Backyard Living & Staycationing

The "staycation" is this summer’s buzzword, as consumers, shell-shocked by airfares and prices at the pump, are opting to spend their valuable vacation days close to home. Done right, a "staycation" can be a welcome respite from the stress of travel, as well as an opportunity to explore overlooked local landmarks and tourist attractions right outside your front door.

A "Staycation" is Still a Vacation
If you are serious about vacationing at home, be sure to treat it like a real vacation. Take the days off from work, turn off the Blackberry, commit to relaxing, and make some plans. It would be easy to fall back into the daily routine, but this is time to create a new kind of retreat, and you’ve earned it.

Check Out the Local Action
Once you start looking around, you’ll find plenty of activities close to home geared to singles, couples and families looking to have fun. Check out local attractions you’ve always meant to visit, but somehow never got around to. Check your state’s website for information on state parks, amusement parks, museums, historic sites concert series, and more. Visit the National Park Service’s web site to see if there are some national gems a short distance from home.

With so many people opting to stay home this summer, you will find great deals on local hotels and attractions as tourist boards encourage people to visit. A season’s pass to a local amusement park could be a great investment if you live nearby. Check to see if your local tourist board offers discounts on mass transportation, hotels, restaurants and attractions. A night or two in a local hotel or resort eliminates travel stress and you still get to enjoy the luxuries of room service, lounging by the pool, or an intensive spa treatment.

Destination: Backyard
If you’ve decided to stay put, do it in style. Treat yourself to your favorite wine, romance or spy novels, and snacks and string some decorative porch lights. Create a decorative theme in your backyard to capture a favorite memory: a seaside harbor town, a mountain cabin or a tropical paradise. Upgrade mildewed outdoor furniture cushions for something comfortable and contemporary that you’ll look forward to stretching out on. Pitch a tent, fire up the grill, and watch the night sky. Invest in backyard sports equipment such as croquet, badminton and volleyball, and pull out a deck of cards and some board games for rainy days.

Make Your "Staycation" a Vacation to Remember
Don’t forget to take plenty of photos, shoot some video, and be sure to get some cool souvenirs. After all, it isn’t everyone who has a refrigerator magnet with his own hometown’s name on it!