Staycations are Fun

Thanks to my friend Karen Dawkins for this guest post…she's my go-to source for budget travel tips!  If a staycation is on your summer to-do list, and you need ideas…read on!

 
 
Since I started my travel blog, I’ve been surprised by the number of people who find staycations boring. Perhaps it’s because the traditional definition of staycation is rather humdrum:

stay•ca•tion (noun). A vacation spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.

That sounds like a normal, everyday family outing to me, not vacation! And it’s not the way my family does staycation… not at all!

What if there was a different way to “do” staycations?

Prompted by my readers’ dissatisfaction with staycations as a means to save money, I developed a product line so others can enjoy great staycations like we do! The product line is called “Staycation in a Box.” Our mission is to provide you with enough activities, recipes, games and other ideas to easily enjoy a weeklong vacation at home.

What is a Staycation in a Box?
 
Each Staycation in a Box is developed around a theme (baseball, beach, Hawaii, rock star or space adventure).
Your staycation will truely feel like a vacation, and the word “boring” will not be uttered!

Boxes are filled with products to make taking a staycation easy and fun:

• Themed paper products mean mom won’t spend hours cleaning dishes,
• Themed decorations help create the vacation mood at home (just like decorating for the holidays makes home sparkle),
• Theme inspired recipes, most of which can be made ahead or cooked in a crock pot, help keep kitchen messes to a minimum so the parents can play too,
• A theme inspired list of activities, local attractions and restaurants, make every outing seem more vacation-like. There’s something fun about exploring one topic through a variety of experiences that makes it special.

Because we do all the research, including a long list of attractions and restaurants that fit the theme, staycation planning is quite easy! The hardest decision is choosing the staycation that fits your family best!

How does Staycation in a Box work?

When you order your box, we get right to work researching all the attractions and restaurants in your area that fit the theme you have chosen. For instance, I just completed a space adventure box for a family in Ohio. Researching space inspired activities, I discovered that Ohio has more astronauts than any other state. Ohio is home to 13 space/aeronautical museums and attractions. The state is also home to some “out of this world” restaurants! I grew up there and didn’t know much of what I learned doing the research for the Space Adventure box!

I’ll do the same for you — researching options in your area so your family can have the adventure of a lifetime, all in your own back yard (so to speak)!

When the box arrives, read the information we send along. You’ll get a staycation survival guide to help you prepare for your staycation experience. You’ll get a theme based booklet that includes how to decorate, recipes and theme inspired foods, game and activity ideas to do at home, party planning tips (throw a party during your staycation or save the booklet to use for a fabulous party in the future!), and the list of attractions and restaurants.

Narrow down the list of things you want to do and ENJOY your staycation!

How do I order my Staycation in a Box?

Order your Staycation in a Box at FamilyTravelsOnABudget.com. It takes about 3 days to complete the research for your area and 5-7 for shipping, so please order 2 weeks OR MORE before your planned staycation.

Even if you’re not planning to take a weeklong staycation this summer, consider ordering a box to turn weekends into fabulous family days! One box provides enough to do for a whole summer of fun!

Thanks! Happy summer!

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Karen Dawkins, travel writer for Family Travels on a Budget, has been featured in a number of print and online publications. She’s the go-to source for staycation planning and was recently interviewed by CUNY Economy blog for a feature piece on staycations in the United States. When she’s not traveling or staycation planning, she enjoys photography, playing board games with her family and reading.