As the school year comes to an end and the weather starts to improve in many parts of the West, a lot of us are thinking about vacations. But as the cost of living crisis stretches on and political landscapes across the world continue to tremor, most of us are probably pushing the thought out of our minds as quickly as it surfaces.
For multipotentialites who are juggling unpredictable incomes and unconventional workflows, a vacation might seem even more mythical. But a luxury two-week vacay in a tropical resort isn’t the only way to take a break.
The humble staycation is often overlooked and underrated. But I think it’s just what the doctor ordered this summer!
What even is a staycation?
Technically, a staycation is when you take a “holiday” but you don’t actually leave your home. Instead, you fill your days with fun and relaxing activities in and around your residence. However, I like to extend the definition of staycations to also include trips where you might stay away from home but you’re within the familiar territory of your local area, for example, you might stay at a friend’s house in the next town, or at a guesthouse in the suburbs.
The whole point of a staycation is to find the joy and wonder of a vacation without spending too much money or straying too far from home, and it’s a particularly great option if you have limited time off. A staycation could be as simple as a day trip, or you could stretch it out over a week.
A staycation is not an excuse to stay rooted in the demands of your daily life. If you’re still working, eating the same old meals you cook every week and spending half the day doing chores, it’s not a staycation. Whether you’re in your house or down the road at a friend’s, you should act the same way you would if you were halfway across the world!
3 reasons every multipotentialite needs a staycation
A staycation can have tons of benefits for anyone, but there are some specific things that make it a must for multipotentialites!
1. It boosts your creativity
Whether you work in a traditionally creative job or not, creativity is a multipotentialite’s best friend! Multipotentialites approach work and life in a way that goes against the grain, and many are also entrepreneurs. So, a boost in creativity is always welcome. When planning a staycation, you arguably have to get a bit more creative than you do on a traditional holiday. You need to look at familiar surroundings with fresh eyes and figure out how to turn your hometown into a dream destination.
2. It forces you to create boundaries.
As passionate people working across a range of projects, multipotentialites can be a little lax when it comes to healthy boundaries around our work. This is especially true for those of us who work from home. When you love what you do, and when you’re your own boss, it can be difficult to step away, take breaks, and practice good work hygiene.
If you decide to take a staycation within your own home, you’ll be forced to reinvigorate your boundaries around work and life. You might do some spring cleaning and move all your work-related items out of the bedroom and living areas and into a study. You might turn off mobile notifications for apps like email and Slack…and then realize you can leave them off even when you come back to work. You might set clear boundaries for your staycation with clients and collaborators, which will give you the practice and confidence to do so with things like working hours and communication preferences when you’re back to work.
3. You need a break!
I don’t need to know you to know that you need a break. It’s been a helluva few years and waiting for things to “get back to normal” is a futile task. Be really honest with yourself—when was the last time you took a real break? Not an evening off, or a weekend where you did some fun activities but still checked your emails. A real, intentional, rejuvenating break.
Trust me, I know how hard it can be to fully switch off when there are just so many things calling for our attention. But if we can give ourselves the grace of one day, one weekend, one week of truly disconnecting and focusing on rest, we’ll finally be refilling a cup that probably hasn’t been full for a while. Even though we might battle feelings of guilt, this kind of rest is truly one of the best things we can do for our health and for our careers.
Start planning your staycation
So, have I convinced you? Great! Here are some of my top tips for planning a staycation that rivals all the beach breaks your friends have been posting on Instagram (almost).
Set an intention
What do you really want and need from this break? Is it full on, uninterrupted rest? Or maybe you need some adventure? Do you need to reconnect with friends? Or perhaps you want to get active? Setting an intention will help you plan a staycation that you’ll truly be excited for!
Get the family involved…or not!
If you have a partner and/or kids, you need to decide whether they’re part of your staycation, or part of the support team that’ll help you make it happen. If you need solo time, your partner can help by taking care of all household and childcare responsibilities for the week. If you want some romantic time for you and your significant other, you’ll need to make arrangements for childcare. If this is a full family affair, make sure you plan things in advance in order to limit your care-related workload during the staycation—for example, researching kids clubs and activities or pre-planning meals.
Set a budget
Just because you’re not traveling abroad, doesn’t mean you don’t need to set a budget. Doing this will also allow you to spend more freely during your staycation because you’ve already budgeted and set aside the amount of money you need.
Invite friends
A solo staycation might be exactly what you need. But if you’d rather make it a group trip, get your friends involved! I’m sure they need a break just as much as you do and will be grateful for the push.
You’re all set!
With these tips, you can get started planning the holiday of your dreams without the stress of flying, travel insurance or learning a new language. Whether this staycation is one day or longer, I hope it provides you the rest, excitement and joy that you deserve.
Your turn
Have you taken a staycation before? What will you do on your next one? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!
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