Vacation or Staycation?

Without a doubt, having time away from everyday life is considered by many a necessity. To rejuvenate my spirit, I think it is essential to get away from those things that drain my energy, leaving me exhausted and many times uninspired.

I have been fortunate in my life; generous family members who had vacation homes in nearby Big Bear oftentimes offered the keys to their place for a weekend away. Especially when Steve and I were low on funds we would take advantage of this generosity and I found it reinvigorating.

Some years ago (nearly 20 by my recollection) my best friend Amy and I discovered the nirvana that is Cambria. A quiet lifestyle, art galleries, wineries and restaurants serving delicious fare enticed us to come visit whenever we had the money saved for a hotel room. Just my luck, some good friends purchased a vacation home in Cambria and often gave us the keys for a stay north. Sadly they have since sold their vacation home, and Amy and I are relegated to saving our pennies again to travel to our slice of heaven.

During the Great Recession when money was tight, I remember hearing a lot about “staycations,” unplugging from the worries of everyday life and vacationing at home. The pros of this are obvious: it is a lot cheaper to stay in your own house rather than paying to rent a hotel room. You can cook rather than eat every meal out. And living in Southern California, there are plenty of things to do and see – many are popular tourist attractions that residents don’t take the time to see. I for one have never visited Ripley’s Believe It or Not on Hollywood Boulevard. Kitschy? Without a doubt, but it can be fun nonetheless.

But to stay home under the guise of vacationing requires discipline. Perhaps it’s only me, but when I’m at home I can’t help but see walls that need painting, a lawn that needs mowing and furniture that needs dusting. To be a true staycation, these things have to be overlooked in order to unplug and relax.

Another option – one that our family took part in this past weekend – is a sort of compromise. We headed to Pismo Beach and rented two Luv 2 Camp trailers that were brought surfside for us to use. Outfitted with a bathroom, bedrooms, kitchen table, fabric seating and a refrigerator, the Luv 2 Camp experience is a far cry from traditional camping. But we still cooked our own meals and cleaned up after ourselves. Being on the beach in a camper gave us a chance to unplug from work while providing fun times in the sand for my granddaughter. It was an experience that I hope none of us will ever forget and always cherish.

  robin goldsworthy