Updated: 02/22/19 | February 22nd, 2019

There always seems to be a new term entering the travel lexicon: traveler, tourist, flashpacker, voluntourism…the list goes on.

And I get it.

People always like to define something (especially fellow travelers). I guess giving something a name means you feel like you understand it. and the latest word that seems to be catching on is “staycation”.

Okay, the word has been around for a while but when my pals on Facebook tell me they are taking a “staycation,” that’s when I know the word has gone mainstream.

A “staycation” is officially defined (by me) as staying home while taking time off from work in lieu of going overseas or to some different locality.

There are many travel words I am a fan of but “staycation” is not one of them. It’s a way for people to convince themselves they are doing something when they are really just staying home from work — a little mental maneuver to convince them they are on holiday.

But a holiday (vacation) is when you leave the comfort of your house and go somewhere. It doesn’t need to be someplace far and your trip doesn’t need to last a long time. You can go on vacation to Europe or the next town over for two days. Take a weekend out in the woods. All you need to do is something different than your normal routine.

Staying home from work for a week is not a vacation — it’s staying home from work for a week. Moreover, staying home might tempt you to check your work e-mail or fall into stressful habits that don’t let you get one of the terrific benefits of a vacation: time to relax!

Yet since a vacation is so prized by people, people have designated this stay-at-home activity as something special. You already know how I feel, but if you are intent on having a “staycation,” there are a number of things you can do to mix things up while staying at home:

1. Volunteer – break out of the norm and go help others with your time. There are many people who need help right now — including people in your own community. responsible volunteering is a terrific way to connect with people from different backgrounds and experiences while giving back to your community.

Not sure where to start? begin with your interests. Čo by si chcel robiť? Is there some way you can incorporate that into your volunteering. For example, if you enjoy playing chess or art or sports you can try volunteering at an after-school program. If you enjoy running or outdoor activities, see if there is a group that does park or trail maintenance/litter cleanups. Food banks are another common place that almost always needs volunteer help, and there is one in every community.

There is no shortage of people and organizations that need help. All you need to do is take that first step!

2. learn a new skill – Take a cooking class, learn yoga, or learn how to build desks. learn how to build a travel blog. A vacation doesn’t have to be about going somewhere. You can learn something new. If you are going to stay at home, then stay home and do something.

A terrific place to start is to check platforms like meetup.com or Couchsurfing for events, workshops, or local clubs. See if there is anything offered that sounds interesting and then just dive in!

3. Take a roadtrip – If you have a lot of time off work, you should go out and do something. remember travel doesn’t have to be to some exotic place — it can happen right in your own hometown. Go take a few days to explore your area. learning something new about your hometown can be just as good as getting on a plane to go somewhere.

Want to make it even more exciting? find some other travelers to join you! meeting and traveling with complete strangers is par for the course when you’re backpacking. Why not try doing the same at home. use Couchsurfing or online travel groups like The Nomadic Network to find people in your area who want to do an impromptu road trip. It’s a terrific way to add some excitement to your trip and make it much more interesting. Plus, you can split the cost to save yourself some money. double win!

4. set a goal – try to do something different each day to keep things interesting. Why not make a game out of it? promise yourself each day to try one new type of ethnic food, or see a movie from a different country, or check out one new part of town. travel is a terrific personal development tool. It’s about experiencing new things and trying something different. Doing it home still captures that essence.

To keep yourself engaged and on track, share your experiences on social media. Make a video of yourself trying the new foods or exploring your town. get your pals and family involved by taking ideas from them. The more postive and engaged you can make your experiences, the more likely it is that you’ll stick with it and enjoy it.

5. Don’t stay in your house – In order to break your routine, be sure to find another place to stay. staying at home wchorý len padnete do starých rutín, čo chceme robiť! Snažíme sa dostať von a prijať niečo nové a čo najlepšie využiť svoj voľný čas. Preskočiť Netflix a dostať sa z vášho domu. Nájdite miestne Airbnb alebo dokonca hostel. Urobte niečo z obyčajného. To vám pomôže získať novú perspektívu a aby sa vaša cesta cítila oveľa autentickejšia a osviežujúca.

Ak budete preč na niekoľko dní, zvážte uvedenie svojho domu alebo apartmánu na prenájom Airbnb. Týmto spôsobom môžete urobiť trochu peniaze na strane, aby ste financovali svoju cestu, zatiaľ čo tiež núti sa dostať sa z domu a do nového dobrodružstva!

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Cestovanie je viac ako presun z miesta na miesto. Je to o tom, aby robili rôzne aktivity mimo vašej normálnej zóny pohodlia. Takže ak ste naozaj zostali doma, presuňte sa z vašej mentálnej zóny a cestovať do nových nápadov. Je to lepšie ako sedieť na gauči na týždeň a sledovať “American Idol”. Len, prosím, vyhnite sa typickému “Staybácii”.

Ako cestovať po svete za 50 dolárov denne

Môj najpredávanejší sprievodca v brožúre New York Times po World Travel vás naučí, ako zvládnuť umenie cestovania, aby ste vystúpili z vychodenej cesty, ušetrili peniaze a mali hlbší cestovný zážitok. Je to váš sprievodca plánovaním A to Z, ktorý BBC nazval „Biblia pre cestujúcich v rozpočte“.

Kliknutím sem sa dozviete viac a začnite ho čítať ešte dnes!

Zarezervujte si cestu: logistické tipy a triky
Zarezervujte si svoj let
Nájdite lacný let pomocou SkyScanner. Je to môj obľúbený vyhľadávací nástroj, pretože vyhľadáva webové stránky a letecké spoločnosti po celom svete, takže vždy viete, že žiadny kameň nezostane nezostáva.

Zarezervujte si ubytovanie
Svoju hostel si môžete rezervovať s Hostelworld. Ak chcete zostať niekde inde ako v hosteli, použite Booking.com, pretože neustále vracia najlacnejšie ceny za penzióny a hotely.

Nezabudnite na cestovné poistenie
Cestovné poistenie vás bude chrániť pred chorobami, zraneniami, krádežou a zrušením. Je to komplexná ochrana v prípade, že sa niečo pokazí. Nikdy som nešiel na výlet bez toho, pretože som ho musel v minulosti používať mnohokrát. Moje obľúbené spoločnosti, ktoré ponúkajú najlepšie služby a hodnotu, sú:

Bezpečnosť (najlepšie pre každého)

Zaistite moju cestu (pre tých nad 70 rokov)

Medjet (pre ďalšie pokrytie evakuácie)

Pripravený si rezervovať svoju cestu?
Pozrite sa na moju stránku zdrojov, kde nájdete najlepšie spoločnosti, ktoré môžete použiť pri cestovaní. Uvádzam všetky tie, ktoré používam pri cestovaní. Sú najlepší v triede a nemôžete pokaziť ich pomocou ich cesty.