Why Staycations Are the New Budget Vacation

The Irish novelist George Moore once wrote “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.”

The truth of this is often only revealed when we arrive at some longed-for holiday destination, our minds full of glossy brochure images of azure oceans lapping golden shores, only to be confronted by gray choppy seas pounding the rocks, an outdated, noisy hotel room and some unrecognizable foreign fare on our dinner plate.

Such disappointments are supposedly at the root of one of the most irritating words to have surfaced in recent years:  Staycation.  Yes, yes, we get it.  A vacation where, instead of flying off somewhere exotic, one simply stays at home.

The Rising Cost of Leisure

However, I suspect that an annual assault by some alien tummy-bug is not enough to spur most people into abandoning their annual/ biannual/ tri (if on a large enough income) annual getaway.  With the global recession, soaring oil prices and the scarcity of jobs, the term “staycation” is far more likely to be a disguise for what used to be called “not being able to afford to go away on a trip.”

No doubt, staycationers proclaim their relief at not having to confront the modern-day torture chamber that is the airport check-in (to sample the delights of which one often has to arrive a good three hours before departure).  Many will boast smugly about reducing their carbon footprint and thereby saving the planet. 

Of course, they know in advance exactly what to expect in the way of scenery, food and accommodation.  So there’s no letdown when the luxurious hotel turns out to rub shoulders with an eight-lane highway or a 120-decibel building site.

Holidays at Home

Even under normal circumstances, Americans often go on vacation within the borders of their vast and varied country.  For them, the staycation simply means not exploring the further reaches of their homeland.  For Britons, it can mean staying within the boundaries of their small island – although, as the weather is likely to be as damp and dismal in the southwest as in the northeast, spending days visiting local attractions and nights in one’s own bed is often the preferred option.

There are dangers, however.  Staycationers can end up feeling unsatisfied and unrested if they give way to the temptation to incorporate household tasks and domestic projects into their home-based vacation.

Types of Staycation

As cynics observe in the online Urban Dictionary, two of the definitions of a staycation are “the equivalent of being unemployed for a week” and “a chance to sit around and look at all the reasons you wanted to get away in the first place.”

However, one of the worst outcomes of this cringe-worthy term is its inevitable spin-offs.  Daycation is an obvious one.  Then there’s Graycation, for all the oldies who aren’t off SKI-ing (Spending the Kids’ Inheritance).  Yes, I know that you know – just rubbing salt into the linguistic wound.  Of course the Staycation is the holiday of choice for those who have been subjected to a No-motion (a promotion with no pay raise).

However, the British alternatives lead one to feel that they thoroughly deserve all that the notorious British weather can throw at them.  They take a Holistay.  Or sometimes a Stoliday.

Compared to these atrocities, the word “Staycation” seems almost benign.