The Warm Weather Staycation – Frugal Activities to Have Fun and Keep You Entertained

If you’re like me, then you plan all of the vacation days that you will be taking off from work for the calendar year as soon as the New Year begins! Nothing beats the feeling you get when you know you have vacation time scheduled from work that’s coming up very soon. Like a kid during the last week of school before the summer break, you impatiently start getting into “countdown mode”. However, as exciting as it is to have a break in your regular work routine, vacations can really drain your wallet. From airfare, to hotels, to rental cars, vacations can become very expensive. Enter the staycation! A staycation is a vacation you take locally without going abroad. So this can mean you stay within your country, province/state, or city. The most frugal staycations, like the ones that I usually take, are those taken within your city, that way your own home is your accommodations, rather than a hotel. There are many frugal activities you can do while on a staycation in your city. If you have a week off from work, here are a few recommendations of activities to enjoy.

Take in a street festival.

In the summer, particularly in large metropolitan areas, there are always a plethora of street festivals. There’s a street festival that appeals to various interests, from food, to arts and culture, to family and kids-oriented. Money-saving tip: Set a budget of how much you want to spend at an outdoor festival. There will be many vendors to choose from. Take a look at all vendors and what they’re offering first, rather than spend money at the first vendor you come across. Vendors selling similar items might have different prices, so take the time to browse for the lowest price.

Go to the Beach.

Pack up your swim wear, sunglasses, sunscreen, and reading material and hit up your local beach. It may not be the beaches of the Caribbean with their unparalleled beauty (unless you actually live in the Caribbean right now, in which case, lucky you!), but there are many great local beaches where you can spend an afternoon playing beach volleyball, or just lounging on your beach towel and living a life of leisure for a few hours. Money-saving tip: Bring your own food to the beach in a cooler, rather than buy food at a nearby food cart.