With the costs of air travel skyrocketing over the past few years, more and more families have been embracing ‘staycations’ as a hassle-free alternative to international getaways. But the benefits of staycations aren’t just limited to saving you from both funds and headaches. Holidaying as a local provides you with the unique opportunity to see your city in a whole new light, which could potentially lead to you falling in love with your hometown all over again! Here are just a few small ways you can let yourself feel like a tourist in your own city.
Spend a weekend in town
If you come from a big city like Melbourne but have spent your whole life living in the suburbs, you should definitely consider finding yourself a room in the heart of the CBD. With Melbourne’s abundance of serviced apartments, it’s becoming easier and easier to book yourself some comfy accommodation without breaking the bank. Not to mention that serviced apartments usually come equipped with an ideal amount of kitchen and bathroom facilities, so you won’t need to make do with the frustrating minimalism of hotel rooms. Just having the option to cook your own meals or have a bath when you’re on holiday can be surprisingly liberating.
Go where the tourists go
All cities have popular tourist destinations, but if you’re living and working in a city, chances are high that you’ve never really had the time to properly explore these attractions. Your staycation is the time to let yourself be fully immersed in these experiences. Depending on how much time you’ve allocated for your getaway, you may want to leave whole days in your itinerary for attractions like galleries, museums, and your local zoo, just so you’re not rushing yourself. When you’re planning your staycation, it’s best to keep it light and breezy. Think of all the time you’re saving on travel and allow yourself to redistribute that saved time towards the only things that really matter when you’re on holiday: rest, relaxation, and truly living in the moment.
Treat yourself to a fancy night
Every single one of us has our share of local haunts and weekly traditions. On your staycation, you have the option to break your patterns and interact with your locale in new and exciting ways. Whatever those ways may be is entirely up to you. Your decisions could be based on a determination to build new habits, or you can simply just ‘treat yourself’ to a night or two of activities that you’ve always wanted to do but have never had the time to. There might be an upscale restaurant you’ve been dying to try or a club that’s always been a bit too far away for you to frequent it from your home in the suburbs. Well now is the time to have that perfect night out! Just be sure to book in advance if you’ve got your eye on a high-profile place for dinner.
Finally, seeing your city from a new light can sometimes mean seeing it from new angles, and new heights! This could mean anything from going on a hiking trail that ends on a scenic cliffside, riding in a hot air balloon at the break of dawn, or even watching the sunset over the city you know and love from the roof of a skyscraper. Look down at the hustle and bustle and let yourself feel simultaneously removed and present. Let yourself realise how lucky you are to be able to call this beautiful place home. Let yourself feel the peace that is just being here. And then remember that feeling on your next Monday morning commute.
