'Staycation' is a trendy new word. In times of recession and austerity programs, the trend towards staying at home may have rather practical reasons: people just don't want to spend their hard-earned money on such dispensable things as a getaway. Of course, some may also be put off by the enormous amount of work that goes into planning and preparing a trip. You sit in front of the computer for days and nights on end, ransacking the web for the cheapest flights and accomodations; you spend unreasonably high sums of money in the local shopping mall, investing in swim wear, travel guides, and fashionable sunglasses. And for what? After all, chances are that your vacation will turn out to be nothing more than a sequence of stressful experiences. Don't we all know the harsh reality of traveling? Delayed flights, miles and miles of traffic jams, spoiled food at the hotel buffet. So why take all that trouble, if you can just enjoy a peaceful time-out at home?
If you are an inexperienced staycationer just like me, though, you may ask yourself what people on a staycation actually do. Can staying at home really be that relaxing? We'll try to find out--let our imaginary staycation begin.
What many regard as essential for a staycation is complete detachment from all sorts of networks: computers should be shut down, cell phones switched off. Once you're successfully disconnected, the next important step is to brainstorm your ideas on leisure-time organization: what have you always wanted to do but never had the time to do? Maybe you've long craved climbing a mountain. Maybe you are yearning to finally read your favorite author's latest novel that has already gathered dust on your bed-side table. Just get started! So far, a staycation seems like a pretty nice thing.
But then you notice that something is wrong. At first, you can't really tell what it is; all you know is that your exhilaration slowly begins to fade. Finally, you sense the problem: your hallowed vacation is about to be invaded by its most insidious enemy--daily routine. You can't fight the itching in your hand that draws your fingers closer and closer to the keyboard of your computer, begging your mind to allow a quick glance at your inbox or facebook account. What is worse, you suddenly begin to realize how shabby and run-down your sweet home and garden look. For instance, you should definitely mow the lawn. The door of the kitchen cupboard also needs to be fixed. And, while you're at it, the garden fence could certainly do with a fresh coat of paint.
And as if the return of the daily drabness wasn't enough, you now start to feel uncomfortably claustrophobic. Your neighbors, until now only annoying, begin to drive you crazy; your parents call you three times a day; your home town, with its dull familiarity and mind-numbing boredom, seems to suffocate you. At this point, you really begin to long for a change of scenery. To cap it all, your mailbox is brimming with exotic post cards from your friends and relatives, turning you green with envy. Finally, you find yourself rummaging through your collection of travel magazines and old vacation snapshots, bitterly regretting that you missed this year's opportunity to escape.
If this is a realistic outcome of our experiment, what can we learn from it? Instead of going on a staycation, better set off on a short trip to one of Austria's neighboring countries. A vacation abroad doesn't have to be expensive or require much planning--and isn't it through going abroad that you realize how nice home is?
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