For those of you with a few days off this summer but desire to stay home...why not plan a Staycation? A great time doesn't have to require a pricey airline ticket and hotel stay...it just requires a little thinking outside the box, some planning, and the desire for a fun adventure!

A staycation is a period in which a couple, individual or family stays home and participates in leisure activities within driving distance, sleeping in their own beds at night.

This Labor Day weekend my husband and I decided to have a "staycation" and really enjoy these few days at home. We wanted to have tons of fun, doing things close by, with a mindset we would have if we were on vacation.

Sometimes when you are at home for a long weekend, it can be easy to fall into the same routines...and before you know it, it's over. That's why I haven't done a blog post until today...I was on staycation!

The weather couldn't have been better for our staycation. We drove to the coast, twice. We hiked. We ate sushi. We swam. We had a TV show marathon. We went to a cute small festival and walked around the booths and listened to music. Most of all...we had FUN. We went to our favorite oyster place...The Marshall Store in Tomales Bay. Best oysters, hands down. The BBQ one's are the best one's they make. It's a little hole- in-the-wall right on the highway in Tomales Bay. They have great clam chowder too. The tables are outside, on a tiny stretch right between the highway and the water. It's one of our favorite places.

We also were very active this weekend which felt great. We hiked, worked out, and took up a new fun hobby! We were at Dick's, our local sporting good store getting my husband some new shoes when we remembered we'd been talking about playing tennis. We took a look at the racquets, each of us picked one out, got some balls and we were set! We didn't spend too much on racquets since we weren't sure how this was going to go...since neither of us had played in over 20 years!

We went down to the high school and gave it a go! It was SO much fun! We didn't get serious, just hit the ball without keeping score. We both liked it enough that we are so excited to go again! It's always so wonderful to find something outdoors that's active that we can enjoy together. Like I said, we'd been talking about it for a while now....but hadn't done anything about it! Don't put it off! Go do something fun! Go do something new!

Plan your down-time for your staycation! We also relaxed on our staycation...guilt-free! Instead of just clicking through the channels, we decided to binge watch a show on Netflix we'd always wanted to see. When we found ourselves worn out from the activities of the day, we got SO into Breaking Bad! Neither of us had seen it, but had always wanted to...we are now hooked. Maybe there's a show or movies you've been wanting to catch up on! Have a marathon...watch them together!

Here are some ideas for your next staycation:

Unplug - get your nose out of your phone and computer and enjoy your family!
Get into a VACATION MINDSET! Be carefree!
Go camping - in your own backyard!
Don't cook, get takeout from a great restaurant or have someone cook for you
If you are able...Hire a maid service for a day while you're out playing "tourist" and come home to a clean house!
Get active - go outside and hike, bike....play tennis! :)
Take a drive nearby - stop somewhere you've always wanted to stop, enjoy and be spontaneous!
Look up festivals or shows nearby
Have a movie or TV show marathon
Act like a tourist - chances are there is something in your area that you’ve never experienced. When we live somewhere for so long, we kind of forget about the places that draw others into our region.
Do nothing - Take one day to just lay in bed (or in your backyard, couch, or anywhere else) and do as close to nothing as possible. Chat a bit about nothing serious, read a book together, or just lay in the sun for the afternoon. Sometimes doing nothing is the best part of the staycation.
DON'T talk about work or anything too serious, DON'T do laundry or clean (too much), DON'T check emails, DON'T drink too much, & DON'T argue!

The next weekend you and your family find yourself at home....plan a staycation and think of things that are close by to enjoy, that you don't normally do! Think of things you would do if you had never visited your area before! Act like a tourist and have fun with it! See a show, look for festivals, stay active, eat good food....most importantly, have a "vacation mindset". You'll feel refreshed and it will be great for your relationship! The best part is, you don't have to travel far or fight any crowds....and you get to sleep in your own bed;) I'm already looking forward to our next staycation!!