The backyard's benefits

The economic turmoil of recent years has had many effects on the way we live our lives, some of them more profound than others. For example, we spend less than we used to, we plan more, and our tendency to see things pessimistically has increased by a sizable margin. 

Not all of these changes in attitude and behavior have been bad, though. Some of them might even turn out to be beneficial for humanity as a whole. Now, I don’t want to claim that staycation, the backyard-barbecue-pool-version of an actual vacation, is one of the more significant changes, but there are definitely a number of reasons why we may count it among the Big Crash’s more useful   consequences.

While the idea of “going on staycation” is nothing entirely new, in the wake of recession more and more members of the middle class have been forced to “tighten their belts”, which gradually turned it into a mainstream notion. As it turns out, not knowing if you’ll still have a job tomorrow – or if so, how long it will take your spouse to find a new one – can be kind of a mood spoiler. It certainly lessens the historical dignity of the pyramids when you have to think about how many incoming bills you could have paid with the money you’re spending on this family trip. 

But even though staycation has become an acceptable alternative to traditional vacation, there are many who still look down upon it as a demonstration of laziness, cheapness or a lack in imagination. Going abroad, on the other hand, is still taken as a sign of cultural curiosity, initiative and a cosmopolitan mind, which is just not true anymore. I’d like to present you with reasons why staying at home can be just as great as going on vacation abroad. 

Staying or moving: the charm of camping

If you’ve ever spent your vacation camping, you’ll agree that this kind of recreational pursuit involves a blend of charm and magnetic attraction. The charm of a camping site lies in the fact that it radiates freedom, calmness and happiness all at the same time. At camping sites you see lots of different people: backpackers, parents with young children, parents with older children, elderly couples, etc. But campers can actually be narrowed down to two sorts of people: those who stay and those who move away.     

Why staying at home is better than you may think

source: beehiveblog.net

 Want to spoil your wallet and your nerves? ‘Staycation’ is the solution.

Sitting in your desk chair 350 days a year, there is probably one thing you think of constantly: holidays. It’s these two weeks that make up for days of getting up early and spending eight hours at the office. It’s possibly also the main reason many people still work in boring jobs for low wages. Of course, you want to spend your well-deserved vacation the best way you can.

Vacations Suck

At the close of the school year, every student’s brain enters into“countdown mode”.  Despite every teacher’s attempt to tie us down with dooming exam dates, reports, presentations, etc . , we’ve got only one thing on our minds: SUMMER.

“What are your plans?”

“Will you be in the city?”

“We should hang out.”

It’s been so since the beginning of time, well probably not, but the one thing that I’ve learned in my 22 years of age is that summer actually sucks.

Working for the Elite.

I’ve had all sorts of jobs: summer, badly paid, physically straining and mentally draining, amongst other kinds of jobs. From organizing files in a tax office at 14 to bartending at 19, these kinds of jobs come and go. None of them fascinated and bored me more than my job at Café Mozart.

...meanwhile in Balconia

Image: Anna Marek

No, the title does not refer to the Balkans, but merely to the utopia of spending the perfect holiday on your balcony. “Utopia” is the Greek word for “no place” and sounds like “eutopia”, which means “good place”. Wouldn’t it be nice to combine these two and create the perfect hideout? No holiday is perfect, unless you make it happen. And what place would be better to prove this than your own home, where no one would expect you to spend your holiday (which, you see, makes a “no place” a “good place”)? The Utopia of Balconia!

Five Dogs, Ten Books and Me

With the financial crisis and its aftermath still haunting the people in Europe and the United States, staycations seem to have become very popular again. Enter the term into Google and you will get a dazzling amount of pages offering strategies to improve your holiday at home. Staying at home, however, has been en vogue for lesser reasons in the not-so-distant past. At least in Germany. I’m talking, of course, about the summer of 2003; then-chancellor Gerhard Schröder cancelled his summer vacation after the Italian state secretary for tourism insulted the scores of German tourists that flock to Italy every year. Not only was this incident widely debated in the German media (and not only in the yellow press, even Die Süddeutsche, one of the most respected German broadsheets, featured an article on the issue), it also inspired comedian Elmar Brandt to come up with a song called “Zuhause” that combined German lyrics fitted to the chancellor’s vacation-cancellation with the music for the song “Azzuro” (the song Germans associated with Italy). Soon, the discussion shifted to whether Germans should emulate their Chancellor and stay at home as well.

Staycation: The new way to spend your holidays

source – palm tree: http://nadine1984nrw.na.funpic.de/main/hintergrundbilder/palme_am_meer.jpg

tree: ©penkiller

Recession, a word you hear everywhere: in the media, at university and in the pub. This one word stirs the most unpleasant feelings in us. Cold sweat runs down our temples in fear of our jobs. Infuriated by the high gas prices and increasing cost of food, we rub our faces. Despite higher costs of living, we don’t get paid any more and the pressure to work even harder makes us long for relaxing holidays. But to be able to go on vacation we have to earn more money. And suddenly we find ourselves trapped in a vicious cycle. There’s, however, a way out of this vicious cycle, a cheap solution for a great vacation.

It is a truth universally acknowledged… that vacations are way better than staycations. Or not.

Admittedly, just as everybody else would if asked to decide which is better, vacation or staycation, I’d say “vacation”. At first. Because generally speaking, I really do prefer vacations to staycations. Just because I’m interested in getting to know new customs, new people, new cultures. There are instances, however, when all I crave for is a staycation – just staying at home and doing everything my heart desires. Right now, I’ve reached a point when a vacation seems like so much stress that I’ve made up my mind to take a staycation this summer – at least in July.

Learning with the WESTbahn, Lesson One: Beware of the wirleass LAN

In the introduction of my first post I mentioned that I don’t only take OeBB trains but also WESTbahn trains. I get lots of questions about the differences and which one I would recommend. The majority of Austrians seems to think that the WESTbahn is cheaper, more comfortable, always on time and in possession of friendlier staff. Well, I have been able to make my mind up since the beginning of January and I can tell you a few things about the WESTbahn trains themselves, its staff and punctuality; both positive and negative.

There´s no place like home

The days are getting longer and the weather is gradually becoming warmer and warmer. It is the season where thousands of people have to make a decision on what to do for their vacation. The question of where to go and how to get there. After months of hard work, don´t we all deserve a little break?

I’m the Queen of My Own Wading Pool

Every year, my mum stops at the door, glances at me and asks me one last time: "Are you absolutely sure that you don’t want to come with us? It’s only a week and a half!" "Yes, Mum. I’ll be alright. Don’t worry", I always answer robotically. Every year, she tries to convince me to go to Italy, but every year she fails. She sighs, closes the door behind her and there is silence. Finally.

What to do if sunshine leaves you hanging

In a perfect world there would always be sunshine, like in my last blog post. But what if the weather gods are not on our side? It is time to take off our rose-colored glasses and let reality sink in. We live in Salzburg and Salzburg isn´t just famous for Mozart but it´s also famous for Schnürlregen. (“rain in strings”)

My Salzburg Staycations

 

 
I’m a traveler. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy staying at home sometimes just relaxing: barbecuing in the backyard, sunbathing on Balcony Island and twiddling my thumbs. But generally, I like to spend my holidays abroad. Whenever I have time off from university, I want to see something and experience something new – break out of my daily rut. This year, I’ve been on staycation twice, though; and no, I haven’t been bumming around at home. In the purest sense of the word, I have spent my time here in Salzburg the same way I would have on vacation.