Staycationing

Doug and I are a perfect pair when it comes to traveling. Neither of us really likes it.

If you're like every other person I've ever mentioned that to, you're sitting there thinking- yeah, but if money wasn't an option then you'd want to go all over the world right? Or, but if you had all the time in the world there's no way you'd just want to stay home. But really, it's just not super fun to either of us. The thought of leaving my life and perfectly balanced routine has always stressed me out- even as a little kid. Don't get me wrong, I think travel has a very important place in life- everyone should reach out to learn about other cultures and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love the fact that an airplane can get me to any of my sibling's states (because yes, we each have our own) in just a matter of hours. But travel and leisure are just not in the same category for me.

And that is why the day I read a magazine article about 'Staycationing' was a perfectly enlightening day for me. I've been wanting to plan a staycation ever since, and this past President's Day weekend was just the perfect time. (because whenever I get stressed out I have to give myself a project to escape to. And the week before Presidents Day weekend we were finding new renters for our apartment. The stress and the three day weekend lined up just right!)

So what exactly is a staycation? Well, ours was modeled off of a bed and breakfast. There was a delicious assortment of food waiting for us on our dining table (including homemade baguettes which I have to admit were really really good), the house was perfectly clean (there were even mints on the pillows), we had a full itinerary of classes to take (including a cooking class with Julia Child, chess class taught by the International Chess something or other and a couple other random How-To videos I found at the library. By the way, have you ever actually tried to cook along with a cooking show? It's kind of hard!) and showings of all our favorite movies.

The weekend turned out perfectly. I got to live out of my closet, not a suitcase. I didn't have to keep my toothbrush in a plastic bag. There were no moments all weekend where I sat and worried that our house had burned down, or flooded, or been robbed while we were gone. We didn't have to line up a cat sitter. But I did get to spend an entire, relaxing weekend with Doug. I'm pretty sure we'll be taking another 'staycation' soon.