No Need To Venture Deep Into The Woods! How To Have A Great Staycation | #CP

We are all feeling the pressure of limited finances, but at the same time, it would be good to give our kids the things in life that we think they deserve. Something like a holiday can seem few and far between, especially if you're struggling with debt, but when it comes to going on holiday nowadays, it seems that everywhere is expensive regardless of how far away or how close to home you are. And with this in mind, is there any way to have what they call a “staycation,” but also, have the benefit of something like a road trip, or at the very least a few days away from your home town?

Photo by Caleb Oquendo from Pexels

How Far Away Can You Go In A Day?
We have got to get out of the mindset of thinking that going on holidays are expensive, especially if we consider going on holiday to be heading to the airport, packing bags, getting on a plane and so forth. When it comes to holidays, a big day out could very well be as good, if not better, than a long trip away. Besides, when you go away and come home, you don't have all of those stresses involved with a typical family holiday, like getting to the airport on time. In fact, you can do it more to your speed. And also, it all depends on where you live. Because if you live in the North of England, Scotland is right there! Go on the Visiting Scotland website and see what things you can do in the course of a day, but also, make sure you get there and back. If you live somewhere like the South of England, or even South Wales, you could go to somewhere like Bristol or London, and spend a long day there. We've got to stop thinking about going to another country in order to have a proper holiday. Because you can get a lot more just by going to a big city nearby, but without all of the constraints associated with a typical holiday.

Finding The Right Budget And Sticking To It
We've all got the issue that our budget dictates what we can do. And while there are plenty of opportunities to find free things to do it can only take you so far. After all, do your children really want to go to a museum? Instead, think about crafting something according to your budget. This way, you are being more than realistic in terms of your adventures, but also you don't necessarily have to worry about getting out the credit card. Because if you look at the time of year, the weather is too terrible for a great day in the outdoors, so think about a faraway month like next April, when the weather is better, and going for a long weekend away. It gives you the opportunity to put a little bit of money aside each week, and it soon adds up over time. As well as this, look at what you can realistically afford. Because there are so many different aspects to a holiday that are incredibly expensive, we feel that we've got to spend more in order to have a good time. This really isn't the case. Be strict with your budget, and then look at the costs of things like days out in theme parks as well as looking at voucher websites, and then you can really start to think about a great day out with plenty to do, all within the budget.

Take The Opportunity To Visit Friends Or Family
But what if you want to go somewhere for longer than a weekend? While we could go somewhere and back over the course of the day, what about friends or family that live further afield? Taking the opportunity to visit them isn't just a great way to get out of the house and see someone, but you could very well get an Airbnb, meaning that you can stay under budget. Or, of course, you could stay with them. Sometimes it can be a little bit too much, especially for the family members you don't really like to see that often, but if you want the children to get more out of a different place, having a friend or family member take you around their hometown gives you a better chance of finding nicer places to eat and best kept secrets, rather than the tourist hotspots. Besides, if your children haven't seen that aunt in a long time, it gives you the opportunity to rest up a little bit more!

Get The Children To Decide Where To Go
This could very well result in a lot more money being spent, but if you want to have a good holiday, it may help for the children to decide where you’re going. It's always worth imposing a few rules. Especially if you're trying to keep yourself under budget, but remember, if your children want to go somewhere, perhaps everybody can get something out of this experience? But if you want to go to a theme park you could very well go there and back in the course of a day, you don't have to stay over, and save yourself petrol money but you can also do a packed lunch, and bring it all in under budget. We all know how expensive theme parks are now but this is why keeping your ear to the ground in terms of vouchers and deals are crucial. As well as this, getting your children to pick somewhere for next summer gives you the opportunity to save. As your children will decide to go somewhere that is beneficial to them, it's worth planning it as a family and working together. That way, you can all get something out of the holiday. Perhaps you don't want your children just to go and run riot in a different theme park, but you also need some time to yourself, but also think about somewhere that's beneficial for the younger children, or that even you and your partner can get some time to yourself.

Having a great staycation isn't just about staying in your hometown, you can go a little bit further afield, but you can still do it within a budget.

*This post was written in collaboration with a third party, the words expressed are my own"

Karl Young

Part-time daddy and lifestyle blogger. Father of 2 boys under 2. Golfer, scare-fan, tea-lover, traveller, squash and poker player. I write on the @HuffPostUK http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/karl-young/

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