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Holiday at Home - Making the most of whatever you have.

Wednesday 14 March 2012
Naomi on what was her holiday, but at my home.
So, everyone is broke. That's the general theme of the day. No one has any money. Everyone is working harder, for longer, for less. And we're all miserable.

Or are we all happier that we're getting back to basics, making our own bread and bustling together with our make-do-and-mend attitudes?

I can't remember. But I'm sure someone will tell me soon enough.

Either way, a holiday can fall to the bottom of a budget when pennies are tight. So what can you do when you look at your money and realise that you really can't afford to go anywhere? Well, you stay exactly where you are and have your holiday at home.

This isn't exactly a novel concept. The idea of the 'staycation' (and oh, how that word makes me shudder. I generally despise portmanteaus, unless I come up with them, in which case they are hilarious) has been around for a while. You stay at home and check out all the things locally you never have time to do.

However, for this to work, there need to be some strict rules in place.

The first thing you need to do is prepare your living space, to make it somewhere you want to stay. Clean. Change your bedding, and make your bed all fancy, like a hotel (I did try to find some videos on youtube for this, but I hardly think you're going to go and buy a million sheets to make this happen). Do this the night before your 'holiday', so you can wake up in a pleasant environment.

Secondly, you need to think about what makes a holiday for you. What do you like best about going away? What's the first thing you do in a new place? You're may have to adjust your expectations if, say, your favourite thing is hot weather and the first thing you do is jump in the sea. But I'm sure there is a pool near you. So take a dip there.

Thirdly, take the time to really see your hometown. If a friend was coming to stay, where would you recommend they go? What should they see? In most cases, these are the places we don't bother to go to ourselves. You may just be surprised.

Chances are, even if you live in a complete shit hole, someone has been there on a holiday before. If you live somewhere really Godawful, get on a bus and visit a nearby town that isn't so bad. If you're snorting at your screen right now, challenge me. Give me any location and I bet I can tell you something good about it. Go on, I dare you.

Really, it's all about a state of mind. That sense of relaxation that makes a holiday so great. So even if you only have a day to spare, turn it into a holiday. Eat in a different restaurant. Drink in a new bar. Stay in bed all day, reading the book that's been on your bedside table for a month. Decant all your booze into tiny Minibar sizes and charge yourself through the nose for them. Make a mountain of profiteroles and eat the whole damn lot of them.


Don't be fooled by that portion size - there were many more eaten that day.
And if all of that fails, take some hallucinogenics and wander the streets where you live. You'll see your hometown through a completely new set of eyes.


Disclaimer: Don't take hallucinogenics and wander the streets where you live.

1 comment

  1. Amazingly built and shown. Great information. I like the posts which rightly guide us when and where to travel. I will not leave this place now. Want to book such hotel, how to? Hope you will respond me soon. Thank you,,!!
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