try it for your staycation!! http://www.mumtastic.com.au/life/453103-staycation-scavenger-hunt-printable/

    Don’t you think it would be fun to have a list and tick it off. The kids would really go for it and it would get a person out of their comfort zone. I’m going to try it next school holidays when I’m not working (I’m working through these ones).
    x

  7. I had a three month staycation up north before the house sale went through and I was on long service. It was a very crap staycation and I have no advice sorry. We did nothing because we had no money and it was too hot anyway. I swam a lot and ruined my hair with chlorine.

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Yeah that’s what I reckon my week could end up being haha. It’s next week now and I still have no great ideas…

  8. I did write a blog post on staycations. Here’s the link: http://www.fabulousandfunlife.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/5-top-tips-for-best-staycation-ever.html
    I think you have probably thought of all these things yourself however!

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Thanks Ingrid!

  9. My staycations are a bit like that…going to the beach {which I do on weekends when the weather is good anyway!}, going to the movies, going to bookshops {again, quite common}, hiking in the Royal national park which is close to my place. To be fair, Sydney has a lot more to offer, but on holidays, I rarely get out to the city! I might do that next time I have a staycation…

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      That’s the other factor for me – I’m always in the city so it would be nice to totally avoid it for a few weeks! I spend enough time going to and from it.

  10. Doing something out of routine is part of a staycation I think. Hope it went well. Denyse

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      It’s next week – so soon. I think I will have DVDs to watch until I get paid part way through it. I also have a pile of books to read. So a few days of that is not a bad start to a staycation!

  11. One of the best Easters I had with my husband was the one where we told everyone we’d gone camping for the week with no mobile coverage.

    And then we stayed on the couch and watched movies for a week.

    Good times!

    As for things to do on your staycation – this may sound a little lame, but I always love going on the CityCats. It sounds so every day but beause I don’t take them to work, it’s a fun way to get out on the water 😀

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      Haha nice. I like your style 🙂 I like the CityCats idea – I kind of forget they’re there actually. Which is silly as I work close to the river.

  12. I don’t actually mind staying home and pottering around reading and watching movies, so I’m no help. The take-away options sound good. I don’t know much about Brisbane, but there must be lots of stuff to do there. Good luck with it.

    1. Vanessa Smith says: Reply

      I tend to go a little loopy if I stay home all day 🙂

  13. YES to the King Island walk. Or how about a day trip to Coochie? City cats is also a good one. Have you ever been up the top of Brisbane City Hall? That’s kinda cool 😉 I was going to suggest a trip to the Cat Cuddle Cafe at Red Hill but I think you might be more of a dog person 😉 .

  14. Funny thing – I was researching staycations for a post I’m writing over at Smarter Happier over the weekend. I haven’t finished the post as yet, but as it’s targeted at families with kids it possibly wouldn’t be suitable for you anyway Ness. I hope you come up with some options so you can enjoy some downtime at home.

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