Travel is a hobby I’d rather not give up. Entering other worlds expands horizons in an automatic, exponential way. Each trip enriches the soul as it empties the pocket.
When the financial crisis beat our retirement savings to a pulp, we began to realize how great we have it right at home. Our house, our neighborhood, and our environment beg for exploration. While sifting through old boxes in the basement is no substitute for digging your toes in the sand, I would argue there are worlds to be discovered at your very doorstep.
Staycations, the marvelous hybrid of staying at home while on vacation, are a delightful way to steep your thoughts in gratitude and delight from the comfort of your own backyard. You save yourself the headache of packing light (or not), ziplocking liquids into acceptable amounts, and scrambling to make certain your paperwork is in order (I once forgot the tickets for an international flight, the replacement of which cost me more than a night’s stay at the Marriott).
We recently had a variety of visitors in our home for almost a month. We never realized that the world’s oldest brewery was merely a stone’s throw from my husband’s workplace. We hopped ferry boats, trains, and busses to odd destinations less than an hour away. All the while we viewed our own area with a visitor’s eye, enjoying the unexpected moment of discovery.
The speed of our travel has also decreased. After a marathon month of airplane rides and multiple state visits several summers ago, we claimed we’d never travel that much on vacation again. After all, vacation is about relaxation and time for reflection, not increasing the pace of things. We are embracing the power of slow vacation time regardless of where we spend it.
