Staycations: Save Money and the Planet
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Nature Conservancy. All opinions are 100% mine.
Staycations: Save Money and the planet. That's my goal for next year.
By taking staycations, I can travel more.
Who doesn't want to travel more? Especially when you can travel well for less. Traveling more doesn't have to be expensive. Nor does it have to hurt the environment.
Unless you've met me in person you'd never know I live a pretty green life. Green in the sense of eco-friendly. And also green in the sense of I like my green dollar bills. 🙂
Some of my friends call me semi-crunchy because I'm not full on granola. You won't find me burning my bra. But I recycle, vermicompost, have rainwater barrels, and eat organic where possible.
So I was pretty excited to read the Everyday Sustainability Guide from The Nature Conservancy (TNC). It's a quick read with seven easy to apply tips to help the planet.
Pro-tip: These are simple things anyone can do when traveling or as part of your daily lifestyle.
My favorite is tip # 3 - choose vacations closer to home.
Staycations: Save Money and the Planet
The timing of TNC's guide couldn't be more perfect because lately, I've been taking a lot of staycations and nearcations.
A staycation is where you stay at home and be a tourist in your own city. While a nearcation is when you visit somewhere near your home. Although, both terms have become interchangeable.
Even though we only live 8 miles from the beach, we rarely go.
Yeah, I know, crazy.
Our out of state relatives say the same thing.
What's even funnier? When we travel we visit beach destinations!
LOL, yeah, I know pretty ironic.
Living in California, it's not that hard to vacation close to home. We've got the beach, the mountains, the desert, and wine country.
Pro-tip: California wine country isn't just Napa Valley. We have 12 wine country destinations.
I bet it's the same where you live. You might not have a beach. But you might be near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Antelope Canyon, or museums like the Smithsonian.
Save Money
One of the best things about staycations is that you can save money.
A staycation can be as long or short as you want, you have complete control.
1. Travel offseason or midweek
Staycations allow you to travel during the offseason or travel midweek.
Hotel prices drop during the offseason. As do some tours and activities.
You can save a pretty penny on things you've always wanted to do like whale watching or taking a Segway tour.
2. Find free things
Staycations give you more time to find free things to do. Free is one of my favorite words. When you can combine free and luxury, even better!
When you take a staycation, you save money, avoid jet lag, save on gas, and reduce the carbon footprint.
Save the Planet
Staycations don't have to be in your backyard. They can be within driving distance.
A staycation is anywhere you don't have to fly. Did you know it's more environmentally friendly to drive than fly?
The further you drive, the more gas you use, the more money it costs, and the more impact it has on the environment.
One gallon of gasoline produces 19.60 gallons of carbon dioxide compared to 21.10 gallons produced from a gallon of jet fuel.
Planes burn a gallon of jet fuel every second!
It takes the same amount of energy to support the average US family for one year as it does to fly from Washington, DC to Borneo, Indonesia.
Some frequent flyers buy carbon offsets to reduce their footprint. But not me.
Instead, I'm spending more time traveling within the US.
Sure, international travel is exciting and awesome. But our country is pretty fantastic too! After all, 76.9 million international visitors can't be wrong.
Conclusion
I plan on taking more staycations to save money and the planet.
But that doesn't mean I'm going to travel less. I'm going to travel more but be more mindful of how I travel.
Vacationing close to home means I'll spend less and it's more eco-friendly.
Looking for more ways to make a positive impact? Download Everyday Sustainability Guide from The Nature Conservancy to read the 7 easy ways you can change the world. One little step at a time.
What are your goals for next year? Will you be taking more staycations or road trips to help the planet?
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We love to travel and see the world, but we also appreciate a good staycation. It's so much fun and far less stressful to get out and just see everything our area has to offer.
Hi Stacie,
You're so right, a staycation can be less stressful.
I always wanted to get on one of the double decker buses in NYC that do the tours around town. That would be such a nice experience. I get how a staycation would be really cool. Maybe one day I'll do it.
Hi Stephanie Jeannot,
Hope you get a chance to take a staycation one day.
Thanks for sharing this. I have honestly never thought about how much fuel we throw into the air with excessive travel. Makes a whole lot of sense. Staycations can be really fun too! We found that out a few years back when we did not have the funds to travel far. Our family had a blast. Now to plan a staycation for 2019!
Hi Anita,
I know, crazy right? Glad to hear your family had fun on your staycation. Here's to a great staycation in 2019!
So many great ideas!
Staying off season can be so great - and it is so nice to not be so crazy busy with tourists 🙂
Hi Alexandra,
Totally! Plus prices are so much cheaper. 🙂
You are not alone! We live in California as well, and rarely visit our own landmarks and activities in our own backyard!
Hi Sara,
LOL, so true. Many years ago when relatives visited, my uncle thought it was funny we had never visited the California mission that was only 20 minutes from our house. 🙂
We don't do enough staycations and your suggestions look like a great way to save money while travelling and helping to keep the environment and planet sustainable as well.
Hi Yeah Lifestyle,
Glad you enjoyed the post.
Love these! We prefer staycations or traveling closer to home with our kids. It saves us a lot of time traveling and is much easier on us, so we enjoy ourselves way more.
Hi Tiffany Barry,
So glad you liked the post and staycations! 🙂
I so much agree with you. Staycations do not need the flights for Instagram feed. Travelling offseason is the only way I can afford to travel currently and I love every bit of it. With staycations, you'll be able to see the gems in your backyard. Lol.
Hi Lydia Smith,
I'm a huge offseason traveler too, it saves so much money. 🙂
My family loves starvations! My kids think it is so fun to get a hotel, swim in the pool, and watch a movie in the room regardless of how close or far we are from our really house 🙂
Hi Shar,
That's so cool. That's the best part, hanging out quality time and doing simple stuff.
Staycations can be so much fun! These are some great ways to save money and the planet!
Hi Shannon Gurnee,
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
great points for a staycation. I just enjoy real vacations so i can be away from home fr a while
Hi Jasmine Hewitt,
Thanks
We’ve been staycationing more since the birth of our son. I can’t say it’ll always be the case, but for now, it’s been nice to see so many of the things we never have gotten around to doing locally. You’re right too about being able to take advantage of midweek or offseason options!
Hi Lara,
Aaah, enjoy the time with your little one. Staycations are so much fun when the kids are little, it's like seeing things from their perspective.
Oooo so many helpful tips!!!! I’m all about traveling during non-school breaks! Rates are always low!
Hi Courtney,
Thanks, glad you liked the post. Low rates are my favorite. 🙂
Staycations are seriously the best! There is always so much to do and discover where you live, and when you take teh time to find new things, you might find a new favorite! Love!
Hi Emily,
Exactly! So much to discover in your own town. 🙂
I love exploring our country and it always surprises me just how many wonderful things are on our doorstep
Hi Kara,
I know right. The US has so much to offer.
I love the idea of a nearcation in addition to a staycation! Sadly, I really love visiting new places throughout the world, but I know how this can be hard on the planet. You raise so many good points around the effects of travel on the environment. I'm definitely going to think more carefully about my travel decisions going forward.
Hi Kate,
I'm with you. I love traveling everywhere but going to try to be more mindful about the effect on the planet.
These are great budget friendly tips! We definitely need to do more staycations and visit the beautiful state we live in. While we were away last week for our honeymoon we did a ton of free things and had a fabulous time.
Hi Cecilia Harvard,
Congratulations on your recent marriage. Thanks, glad you enjoyed the tips. 🙂
I love both of these ideas! So many people live in a place, but really don't discover it. It's such a shame! That is definitely not how I want to be! I'd rather always be exploring.
Hi Nina,
I'm with you on always wanting to explore!
I love staycations! Especially living in San Diego, there are plenty of amazing places for a staycation. I think it's a great idea to escape somewhere nearby if you are on a budget or don't have a lot of time off from work 🙂
Hi Candy,
You're right, we're totally lucky to live in San Diego. Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
Good advice, and I should staycation more often. (Also, I have a beach like a mile away and I rarely go there). But, staycation case in point: we've booked to go to Copenhagen next year, very much the other side of the world. My son's teacher came up to me the other day and said "I heard you're going to Denmark .. and as soon as I heard I knew because it's you it is Denmark in Europe, not Denmark down south" (we have a little town called Denmark here - lovely spot!). Of course, she was right, and my son has never been to the lovely town of Denmark just a short drive away ... but will soon have been all the way to European Denmark. But I need to fix that with more local vacationing!
Hi Amanda,
ROFL. That teacher has you pegged. 🙂 Let me know when you "finally" make it to Denmark, AU. 🙂
I never heard about a staycation or nearcation. Thank you for introducing me! I love to read about the advantages of staying at home or in driving distance and being a tourist in your own city. I am planning to live more green and sustainable in 2019, so I am definitely going to try this!
Hi Daphne,
Glad the post helped. Here's to a more green and sustainable 2019! 🙂
Love this mentality. We live in our camper, so every day is a staycation AND a vacation for us. And we try to limit our driving and really dig into a location....then move a small amount of miles to the next "nearcation" lol. Great blog. Thanks for raising awareness to the environmental damage caused by air travel.
Hi Mike,
You're really embracing sustainability living in your camper. 🙂 Thanks for the kind words and glad you enjoyed the post.
Applaud the thought behind keeping things local - and hope you're going to that beach near you more from now on! 🙂 I'd add to the pot of ideas, using online liftshares to share your ride and petrol, or pooling together with friends to share a cheap family hotel room.