You'll want to be a tourist for this vacation to work, be fulfilling
Vanessa Gordon lives in the Hamptons year-round, but she loves getting to experience her neck of the woods best when the summer crowds have cleared out.
Gordon, an event planner and publisher of East End Taste, said checking into a local boutique hotel for a night or two in the off-season is a great way to unwind and get to know her hometown even better.
"It’s definitely less stressful," she told USA TODAY. "You’re subtracting a lot of the what ifs, you know the place. You know the location, you know where to park, you know the ins and outs."
Of course, the Hamptons aren't the only place a person could take a staycation. What started as a marketing term, travel experts said, is now becoming an increasingly common practice for people looking for a quick and cost-effective way to unplug for a bit.
"Staycations are great and one of the reasons that I like them so much is it’s reduced stress, you don’t have to deal with travel expenses like flights," Brandon Berkson, CEO of Hotels Above Par, told USA TODAY.
Nevertheless, there are still things to consider if you're planning a staycation. Here are three tips to make sure you're getting what you want out of your next local retreat.
1. Setting your intentions
Elaina Vieira, a travel agent and coach at Mind Over Matter Travel, told USA TODAY that the first step to taking a staycation is figuring out what you want to get out of it.
"A big part of it is around mindset, and that’s something that I heavily focus on," she said. "It boils down to the goals, and from there, we can determine if a staycation can meet their needs."
Before you can start making any plans, you need to choose, for example, if you want to use the time to unwind and unplug, or party and try new experiences.
Berkson said feeling out your vibe is key to picking where you want to be based for your escape.
2. How to plan a staycation
For those who live in bigger cities, regular travel guides can be helpful, but if few resources like that are available, you can rely on your community as well.
"I’d recommend turning to friends and family or posting to social media," Vieira said. “It’s a matter of realizing there are things to explore, and because you’re so used to the area, you don’t really notice that in your day-to-day life. It becomes more apparent when you’re treating it like a vacation.”
Berkson agreed that staycations can be a great way to get to know the hidden gems of your area.
"The beauty of a staycation is that spontaneity is so accessible," he said. "Go to a place within your city that you might not be as familiar with."
He added that it's a good idea to find places to stay or visit that offer the amenities you're looking for.
“Definitely the main things from the beginning are amenities. It is so cold out right now, I want to be somewhere that I can be in a hot tub or have a hot stone treatment," he said.
3. Tips for unplugging
For Gordon, the best part of a staycation is being able to maximize your time away.
"I actually won’t bring my car. I’ll have a friend drop me off, or I’ll get an Uber. It just really plants me there, so I’m not tempted to go home," she said. "You show up as early as possible, and you leave as late as possible."
For Vieira, the key to a good staycation is remembering it's still a getaway, even if you haven't gone too far.
"How they would approach a normal vacation?" she said. "There’s no reason to approach it differently in your hometown."
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Get tourist goggles: How to plan the perfect staycation
