Additional menu

Finance Superhero

Make More Money, Crush Debt, and Save Money

The Staycation: A Cure For Burnout

posted on

This post may contain affiliate links. FinanceSuperhero only recommends products we know and trust ourselves.

Liked this? Share it!

One month ago, Mrs. Superhero and I were about to embark on a vacation to Nashville, Tennessee. We had our hotel room booked, dinner reservations were made, and our itinerary was packed, with plans to visit the Parthenon, the Grand Ole Opry, and check out the local music scene. When we received word that one of our preferred dog breeders had puppies available, we scrapped the vacation plans in order to stay home with the newest addition to our family.

Our Easter surprise
Our Easter surprise

Give us some credit! At least we tried to take a vacation.

According to Kelly Phillips Erb at Forbes, most Americans utilize only half of their allocated annual vacation time, while seventeen percent (!) use no vacation time at all. This shouldn’t be too surprising. Erb cites a 2013 American Express press release figure stating that the average American vacation costs $1,145 per person, or an astounding $4,580 for a family of four. What was once a summer tradition for nearly all families in previous generations has become an impossibility for many families today.

While our planned vacation would not have cost anywhere near these figures, it would have represented a significant cost. At the top of the list of projected costs, of course, were hotel fees, fuel, and meals.

And while we would have been fortunate to avoid the high costs of flight tickets, Disney World passes, and the uncertainty and stress of international travel, our vacation would have been a busy one. Truth be told, I was exhausted prior to the vacation and was already looking forward to my vacation from the vacation.

Why Americans Overspend on Vacation

Based upon the aforementioned average vacation costs, there is little doubt that the average family is spending obscene percentages -around 10 percent- of their annual income on vacations.  While the reasons for this are varied and plentiful, the opportunity cost is devastating. And the average family does not even realize it.

Imagine spending $2,000 per year on vacation and saving the remaining $2,580 each year for 10 years. I think I could live with that scenario. Factor in compound interest, if you were to invest that money each year. I hope I have your attention.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses . . .

Over the years, I have most often heard the following rationales excuses for overspending on extravagant vacations:

But my kids deserve a vacation!

I will not debate the fact that your kids likely want to go on a vacation. Whether they deserve one is not my place to determine. However, I can determine this with certainty: Your kids want quality experiences and your undivided attention, neither of which cost $4,580.

My greatest memories of childhood vacations involved inexpensive vacations. My family always had fun staying in average hotels, eating in local diners and mom-and-pop restaurants, and partaking in reasonably-priced attractions.

Years later, your kids won’t remember the vacation more fondly because of the money you spent. They’ll remember the time you spent together!

Everyone else has been to ________.

The Keeping Up With The Joneses mentality is nearly as powerful as the kids-related guilt trip, by my observations. The problem? Keeping up with the Joneses is one of the most anti-Superhero moves you can make. The Jones financed their $4,580 vacation on their American Express card at 25.99% interest. It is OK, they insist, because the monthly payment is “manageable.” The Joneses probably lease a vehicle or two, as well. Don’t even think about following the Joneses. They’re likely broke.

The Solution

When planning a vacation, Mrs. Superhero and I have very different ideals. She would be happy to be parked on the beach for 16 hours per day, while to me, this sounds a lot like a scene from Dante’s Inferno. I am good for a couple hours at the beach, but afterwards, I suffer from insatiable wanderlust. I long to see and do everything a locale has to offer. Yes, the Superhero Principle of Maximization has even followed me into the realms of vacationing. I am sure Mrs. Superhero and I are not the only couple to experience this kind of disagreement.

Despite our differences, Mrs. Superhero and I always have fun on vacation. We both understand that everyone needs to recharge from time to time. Most employers today provide vacation time in order to ensure that their employees avoid burnout and remain productive in their roles. However, the type of vacation we have been reviewing thus far rarely offers the opportunity to recharge.

Ever feel like you need a vacation from your vacation when you return home? Bingo.

The Staycation

Based upon my most recent experience, I believe the staycation is the answer to all of our problems. Compared to a vacation, a staycation allows for several built-in savings:

  • No hotel fees ($100-300 per night, on average)
  • No rental car ($50 per day, on average)
  • No obligation to eat 2-3 restaurant meals per day ($10 per person per meal, on average)

With the realized savings (likely exceeding $1,000) associated with a staycation, you are presented with several opportunities:

  • Go out for one nice meal at a restaurant you would not normally visit
  • Complete a necessary home improvement project (Boost your home’s value by choosing an improvement with a high return on investment and increase your equity at the same time)
  • Get started on a side hustle
  • Visit friends and family
  • Actually rest!

My Staycation

The time away from work turned out to be the perfect cure for the burnout I had been experiencing. During our staycation, Mrs. Superhero and I reaped the benefits of several of the suggestions listed above. In addition to bringing home our new puppy, Coda, we were able to spend time with our newborn niece, experience quality time with my in-laws, host friends for dinner, and complete many items on our spring cleaning list. I took a nap every afternoon, read several quality books, and took Mrs. Superhero to a couple restaurants we had been waiting to visit.

Coda, our adorable teddy bear
Coda, our teddy bear

Perhaps most importantly, I launched FinanceSuperhero after several months of contemplation and poking and prodding from Mrs. Superhero. I had an incredible amount of fun and began work on a project that will hopefully help thousands (eventually) of people Restore Order to their World of Finance.

Further Benefits of the Staycation

Obviously, the opportunity for savings associated with a staycation are sizeable. Depending upon your circumstances, you might invest your realized savings, build your emergency fund, or use them to reduce or eliminate debt. You can be responsible while having fun!

Staycation Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

When planning a staycation, follow the Know Thyself Superhero Principle. You have inherent weaknesses which threaten to derail your staycation, and it is up to you to know yourself well enough to neutralize the threats posed by your weaknesses.

If you have a tendency to work too much, even when you are on vacation, take concrete action to prevent this. Unplug your devices, set an auto response to your e-mail, and let clients and associates know in advance that you will be unavailable for the duration of your staycation. Provide an alternate contact who can handle matters and contact you in case of emergency or crisis.

If you have are in the habit of wasting time off completely by mindlessly watching TV or sleeping in until noon, you need to anticipate these problems and build in structure to your staycation. While you need to rest, this should be planned to some extent. Develop a loose, non-restrictive itinerary with your spouse/family so everyone is in the same page. Base the itinerary on designated priorities for your staycation.

If you are likely to spend too much money, be certain that you create a line item for your staycation in your monthly budget. Most Superheros will create a separate budget. Yes, make a separate budget for your staycation, even if you do not plan to spend sizeable sums of money. Without hotel and travel costs, you should be able to afford a few luxuries, such as massages, nice dinners, or shopping trips; your budget will help you understand what opportunities are within your reach.

Plan Your Next Staycation

If the concept of a traditional vacation stresses you out, straps your cash, and leaves you feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation, a staycation may be right for you. A staycation allows for time to rest, revisit and reevaluate your goals, focus on helping others, and declutter your financial life, among the aforementioned possibilities. What are you waiting for?

Have you planned a recent staycation? How did you maximize the realized savings? What are your favorite staycation activities? Share your tips in the comments section.

Liked this? Share it!

Facebooktwitterrss

More From the Blog

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. When my husband and I were paying off our $120k combined student loan debt over 2.5 years, we took a fairly aggressive approach and staycations were the only way to do it. We live in Calgary Alberta where you are less than an hour away from the Rocky Mountains so we spent a lot of our time hiking, snow shoeing, and doing other outdoorsy stuff.
    This year though, now that we are debt free we are doing a 2 week road trip to parts of Western Canada, Seattle and Montana. It is a much needed vacation after 3 years of staying local.

    • That’s a great story, Pamela! It proves that it is possible to pay off large amounts of debt and still have some fun at the same time.

      Your planned vacation sounds awesome. I hope you will post about it when the time comes.

  2. We often will get invited to friends cabins for a long weekend which is the perfect cheap vacation! Free lodging and we pick up food to grill while we are there as a thank you.

    Whenever we do a true “staycation” we try to unplug like you mentioned in the post, log out of all our work accounts and chats.

    Pretty much all our extra income/savings is invested or put towards debt.

    My only other cheap vacation tip is a rewards credit card that gives extra points for travel. Of course you should pay it off every month.

    Cute dog!

    • New item added to my to-do list: find new friends who own cabins. 🙂

      The travel rewards credit card is a nice tip. We previously enrolled in Hilton Honors, but that is the only way our travels have rewarded us thus far.

  3. I actually struggle with the staycation in that both Ms. Financial Slacker and I work from home. Staying home for a vacation really does just feel like work for us. And it’s hard to force yourself to not work on things around the house.

    But luckily we have an alternative. My in-laws have a place in Florida. And I travel so much for work that we have enough airline points to cover the flights. So essentially, we can do the trip for almost no cost – it’s our version of a staycation, but we get the beach.

    • How cool to have such an inexpensive alternative to the staycation! I imagine you are able to take advantage and travel during off-peak times, too. The closest comparison we have available to us is visiting family in West Michigan. The opportunities for hiking, trail running, and enjoying Lake Michigan in the spring and summer months make the cold winters worth enduring.

      In fairness, I have to agree that I made the staycation sound much easier than it really is. It is extremely hard to unplug. Living in/near Chicago is our saving grace in that regard, as there is always something to do.

      • We are extremely fortunate to have access to the house. Many fond memories with the family there.

        It’s funny. After I read your post, I was speaking to Ms. Financial Slacker about it. I told her my response about having trouble with staycations. Her response was that she wouldn’t mind a staycation.

        When you work from home, you actually wind up working all the time. And as a result, you don’t do personal projects. Ms. FS said she would welcome an opportunity to be at home not working, focused on all those neglected projects.

        Might have a staycation in our future after all.

    • Thanks, Distilled Dollar. The new pup has been a great addition and a perfect companion for our 3 year-old dog.

  5. Nice article. I especially like the definition of what kids need! It is spot on. That is one of the reasons we do to yet travel very far. They basically do not care if the playground is in New York, Sydney or just in our local city. There are plenty experiences we can give them here in Belgium. The only exception we make for now is ski holiday… Rather hard to do so in Belgium

    • Thanks for stopping by, amber tree. Good for you for giving your kids great experiences, both local and abroad. I am sure they will cherish the memories and thank you for the experiences when they are older.

  6. We do staycation a lot of times in a year. 🙂

    But we do take vacation out of the state one or twice a year. Of course, the frugal person in me dictates to not do that because vacations equal to expenses. What I do instead is I find ways to get free money. We use our reward points or cash backs, do some side hustles, take surveys, among others. In addition, we take vacation when there are sales in airfare, bus, hotel, etc.

    Last year, we went to Las Vegas and we only spend $150 among the three of us (me, my wife, and my kid). This year, we are heading there too and we’ll spend $100 out of our pocket.

    • I need to learn your ways, Allan. I have a good buddy who is able to secure similar Vegas deals, and Mrs. Superhero and I have never been there, believe it or not. I think it might be our first semi-large vacation after we eliminate our non-mortgage debt in a couple months. I am working on improving my side hustles, but I have a lot to learn in the areas of rewards and cash back.

  7. Congrats on the latest addition to your family! Cheap vacations are a great way to save money especially if somebody has a house to use.

    I would argue though that exposing your children to different cultures is very important though. I would spend the money on those trips when they are older to appreciate it, personally. My thoughts may be skewed as I am international however haha.

    Nice article!

    • I agree with you, Millennial Budget. Much to the chagrin of Mrs. Superhero, I already have plans to take our future children to culturally-significant places, such as Washington D.C., Boston, and Gettysburg. Of course, we’ll also go to the fun places.

    • That sounds like a great use of your vacation time! Sometimes, I wish I had distant relatives to visit, but I can’t deny that it is pretty nice to have almost all of my family less than a 5 hour drive away.

      The downside is the feeling of compulsion to visit family every time a three day weekend or federal holiday pops up. At least you have that built-in protection due to distance!

  9. I love the idea of a staycation. I’ve done something similar, and would use my free days to go on hikes or rock climbing nearby. Sun is key to relieving stress and keeping the body healthy. With most of us working inside during sunlight hours, it keeps us away from getting the most basic necessity. Plus you save a lot of money. I also believe in traveling on a really strict budget by using sites like WorkAway or becoming an au pair (as I just did for the past few months). I was able to save a lot of money while experiencing the Italian culture. It was quite awesome!

  10. I am a big fan of the staycation. I find it provides me a good amount of rest and relaxation without the stress of actually going on vacation. When I do go on vacation, it is often to visit (and usually stay with) family. Since we are all spread across the country, It is generally more about us getting together than anything else.

    That being said, I am actually planning a fairly big vacation for next Spring. Before anyone offers a personal finance backlash, this will be the first big vacation I have taken in my ENTIRE adult life. Without giving all of the details away, let’s just say it has been noticeably over 10 years. It is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up and will have involved over a year of saving and planning before I go. I do look forward to this adventure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my next vacation after it will be a staycation instead.

    • Cathy, it sounds like you absolutely deserve a big vacation! After you’re finished, you’ll probably need a staycation to recover. 🙂

  11. We have a Teddy Bear as well! He just turned 4 yesterday actually!

    We are currently on a staycation right now that has unfortunately been highlighted by my first time getting sick in 2+ years. Oh well! We are still taking some time to relax and enjoy things at a slower pace. We were able to get our garden and flowers planted and hoping to hit up a local food truck rally so I can’t complain!

    • Aren’t teddy bears awesome? We have our newest little guy and his 3 year old big brother.

      Your staycation sounds awesome, minus being sick – a good mixture of activity and rest.

  14. Since my gig ended, but let me know that I will have steady work again soon, I’ve had an unintentional staycation. It’s been amazing. I’ve run errands. Helped friends. Visited babies. Worked on my blog. Worked at my LLC. Slept according to my body’s normal rhythms.

    There was already a short trip planned with my girlfriend. We’ll still be doing that. We blend our styles fairly well. I plan meticulously so that we know how to get all of the places we may want to go, but then we meander as we please. If we are distracted by a street musician or a butterfly, we’re delighted.

    • I’m jealous of your planned trip. Other than visiting some family two states away next weekend, we have nothing on the calendar. Unfortunately, this summer may be a bit too busy for a vacation!

  15. Great post!
    You are spot on when you say that kids want experiences.
    That’s a big focus that my wife and I have when planning not just holidays but also daily activities for the kids.
    It’s the old story that you can buy your child the most expensive item in the store and they will end up having more fun playing in the big box it came in!

    • Kids are so funny in that way, Ray Ray. While Mrs. Superhero and I don’t have kids of our own yet, we have seen that our dogs exhibit the behaviors you described when it comes to new and expensive toys.

  17. I like your ideas, but we’ve been struggling with finding any type of vacation that’s actually relaxing with 2 young kids. We’ve kind of just decided that for this stage in our lives, vacations are about experiences and creating memories.

    We have done 2 expensive family vacations and I don’t regret them at all. If we did a “big” vacation every 2 years from age 6-18, that’s only about 6 or 7 family vacations total. On the off years, we can do a pretty cheap trip to a cabin at a state park, where we can create plenty of local memories. As for the cost of those vacations… Well, those are the things I really care about. I’d much rather spend money on experiences with my kids than a new car or fancier house. I think budgeting is all about spending according to your own personal priorities. (Of course, we’re doing this with zero debt other than mortgage – I do not advocate expensive vacations if you have high-interest consumer debt).

    And true relaxing? We do that when the kids are gone to Grandma’s house for the weekend a couple times per year!

    Oh, and the puppy is adorable! I’d love to see an updated picture.

    • Everyone I know who has kids says the same thing, Cindy. My parents always remarked that they needed a vacation from the vacation when I was a kid!

      I think your family vacation plan is sensible. When you make vacations all about building memories and cherishing experiences as a family, the cost starts to become irrelevant.

      I have some plans for including pictures of the newest pup in an upcoming piece, so stay tuned! 🙂

  18. Love, love LOVE this article!

    I plan a staycation every year. I’m fortunate in that I live in Florida and April and October are pretty pleasant months to staycate. We rarely hit the major attractions or touristy areas, but there are some cute little downtowns within driving distance, and the beach is gorgeous and not blisteringly hot or crowded, and sleeping in is always sheer decadent joy, regardless of whether you’re paying $120 a night at a hotel or $0 a night at your own home.

    Getting out of the routine is the key. I also like your suggestions about some things you can do with your staycation. Congrats on the pup, too. What a cutie!

  19. Fun article. There is no place I feel more relaxed than at home, so I dig staycations. We can afford fancy vacations, but I hate the thought of coming home from them to be a slave at work again to pay for them. We continue to work hard and invest, so eventually when we do leave home, we never have to worry about coming back to work. Every few months we find ways to escape town on a budget and stay with people, so this lifestyle works for us right now. Looking forward to the day when we can rent out our house for a month and just Go!

  20. Wow, I think it’s a really smart idea to use the savings from a holiday overseas to do a starvation.

    The fact that you’ll get more money to spend on doing more activities and spending more money on yourself sounds fantastic. I guess I need to get out of the typical thinking that a proper holiday means going overseas.

shares