Thursday, February 23, 2012

‘Let’s take a Daycation!’ Thrifty Living Series

The Macmillan dictionary defines daycation as “a day trip or short holiday that does not involve staying away from home overnight”.

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When you’ve worked hard all week, it’s nice to know you can spend at least one day on the weekend ‘getting away from it all’…getting out, being active, getting the exercise you need.

Pack a picnic, take lots of snacks and water and take a daycation!  Packing your food saves money and time! You won’t have to leave your fun destination early to find a restaurant.

Be prepared. If you enjoy walking, take a day pack with water and snacks. We carry our cameras and binoculars when we hike.

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Small towns are wonderful to visit for the day, too. Use a search engine on the internet to find active, small towns in your area. You might even discover a specialty shop you would enjoy or a great restaurant or coffee shop. If you’ve eaten your picnic lunch, it’s nice to have dessert at a café or shop.

Of course I can’t live in Florida and not mention the beaches! We can drive to the beach and spend the day and be home by dinner time. That is one of the reasons we moved here. I am drawn to the sea and it’s my most favorite daycation. When I lived in Arkansas and Texas we enjoyed spending time at the many lakes. There are so many websites for parks and family friendly destinations.

Most of our day trips require only one expense….a full tank of gas. I know gas is expensive but I think an adventure is worth the expense.  One of my favorite quotes…

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” by St. Augustine 

After a day spent on an adventure, the work week and every day tasks are easier to face.

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I enjoy researching the internet for activities and events in my area. For seniors there are all kinds of discounts to take advantage of….for parks, arboretums, museums, amusement parks, etc. It’s nice to check the internet before you leave home.

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My dream is to travel to Italy…and I still hope to some day. But for now there are a lot of places I’d like to see right here in my own backyard.

(Photos on this post taken at Sholom Park.)

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Please join the other Frugal Five

for their Daycation posts!

Brenda of Cozy Little House

Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Elaine of Sunny, Simple Life

Jen of Muddy Boot Dreams

Do you feel refreshed when you spend a day out and about? What do you like to do? Where do you enjoy going?

 

38 comments:

Twyla and Lindsey said...

I love that quote! I agree, my son and I take day trips all the time and see the most amazing things in our state! Well worth the price. Your wristlets are beautiful and I wish you much luck! Have a nice day! Twyla

Kim@Snug Harbor said...

Going to Italy is my dream as well. In fact, I'm teaching myself Italian. Right now I can't afford to take my yearly vacation to Florida, much less Italy. But it's nice to dream! It's amazing how many interesting places we can find near by tho when we look.

Claudia said...

Daycations are the ticket nowadays. They are economical and fun!

xo
Claudia

Anonymous said...

I do feel refreshed when we spend a day away, recharged.We go different places but they are always outside the city.In the rural area where we have a piece of land.

Debbiedoos said...

I sure do feel refreshed Diane on a day out. I think this is a wonderful series. Thanks for sharing my friend. I love nothing more than a family day away. We have lots to do here as well.

Cindy said...

We enjoy going to little nearby towns to discover new antique shops and restaurants. We hardly ever buy anything, it's fun to just explore!

Elizabeth said...

Yes,day trips are wonderful, we do those a lot!

Della said...

Weekends getaways are great, but day trips are fun, too! There are so many parks, lakes, and beaches close by that it is do-able. Even on a cold day it's fun to sit in the car by the shore and watch the dolphins play while eating our lunch. That's one of my fave daycations!

michelle said...

I LOVE day trips!! We will go up our lakeshore for the day just to see what we can see. :)
xoxo

Unknown said...

I am such a home body that I do love daycations. Our historic downtown area is the perfect spot to wonder around, walk, browse and pick that special cafe for an inexpensive lunch, or a coffee and a piece of homemade pie! Bardstown is very unique and although I work downtown 2-4 days a week during tourist time, I sometimes spend my off day to visit.

RURAL said...

We love to stay at home, but the chance to get out there on a Daycation, is so refreshing. Great tips, love this topic.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Sunny Simple Life said...

We are like you, close to the beach and love a day spent there especially when it is hot in the summer. Your shots are pretty. I can tell you both love to get out and explore.

Carol @ Always Thyme to Cook said...

That park is just so beautiful. Great shots Diane! Looks like a wonderful way to spend the day, although Italy would top my list, too!

Deserae said...

Day trips are always refreshing and wonderful. We haven't been able to do this for a while now and I miss it!
~Des

Cindy Adkins said...

Oh, it looks like you had a good time!! I like to go out and about here too as it feels like we just moved here, so almost everything is new to me in this area...so, I know just what you mean!!!
XO
Cindy
(((((hugs))))

Vee said...

I think it's great that you love to get out and about. And all that fun research...you must find things that most people would never know about. (Reminds me of Pat (Mille Fiori Favoriti) who always finds new things in NYC.)

Maureen Wyatt said...

I take a lot of day trips with a friend that is a single mom. Packing a lunch is the only way to do it. The money we save is used to buy her daughter a treat or pay for her to do whatever kid thing is at hand. ~ Maureen

Cameron said...

That's a great quote! We are lucky enough to know the potential in a tank of gas....daycations are essential for tired, overworked families with limited funds :D

Beautiful pictures!

Anonymous said...

Daycations are the only way to do things in my family. Not so much for the financial aspect, but we have 3 dogs. We chose pets over the freedom of traveling since our dogs do not handle overnights at strange places well. Visits to the moutains in the fall to see the changing leaves or visits to tea rooms and antique shops in nearby towns are some of the ways we enjoy daycations now days.

Hope you're having a great day today Diane!

CRAFTY STITCHERS said...

I love daycations, don't like to stay in hotels, I want my own bed at night!

Susan At Glen Oaks Primitives said...

Hi, Diane:
Thank you for taking us on one of your day trips.
We do that here, in Massachusetts there is sooo much to see and do.
We found a great place one day by accident, and we found the remains of a village that was settled in the 1700's and the Parker Family Graveyard. I mentioned it in a post way back when I found my antiques at the Prudence Shop.
You're right, it only cost us the gas and we had a marvelous adventure.
Hugs,
Susan

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I love daycations! Being retired we can go in the middle of the week and miss the crowds a lot of time. We do enjoy traveling and spending the gas is worth it to us! hugs, Linda

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

Great advise! And what a cute photo of you here. : )
Glad your day-trip to Sholom Park was so enjoyable (and beautiful).
M.L.

Linda M. said...

Hi Diane, Your day trip looks and sounds wonderful. I too really like that quote. Joyous Wishes, Linda

Marina said...

How interesting, I was just on a two little trips too! Come to see where I went to!

Reena said...

Some of my best daycations are in my own backyard!

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy said...

I am taking a daycation soon....sound wonderful!

LindyLouMac said...

A daycation, love it and plan to take more of them this year, always good for blog fodder. Especially as I need you to continue enjoying Italy virtual until you get to visit us. Have a lovely weekend.

Cranberry Morning said...

I love the quotation from St. Augustine! And even though the price of gas is so unbelievably high, there are usually places within a short distance that are interesting. Have a great weekend!

Donna said...

It's amazing how many people haven't looked at their own communities from the eyes of a visitor. There are so many places nearby that we can explore!

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I take a vacation on my very own patio. During the week, it is just the place we pass by on our way to the car to go to work. It hardly gets noticed. On a rare, free Saturday, I plug in the fountain, pour a nice cold drink and take my book or magazine and spend the afternoon enjoying the patio. It really does feel like a daycation and I appreciate my patio like it is brand new to me.

SImple and Serene Living said...

I love daycations. Nothing better than a great day out and then home to sleep in your own bed. :)

helen tilston said...

Hi Diane

We love day trips too. It takes a little planning but the adventure is well worth it. When we travel overseas, we also take day trips by car and find the most wonderful places.

Don't you find you always learn something new with each day trip?

This Florida sunshine is spectacular!

Helen xx

Sheila said...

I've noticed before how you really enjoy exploring the world around you. more of us should do that. I love the term Daycation and heard it first from you. Im looking forward to visiting the others soon. Lovely photos today!

JG said...

A Daycation makes a great Road Trip! It's amazing how much there is to see close to home. :) What a beautiful park, Diane!
~Judy

Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking said...

Daycations are awesome! These are some great tips and I love all of the great pictures!

Fran. said...

Hi Diane thanks for stopping by my blog! And for loving my Esty Shoppe!! I love Daycations with my husband!! We go on dates alot just to get away!! In this economy we all need to have fun somehow and this helps to be frugal!! So many towns have things to offer probably most people don't even know about!! Thanks for sharing! Love the pic of you!! We still have yucky snow here in Michigan!! LOL XO Fran.

Fran. said...

Hi Diane thanks for stopping by my blog! And for loving my Esty Shoppe!! I love Daycations with my husband!! We go on dates alot just to get away!! In this economy we all need to have fun somehow and this helps to be frugal!! So many towns have things to offer probably most people don't even know about!! Thanks for sharing! Love the pic of you!! We still have yucky snow here in Michigan!! LOL XO Fran.