Great Tips/Ideas for Spending Your Vacation at Home

In one of the funniest episodes of the sitcom, Different World, Dwayne Wayne tells a fellow professor that he and his wife Whitley are taking an “imaginary” vacation. They have several brochures and are going to visit a new place every week.

With gas prices rising as they are, and terrorism continuously being a concern, many are opting to bypass their vacations. Are you one of those people? Well, just maybe you can still have that vacation and not even leave home. No, I’m not talking about Dwayne Wayne’s “imaginary vacation”, but I’m speaking of having a wonderful family vacation right at home. Take a week or two and put together an “at home” vacation plan. Here are some ideas to consider -

Look into special concerts/events taking place in your community. For example, is there a festival going on anytime this summer or fall? If so, you might want to schedule your vacation around that festival. I can’t tell you how many festivals go on in my community that I’ve never once attended. 

Explore local tourist sites. How many of us have even bothered to visit our local art museum or historical site(s) in our home town? If you were going out of town, you might very well put the museum on your activity list so why not visit it at home? 

How about a day of shopping? Take a day to visit those small little quaint boutiques and shops that you’ve never had a chance to see. Be sure to stop for lunch. Choose a local café or someplace you’ve never tried before. After all, that’s what you’d do on vacation - right? 

What about a spa day? Do you have a local spa in town? Take the day to get a massage, manicure and/or pedicure. Then pamper yourself with a nice lunch at a posh hotel, or have lunch at the spa (if available).