With high gas prices and wallets tight, some families are opting to vacation at home to make the most of their budget.
Airfare remains expensive, and while taking the car instead will save money, gas isn’t cheap. Hotels are pricey, eating out for a week costs more than a month of groceries and tourist attractions like theme parks can put a dent in the wallet. Instead, many savvy families are choosing a staycation to save money, or to put the money they do spend toward something of more lasting value.
For less than the price of a typical vacation, many families are finding that they can have more fun being at or near home, turning their backyard and local area into a vacation destination of its own, full of exciting, memorable things to do.
Here are just a few to get your creative juices flowing:
Plan a camping trip in the backyard? Set up the tent, roll out the sleeping bags, fire up the grill and spend a few nights roughing it. Make the house off-limits except for absolute essentials — showers not included. Grab a pile of the biggest, juiciest steaks, chicken or veggie burgers you can find and create a feast. Mix up an awesome fruit salad and roast sweet corn, too. Let everyone choose their favorite menu items, and enjoy it all knowing you’re spending less than half of what you would on a restaurant meal for the family.
Toast marshmallows, play flashlight tag and borrow a friend’s telescope for some midnight star gazing. During the day, head to a museum or the local cinema for a matinee, and hit the ice cream place on the way home. Add in volleyball, a portable fire pit, more marshmallows and lots of stories to share. You’ll be making memories every moment.
For many families, the centerpiece of the vacation in the backyard is the addition of a new above ground pool. Think a good model will blow the staycation budget? Think again. Above ground pools cost a fraction of the price of in-ground pools. Even with the cost of pool chemicals, pool cleaners and pool liners, the cost can be significantly lower than that annual family vacation. Plus, you can enjoy your pool every day.
In fact, it’s not unrealistic to think that for the price you used to spend on fancy family vacations, you can install a high quality above ground pool. And consider what you get. Not just a week of fun, but a whole season of it.
And when the backyard vacation is over, the pool is still there to enjoy. Its inviting waters will deliver a cool finish to an afternoon of hot yard work, an eye-opening morning splash before heading to work or a romantic late-night dip.
Rethinking the family vacation and planning a staycation to break in the new above ground pool is the choice that many families will make this year, maximizing both their budget and their fun.
