How to Take a Staycation

Here’s an idea for escaping the daily grind without breaking the budget:

Take a staycation.

You’ve surely heard of a staycation: It’s a vacation (from work or whatever else keeps you busy) without traveling anywhere.

Sure, you could use your staycation to clean out your attic.

Or you could use it to become immobile on your couch and binge-watch a show.

But that’s not exactly memorable or restorative.

We have a better idea: Why not become a tourist in your own city?

If you’re like many people, you may love where you live, and yet take many of the city’s offerings for granted because you’re not a tourist.

Perhaps you seek out the sights when out-of-town guests come to visit, but still haven’t seen some of the main attractions.

To fully immerse yourself in your staycation, you have to step out of your routine. Get away from home without spending money on a flight or gas by booking a hotel that’s unique to your city (there’s nothing unique about staying at a chain hotel!). Check out TripAdvisor to get ideas for the top spots in town. Visit a restaurant, museum, or park that you’ve always wanted to experience but keep putting off because “I can go there any time.”

That time is now.

Relax. Restore. Develop a new appreciation for the place you call home. And, bonus: no airport security lines!

(Psst—stumped for activities in your city? We have plenty of ideas for must-visit spots in Saint Paul and Minneapolis!)