Definition of "staycation"
staycation
noun
plural staycations
(informal) A vacation spent at or close to home.
Quotations
Increasing product lifespans and decreased energy use may also enable both efficiency and sufficiency [...]. This includes means by which materials are used more productively (i.e. the same quantity providing a longer service) and throughput is slowed (i.e. products are replaced less frequently, plus, in the case of tourism, distance of travel is less – the so-called ‘staycation’ approach).
2009, C. Michael Hall, Alan A. Lew, “Futures of Tourism”, in Understanding and Managing Tourism Impacts: An Integrated Approach, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, page 323
This extreme "no" discretionary spending plan does not have to eliminate fun from your life. It actually challenges you to find creative sources of entertainment and "staycations" (vacations at home or near your home town).
2009, Scott M. Spann, “Step 4: Create a Personal Spending Plan”, in Tax Resolution and Financial Freedom: Using the Financial Planning Process to Deal with Tax Debt, Mount Pleasant, S.C.: LifeSpan Financial Planning, part II (Starting the Tax Resolution Process), page 70
We need to encourage stay-close-to-home vacations, or "stay-cations," and check out nature's splendor, recreational opportunities and entertaiment attractions nearby.
2009 June, Tom Turnipseed, “Simplicity, Simply Put”, in Cecile Andrews, Wanda Urbanska, Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness, Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers, part 1 (Simplicity Defined), page 77
A vacation spent at one's own home without other overnight accommodation.
Quotations
Instead of going away for a vacation, consider a staycation. That's when you stay home and explore your hometown—try a new restaurant, hike a local park, or visit that museum you've been meaning to check out.
2009 August, Nancy Conner, “Going Green: Transportation and Travel”, in Dawn Frausto, editor, Living Green: The Missing Manual, Sebastopol, Calif.: O’Reilly Media, part 2 (Greening Your Lifestyle), page 246
[O]ne family I know realized they didn't have the money available for their usual summer camping trip. So instead of going on a vacation they decided to have a "staycation." They parked their pop-up camper in their driveway at home, set up some tents on the lawn, and slept in them every night. They cooked out every day with the grill and found free concerts, museums, and events in their own city.
2010, Brian Kluth, with Stan Guthrie, “Protection Principles”, in Christopher Reese, editor, Experience God as Your Provider: Finding Financial Stability in Unstable Times, Chicago, Ill.: Moody Publishers, part 2 (Receive God’s Principles), page 99
For me, whether I'm on a visit to a monastery in Greece or an elaborately planned staycation (that involves disengaging from all my devices, going on long hikes or walks, yoga classes and unhurried meditations, sleeping in with no alarms, and reading actual books you can underline that have nothing to do with work), the essential element is to regain that sense of wonder.
2014, Arianna Huffington, “Wonder”, in Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-being, Wisdom, and Wonder, New York, N.Y.: Harmony Books, page 193
[...] Melissa uses some of her annual leave to add two days to a three-day weekend, and these five spontaneous days off became not only a Greenwich Village stay-cation but also something of the honeymoon we were too busy to take together in our hectic "uni-moon" days. But what to do on our stay-cation? Ten thousand Big Apple activities beckon.
2014 November, William Powers, “Rooftoop Bees and Beans”, in New Slow City: Living Simply in the World’s Fastest City, Novato, Calif.: New World Library, part 1 (Spring to Summer: The Natural City), page 36
(British, Ireland) A holiday spent in one's own country without travelling abroad.
Quotations
It's holiday time again. Having invented the staycation – no, I don't like the word either – four years ago when we ran out of money and out of patience with French traffic, we are sticking to principle and, as we did four months ago, hanging out at Tom Hodgkinson's gaff in north Devon.
2009 August 31, Nicholas Lezard, “Down and Out in London”, in New Statesman, London: New Statesman Ltd., archived from the original on 1 December 2012, page 54
Somewhere in the last few decades the stacation was substituted for the prestige and glamour of the trip abroad, and the recent flurry of low cost airlines all but cemented that as the new tradition for those that can afford it.
2012 October 24, Jeff Brazier, “The Joys of Camping”, in HuffPost, UK edition, archived from the original on 1 July 2017
The rise in patronage partly reflects the growing trend for ‘staycations’ in the UK, in addition to Pitlochry’s status as the southern gateway to the world-famous Cairngorms National Park.
2019 December 4, Paul Stephen, “At the Heart of the Local Community”, in Rail, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, page 58
Many families who had planned to go away for the easter holidays are now deciding to grab a tent and go on an isolated family camping stacations to ensure the kids are still entertained as many holiday resorts go on possible lockdown.
2020 March 16, Heather Carrick, “Coronavirus: Glaswegians stock up on camping gear before self-isolation”, in Glasgow Times, Glasgow: Newsquest (Herald & Times), archived from the original on 27 September 2020
verb
third-person singular simple present staycations, present participle staycationing, simple past and past participle staycationed
(intransitive, informal) To spend a vacation at or close to home.
Quotations
They may fill some of the airline seats and hotel rooms left vacant by staycationing locals.A use of the word as an adjective.
2008, Peter D[avid] Schiff, The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets: How to Keep Your Portfolio Up when the Market is Down (Little Book Big Profits Series), Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, page 196
(British, Ireland) To take a holiday in one's own country as opposed to travelling abroad.
Quotations
[...] I staycationed there this summer, enjoying the ancient town of Sandbach with Saxon crosses in its cobbled square; [...]
2010 September 14, Fiona Bruce, “Equitable Life (Payments) Bill: Second Reading”, in House of Commons Debates (House of Commons of the United Kingdom), volume 515, part no. 45, London: Parliament of the United Kingdom, archived from the original on 21 September 2010, column 763
Having ‘staycationed’ with her sister in Kinnity, Co Offaly for the past four years, and with a budget of around €350, Bronwyn O’Brien says she’d just be happy to see the inside of a plane. “Although I didn’t mind holidaying at home, there’s nothing like getting on an airplane and feeling the heat hit your face the minute you arrive,” she tells.
2015 January 15, Dierdre Reynolds, “Sunshine Saturday: We’re all going on a summer holiday”, in Irish Independent, Dublin: Independent News & Media, archived from the original on 11 May 2017
It's that time of the year when deleting Instagram seems like a sensible mode of self-preservation for people staycationing, or quite simply stuck on home soil, while others are hashtagging #HotGirlSummer all over the continent.
2019 August 16, Alice Newbold, “Is Anyone Else Suffering from Yacht Fatigue?”, in Vogue, London: Condé Nast, archived from the original on 16 August 2019
Baz [Ashmawy] and his family are staycationing in Ireland this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic
2020 August 5, Dara Browne, “Fam-cation: RTE’s Baz Ashmawy shares adorable snap of his mother and daughter on staycation in Co Limerick”, in The Irish Sun, Dublin: News Group Newspapers, archived from the original on 7 August 2020, photograph caption
Over the last few weekends traffic is back with a vengeance, with families breaking out of lockdown to staycation in the UK and visit the coast, countryside and shops.
2020 August 5, Edmund King, quotee, “Weekend car use returns to pre-pandemic levels”, in Express & Star, Wolverhampton, West Midlands: Midland News Association, archived from the original on 9 August 2020
RTE star Mary Kennedy has said that it is "so nice to explore our lovely country" as she staycations on Inis Oirr with her friend.
2020 September 25, Aine Conaty, “Merry Mary: RTE star Mary Kennedy says it’s ‘so nice to explore our lovely country’ as she staycations on Inis Oirr with pal”, in The Irish Sun, Dublin: News Group Newspapers, archived from the original on 19 September 2020, photograph caption
(US) To spend a vacation at one's own home without other overnight accommodation.
Quotations
Plan a staycation: Enjoy your own house, your own backyard, your own town. [...] This was the third summer the Wyatts and their two children have staycationed in Virginia Beach.
2009 August 2, Krys Stefansky, “Getting away from it all in your own backyard”, in The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va.: Tribune Publishing, archived from the original on 26 September 2020
If you're heading for the water today, or staycationing by the pool, you'll need something to read, right?
2020 August 4, Terri Schlichenmeyer, “‘Why We Swim’ offers a refreshing read”, in The Philadelphia Tribune, Philadelphia, Pa.: The Philadelphia Tribune Company, archived from the original on 19 August 2020