For many reasons, a staycation is this year's top travel destination. When we think about vacation, a few elements come into mind—we want to disconnect from our ‘normal’ life, go to a tropical paradise or winter wonderland, relax or be adventurous, and enjoy great food and drinks with even better company. 

Although, when it comes to a staycation, we may find it difficult to disconnect when we're still in the same town we work, live, and play. And this can go for an actual vacation as well because we still feel the need to be there for our jobs and those who rely on us. Though, regardless of the situation and the miles traveled, we should always set time aside for ourselves to enjoy a break and not feel guilty about it. 

According to a Travel + Leisures article on the 5 Benefits to Taking a Vacation, they explain how most Americans will have leftover vacation time because they're fearful of being seen as uncommitted to work, returning to a tsunami of emails, or other fallouts. And although it's unsure of how many days we should take off, we need to realize we can't be productive 12 hours a day 365 days a year. It’s unrealistic and unattainable, which is why it’s critical to recharge our batteries and step away from our 'normal' life to regain sanity and realize what’s really important in life. 

DISCONNECT: This is critical—disconnect from work entirely. It doesn't matter if we're still at home, we need to treat this time as if we were on an actual vacation and there's no service available. Yes, sometimes it’s not always practical to disconnect because people rely on us, however, we all have lives outside of our job and need to be respectful of others time. Remember, let those who need to know you're going on vacation and leave it at that; set the automated vacation response for emails and put the phone away. It’s these little moments we’ll remember and be grateful for in the big scheme of life.

WHERE TO STAY: This can vary depending on what everyone wants to get out of their staycation. There are a couple of options to choose from: maybe we're never able to enjoy the home we made into our dreams, we live in an apartment, or we just want to book a hotel or Airbnb stay. Personally, I feel booking a room (whether a hotel or Airbnb) is the best option because it gives off the feeling of being away, and you don't need to worry about anything, like cooking or cleaning, plus it’s a little more fun and exciting. 

THINGS TO DO: We can live in a city our whole life and never experience local attractions, shops, and restaurants because we get so used to our favorite spots. However, when it comes to a staycation, try going out of the way to pick new places and see new things. Maybe there are a few new restaurants to try, nature paths to be taken, and roads to be explored. I think the fun in this part is to make an itinerary of what we want to see, do, and eat for all the days we're ‘away,’ just like going to a resort and having an itinerary set for the days. A fun thing to do is use Canva or Photoshop to create your itinerary, AND Airbnb also has a section named Experiences, which gives some insights into local excursion nearby!