Wikipedia defines stay-cation as,
“A stay-cation (also spelled stay-cation, stacation, or staykation) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Stay-cations have achieved high popularity in the US during the financial crisis of 2007–2010 in which unemployment levels and gas prices were high. Staycations also became a popular phenomenon in the UK in 2009 as a weak pound made overseas holidays significantly more expensive. The term was added to the 2009 version of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
Common activities of a stay-cation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation.”
The 2007-2009 financial crisis has left many scars for all. We have learned that home appreciation is wonderful but if we treat our home like an ATM machine the concept of the American Dream can become a nightmare. There is always a lesson to be learned otherwise the pain and suffering that most of us sustained will go to waste. One of the best things that I learned was to embrace the concept of “Stay-cation”. Of course one could pick Hawaii, Tahiti, Australia, or any other exotic place around the globe. Having grown up in Lima Peru, a place near and dear to my heart, it is still considered a third world country. Social problems made my upbringing extremely interesting to say the least. The US has been my home since 1980.
Last Saturday, on a moments notice, my wife and 2 boys threw the surfboards and boogie boards on the car rack, packed a light lunch and off we went to the beach. San Diego allows you to do these kind of things all the time. After catching a few waves I decided to sit on the sand next to my wife and watch the kids enjoy themselves. As my eyes turned to the ocean, just like magic, a group of dolphins jumped just behind the white waters. It took a while absorb it all but it was by all means an awesome moment. I don’t know how much other people would have to pay to capture that moment. But for us it was 100% free. The entire experience was priceless.
Fast forward to Mother’s day Sunday night. I was thrilled to have a feed of the Yankee-Boston baseball game. I am a big Yankee fan and it was a bit sad to see my Yankees lose although they took 2 out of the 3 games. I am only bringing this up because as I was watching the games in shorts, T-shirt and sandals the crowd at Fenway Park was bundled up pretty good in a 40 degree May evening. As much as I miss Yankee Stadium, and I have not been to the new one yet, I will take my boring 72 degrees throughout the year.
I think my vote is pretty clear. San Diego wins hands down. If you love the outdoors are thinking about moving to vacation land there is no time like the present to make the move. After all, real estate prices and interest rates may never be as favorable as they are right now.