Indeed, we are approaching ‘summertime’ and that normally means a lot of school children will be home for the long vacation. The long vacation is an opportunity for family bonding however, it comes with the challenge of keeping children busy.
Effects of the lockdown restrictions introduced in early 2020 have continued to put paid to vacation plans by many families at risk.
Even with the easing of lockdown restrictions in 2021 and the availability of vaccines, the world is still yet to adjust back to having full-fledged family vacations especially with air travel still requiring COVID 19 negative results to board.
Genuity is making staycations popular as more people opt for local vacations. A staycation is when someone chooses to stay in his/her home country rather than going abroad and chooses to visit places of interest locally. Staycations are usually a more affordable way of exploring and taking a vacation. Another benefit of a staycation or any vacation for that matter, is that you take a break and relax. By taking a staycation, you will be contributing to the economy of your country as what you would have spent abroad is put to constructive use in your locality.
The most common reason for taking a staycation, aside from the COVID 19 pandemic as earlier mentioned, is affordability. Vacations can be expensive and living paycheck-to-paycheck doesn’t make it easy to take one. Taking a Staycations gives us the opportunity to visit local places of interest like museums, cultural centres, parks and gardens, shopping malls/ markets, and resorts.
In preparing for your staycation, look at putting where you ‘stay’ in a vacation mode.
First, open all blinds and windows- let the sun in. It is amazing how sunshine can brighten things up.
Turn up some tunes or put on your favorite music and have a blast.
Wear ‘vacation’ clothes; casual clothes to indoor robes, kaftans, shorts, t-shirts, even flip flops. Get the children busy and fully occupied mentally & physically.
Staycations: where do we go & what do we do?
The golden rule of where to go, is to go where you have never been to or don’t usually go to. If you are still looking for ideas, try these:
- Head to a spa, massage parlor, or salon and spend the whole day there.
- Have breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner at a restaurant you had always wanted to visit.
- Grab your phone (make sure it has a good camera) and do a photography tour in your neighborhood, city, town, or state.
- You can consider checking into a fancy hotel and staying for a night or two to pamper yourself.
- Take a day trip if you live near an exotic location or recreational centre.
- Don’t drive, rather take a taxi or even the train (now more available).
- Play some board games, monopoly, chess or snakes & ladders are good options, relax and have fun.
- Try playing video games with the family and learn new games from the children.
- Binge-watch TV series or movie set with your favourite snacks and refreshments.
- Look out for events or activities in the area that you can attend or participate in.
- Explore, explore, explore! There must be one or two spots in your area/city that had caught your fancy but you haven’t had time to check them out.
- Make a list and GO!
Wherever you decide to go, and whatever you decide to do, make sure you take along your FirstBank debit or credit cards, in case you need to withdraw cash or need to make some online or digital payments. Avoid the need to carry large sums of cash with you. With over 127 years of banking pedigree, FirstBank offers you the privilege of payment with ease and confidence. This is second to none in Nigeria!
Image Source: SHUTTERSTOCK
