Staycation: Embracing Leisure at Home and Discovering Local Delights
Staycation is formed by combining the words ‘Stay’ and ‘Vacation,’ which originated in North America. It is similar to vacation or holiday, whereby people take off time from their regular day to day work, to relax and enjoy leisure activities, but here the main difference is not traveling to a faraway location, but people spend their vacation at home or at a nearby location. 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 rise in the staycation trend took off in the Covid-19 crisis, as lockdowns brought travel to a halt.
Staycation allows individuals to do things they were putting off and wanted for themselves. It includes hosting a movie night, a picnic in the park, taking a day trip, camping, cycling and much more. According to a survey, 60% of people use staycation as an opportunity to indulge in their favourite foods.
It has been noted that the popularity of the term is grown by 500% post lockdown in 2020. During a 2020 survey, it was found that more than 75% of Americans were familiar with the term and staycations are an important part of the US travel economy. Globally, people are getting more interested in spending their holiday in a local city or nation.
Feature of Staycation
Budget friendly & Saves time– As one can have a staycation at home too, saving the travelling cost of cabs, flights, multiple local modes of transportation and hotel accommodation, it ends up saving a lot of money. Spending a vacation close to or at home also saves time spent on travelling from home to the vacation destination, usually starting and the last day is reserved only for travelling, leaving a lot less time for enjoying the vacation itself.
Discover local Surroundings– Exploring the local area can surprise with respect to things one can discover in the local area. A quick google search of obscure or unique things to do in the city could come up with multitude of adventures.
Less stress & more peaceful– Packing for vacations, managing tight schedules and high expectations to make the trip worthwhile as much time and money is invested in it. The pressure of getting things right, like forgetting to pack one important thing for the trip, leads to stress. On the other hand, staycations are much simpler, and they might not need any packing at all and have fewer things to keep track of. Staying in a familiar place brings peace and joyfulness.
Eco-friendly– Travelling from one city to another either by any means of transportation results in burning of fossil fuels emitting carbon into the air, leading to air pollution. Staycation saves all the carbon emissions released during traveling, saving the environment. During the staycation, one can use electric vehicles to explore the city.
Drawbacks of Staycation
Limited Luxury– Staying at home means there will be no housekeeping to change sheets or complimentary breakfasts. There will still be things for which one will be responsible that wouldn’t need to be done if stayed at a hotel.
Become too relaxed– Without having an itinerary to guide the staycation, one can become too relaxed and end up doing nothing at home. Staying at home might give a weekend-feel, discouraging one from making the most of the day.
Confined to Surroundings– As the point of vacation is to escape, taking time-off might not feel worth it, especially if the idea of vacation is to visit a new place and experiencing a different culture.
Conclusion
Staycation has provided consumers the opportunity to escape from their day-to-day monotonous work, gain new experiences without stepping out of their comfort zone, especially for people with limited time and money to spare on a distant location. The covid crises accelerated the shift towards staycation and consumers are opting for staycation packages. Despite all the benefits, staycation is not for everyone, for those, vacations are a means to experience new culture, a different environment and a break from things seen daily, staycation could feel like confinement. Research has shown consumers prefer the benefits provided by staycation and are increasingly interested in spending their vacation in proximity to home.
Author: Abhishek Saini