Relaxing looking, isn't it?

Ahh summer time is almost here and it's prime time to go on vacation.  With the rising costs of everything from plane tickets to food it may not be in your budget to take a traditional  vacation this year. How about a staycation this summer?

A staycation is a frugal alternative to the standard vacation.  Staycations are great for those who are short on cash or time but still desire a break from the norm.  Those with small children staying at home can elevate some of the stress that comes along with travel.  For a great introduction to taking a staycation, take a look at this interview featuring Matt Wixon the author of The Great American Staycation.

Camping, going to a sports game, visiting  historical sites are just a few ideas of things to do on your staycation. SuperEco has a great list of staycation ideas to help get your planning started.  To fully enjoy your time off here are a few suggestions.

• Plan a start and end date.   Just like a "real" vacation your stayaction should have a start date and end date.  If you don't do this you may run the risk of sitting on the couch watching Yo Gabba Gabba and All My Children while you shove ice cream in your mouth then BAM your back to the real world!
• Fill your day with activities.  Plan each day of fun activities so you don't end up staying home all day figuring out what to do.
• Make sure your ready to "leave".  You know all the stuff you would do before a normal vacation? Well do it now too.  Do all of your normal chores such as grocery shopping, bills, laundry etc. prior to going on your staycation.
• Do NOT do your chores. You do them before your time off.  If you have a partner or children that you'll be spending your time with make sure they don't do their chores either.  Have them help you get ready to "leave" prior to your staycation so all of you can enjoy some quality time together.

For parents, making sure your kids are having fun is a big deal and it can be hard to ensure that all the activities on a "regular" vacation can be hard.  My mom said she didn't have enough patience (love you mom) to plan a traditional vacation plus get the four of us kids ready so she introduced us to the staycation before it was cool.  She sat all of us down at once and asked what we would like to do on our vacation then she would plan activities off what we suggested.

Amusement parks,  plays, beach trips and  museums  were places we always asked to go.  Since those trips could add up, my mom would always go to the local recreation department to see if there were any discounts she could take advantage of to ensure we'd get to have some fun and save money.  Smart Money has a great article on to enjoy amusement parks on the cheap.  Trekaroo is a website dedicated to family travel that may help during your planning.

Hopefully some of these ideas will help you plan you summer staycation.  Whatever you end up doing or go during this summer have fun!!

Image thanks to RichardO