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?

Everyone should take the time to thoroughly think about through an impact their vacation will make on their surroundings. Just take the amount of CO₂ emissions we produce through our transportation. Taking your vacation to a faraway place using an airplane to get there will produce 380g of CO₂ per person and kilometer. Keeping it closer and travelling by car will still produce 150g  of CO₂ per person and kilometer and even taking the train means 40g CO₂ per person and kilometer. Adding to those numbers, if you include the continuously rising gas prices and the traffic congestion each year, it seems that the best option is to spend our vacation at home.

Vacation at home? That sounds really dull you might think, but even the famous publisher of travel guides in German MARCO POLO saw the potential of vacationing on your balcony and published the ‘Balkonien’ (staycation) travel guide.

Its structure corresponds to any other travel guide. It gives us information about the best time to travel, tipping policy – there is none, and other important things like emergency numbers the weather and even dimensions and weights.

Of course it is a rather humoristic approach to the staycation but nevertheless, it gives useful hints on how to decorate you own balcony and what essentials, like a good barbecue grill and a big cooler to keep your drinks cool, you need during your time off. It should not be taken too seriously, but there is a lot you can get out of this book.

It is important to set a fixed time for your staycation, just like you would do with a vacation. Don’t make the mistake of telling your work place that you are staying at home, they might feel tempted to call you in case of emergency. Try to keep off the phone and the internet, try to make your time peaceful and quiet. Staying at home might make you think of all the things around the house that should be fixed or redone. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT make the mistake of using your precious vacation for anything else other than relaxation.

As an alternative you might wanna spend one day as tourist. Just put on your khaki pants, your most horrible Hawaiian shirt, some Jesus sandals – to make it more authentic put on your white gym socks as well - and most importantly, do not forget your camera. Try to see your city from the tourist point of view. You might be surprised by the hidden treasures that await you. And let’s be honest, who does not feel the need to annoy the heck out of everybody every now and then; this is your chance to be the ruthless tourist you always complain about. You can also leave those typical tourist things at home and be the tourist you would like the other tourists to be.

A city like Salzburg has a lot to offer for staycationers on a low budget. You might wanna take a hike up the town hills like the Gaisberg, for example, or take a stroll up to the Fortress to enjoy the beautiful view and feel like the king of the world. Maybe a relaxing stroll down the Salzach sounds more like your cup of tea; why not combine it with a nice little picnic and as reward for the ‘strenuous’ day, you can treat yourself to some ice cream.

Having spent several holidays at home with my family I can thoroughly recommend it. It might not be right for everybody but I think it is worth a try and as Dorothy Gale says in The Wizard of Oz: “There’s no place like home!”