How I spent my summer staycation

Thought I’d deliver a quick update on how the staycation went. In short, while there are both pros and cons for staying home on your vacation, I’d have to say that I’m really glad for the choice I’ve made. Looking back that everything that has happened in the past, well, couple of years of my life, suffice it to say that I have been very, very busy. In the last 3 years, I finished my Master’s Degree,  moved four times, changed jobs three times (more if you count some smaller projects I worked on) traveled quite a bit and went through some very trying times in my personal life to say the least.  So a vacation that focused on rest and relaxation instead of the excitement and adventure (and stress) of traveling to an exotic locale was actually quite timely.

Instead of jet-setting, I enjoyed my low key, environmentally-friendly vacation - and I say environmentally friendly because I did not get on an airplane (the most carbon-heavy thing you can do) and the furthest destination I drove to was less than 150km away. Most of the time I cooked local foods and ate at restaurants that also featured local products.

I didn’t take many pictures, as I’d planned. This was mostly because, well, I got lazy. And getting lazy is exactly what you’re supposed to do on vacation.

Here are a few things I did:

Spent time with my parents and other family members

Went shopping in Stratford

Enjoyed meals with friends

Went to the beach

Went to the Arboretum (many times) where I went for long walks in the trees, sat and watched the different species of hummingbirds suck nectar from the flowers and enjoyed other wildlife as well

Fixed up my bike and went for a ride

Walked through the local bog

Arose at 5:30 am (on my birthday) for an early morning walk to enjoy the nature

Read books - a few times I actually stayed in my pajamas until noon or later, reading in my favourite chair

Treated myself to my favourite lunch at With the Grain in Guelph

Went thrifting and went shopping in the mall

Made homemade pizza dough, baked bread and roasted tomatoes

Borrowed some movies from the library that I’ve been meaning to watch for years but had never gotten around to

Watched my favourite shows on my laptop (episodes of Pawn Stars,  American Pickers and Top Chef - no surprise, I’m sure, that I love all of these shows)

Went to Wild Water Kingdom with friends

Ate at some fantastic restaurants

Went stargazing

Every morning was able to leisurely drink coffee on the balcony (or my parents’ balcony) which is one of my favourite things to do

I actually returned to work feeling refreshed, and - gasp - happy to be back at work! What a concept.

Even for travel junkies like myself, I would recommend a staycation at least once in a while. It truly helps to decompress and refocus yourself. I believe there is a certain wisdom that can be found in simple moments and that we don’t always have to fill up our lives with constant stimulation. Sometimes staying home in your pajamas reading a really great book is all you really need to fill your soul.

A few snapshots taken from my iphone (nothing fancy)

Enjoying my beautiful oleander tree on the balcony

The buffet rendered me too full to sample the sweets at this delicious vegetarian Indian restaurant

“The Church” restaurant in Stratford is the best! I had my birthday lunch here.

Dusk at my uncle’s place on the lake. Thanks to the quality of the photo, you can’t tell that this is actually a double rainbow.

Playing with a friends’ tiny but rambunctious orange kitten. So cute!

Would you consider staying home for your vacation some time?

My upcoming staycation

I have decided to book a week off of work in August for a vacation. I’ve been mulling over what I’d like to do with my time off, and I’ve finally made my decision: it will be my very first Staycation.  My decision is partly influenced by financial limitations, but not entirely.  In fact, I made my decision while driving to work one day this week, when the weather happened to be absolutely perfect. I realized how much I would have liked to just enjoy the weather outside.  Being a grown-up means that we never really get to fully enjoy good summer weather and do the things that we used to do as children during summer holidays.  Lying out in the grass on a blanket, reading books under a tree, riding bikes… aren’t these the true pleasures of summer? As adults, we don’t get to enjoy what summer is really all about.

I love Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s ideas about staycations - especially her ideas about eating out, getting pedicures, and hiring a cleaning person to take care of the house! The trick, I think, with a staycation is to get out of your routine a bit; indulge yourself, and take a break from your normal routine.

Including the weekends, I will have exactly 9 days. Here’s how I plan on using my time off:

- Visit my parents, taking full advantage of their beautiful deck that faces a forrest and a popular bird feeder, to sun myself, drink cocktails, leaf through books, watch the birds and gaze in the sky

- Do some hiking

- Take walks/bike-rides in the park

- Go to the beach

- Visit antique stores and used book stores

- Treat myself to some of my favourite restaurants

- Do some outdoor yoga, either in the backyard of my parents’ place, a park, or a beach

- Go stargazing

- Eat ice cream

- Catch up with friends and have a BBQ (here’s looking at you, Nature Hogg)

My birthday also falls on that week. It’s a milestone birthday (well not technically but the last year of your 20s counts, right?) so I will need to find a way to celebrate that as well.

Things I won’t do:

- Check my work email

- Worry about work

- Schedule any appointments other than things that are fun

I plan on creating a little photo-diary of my staycation for the blog so I’ll be able to share the results with you.  I’m already looking forward to it!

Are you planning on taking a staycation this year?