Houston, TX.
Sometimes I think people get caught up in traveling being “away” in the sense that you have to travel state lines, get in a vehicle of some sort, or stamp your passport. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of these things. There is no greater feeling to me than putting distance between myself and my apartment and school. They are my favorite. But sometimes we cannot go far. Budgets, schedules, and resources can get in the way of that. Does that mean that you don’t get to travel or seek a respite from your day to day life? Of course not. Enter staycations.
This particular story starts with a trip to Florida, rather, a failed attempt to get to Florida. I was supposed to be traveling home to Florida to visit my mom and bestie, and meet my fresh new godson. There was a bit of a foil though. My mother got called out of town a week before I was supposed to leave. So the plans changed but what was most important outside of seeing my little peanut, was that I was going home to my childhood house to get some fresh (and familiar air). This was going to give me a chance to recharge and get some uninterrupted work done. I was so ready for that. I had even talked my other BFF into driving down for a bit of a respite from her life too. It was going to be a silence and wine filled good time. But the weather decided to act a plumb fool and a deluge (that I had to drive in mind you with no AC in my vehicle) grounded my plane until the next day.
After deciding to forgo my trip home altogether I decided that I still needed at least a day to myself out of the house to recharge. So I hopped on Air BnB and found a cute little apartment in Montrose for an overnight. It was in a part of down that was idyllic and a bit artsy, had museums and coffee shops within walking distance, and to my joy, and cool backyard for me to create content for a campaign that I was doing.
I ended up not doing much work or leaving but I got some rest and binged watched teen romances with my sister friend. I got up before check out and took pictures in the back yard and left feeling a little bit more charged. And I only drove about 20 minutes from my house. So here are a few tips for planning a staycation and a little bucket list for you to try!
1.) Scope out new areas: Is there a part of town that you love? Stay for a couple of days there. Going to a different part of your city will make you feel like you are in a totally new place. Bonus points if it is somewhere that you have never been.
2.) Posh or homey: You have so many options. If you want to feel fancy and like you are on an upscale vacation. Check Groupon or hotels.com to see if you can snag a super nice hotel. You can also do an apartment or flat if you want the neighborhood feel. The city is open to you
3.) Play the tourist: See what your city has to offer as far as attractions that you’ve never been to. Do something cheesy and whimsical. Go to a cool restaurant that has dope reviews or find a whole in the wall to eat at. Treat your city the way you would a city you have never been to.
Staycation Bucket List:
- Stay in a different neighborhood.
- Choose a neighborhood 30 minutes to an hour from your house.
- Find a restaurant that has amazing reviews to try.
- Eat at a local hole in the wall in the neighborhood you choose to stay in
- Do it for the ‘gram. Take pictures of your adventures.
- Find 2 free activities to do
- See what Groupon has to offer as far as things to do
- Stay in a swanky hotel you got on discount!
Shardé Searches 