By Christen N. McCluney
September 13, 2011

Everyone can’t afford to get away for a vacation. Time constraints, budget issues or other life obligations may keep us from traveling the way that we want to, but a “staycation” is a great alternative to have a little break without going far from home.

When planning a staycation one of the first things to do is set your parameters and figure out what your budget is for the weekend and how far you want to travel (under 50 miles is usually a good distance). You can start looking on sites like travelzoo or even living social to see what types of deals are in your area. Many hotels offer great deals if you plan ahead and some even offer discounted rates for in-state residents.

If you decide to venture out plan your weekend like you are a tourist. In most places there are plenty of attractions and activities that often get overlooked because we are so set in routine. Tourism sites offer ideas on a multitude of attractions and activities that are right outside your door and many sites even have sections telling about free events going on.  Sites like zozi.com offer deals on local attractions and adventures that you may normally miss out on.

If you decide to stay at home and not go the hotel route make sure to treat it as a vacation. Don’t do laundry, pay bills or check up on email. Do something outside of your every day life like having a private film festival of all the movies you wanted to see in the theater or spend the day in bed with books and magazines or have a traveling spa come over and give you treatments.

Whatever you decide it’s easy to relax, relate and release without having to travel far or spend a lot of money.