A “staycation” is officially defined (by yours truly) as a vacation at home, within a country, island, state, or city. It usually involves a quick drive–which is about 30 minutes to a few hours–and very rarely involves a plane, unless you live in a place that is large enough that it requires air travel to get around. 

It is staying in your residential vicinity while taking time off from work to visit local attractions and restaurants, and participate in leisure activities that can act as a “mental maneuver” to convince individuals that they are on an actual vacation. 

The concept of “staycation” has started to gain popularity around the world and people are beginning to hear it come up more and more these days, as individuals and families look for alternatives to air-traveling. 

“I choose to staycation because I enjoy being able to do things together as a group with friends and family,” said Lynn Galang, an Integrative Biology major at the University of Guam. “Not everyone has the luxury of being able to go off-island.”

If done right, a staycation can be really exciting and the perfect temporary solution for satisfying the desire to travel.

But not everyone prefers vacations over “staycations”. Take Britney Sison for instance, a Chemistry-Biology major at the University of Guam.

“I like staycations because I can focus on my mental and emotional health and work on all the things that I have been wanting to do. With vacation elsewhere, I am too preoccupied to explore all of the places and stress about how to get to those places and budget,” said Sison.

Staycations are incredible and can be ideal for those that are ready for a change of pace and need an escape from their real lives, want to go on vacation but do not want to blow their budget, and/or need to fully unwind, disconnect, and relax.

“Some of my favorite staycation activities include going to the beach, swimming, fishing, strolling around the island, binge watching television series, and sleeping,” stated Rita Taitague, a Nursing major at the University of Guam.

I hope this inspires individuals to get up off their feet, get out of their normal routines, take advantage of the amazing places around them, and to explore in spite of what might seem like a limited ability to travel. Still, there is so much to see, take in and experience!