Vacation or a staycation?

Going abroad, staying local, climbing mountains, paddling in rivers, sunbathing and chilling by the sea, visiting festivals or going on an exciting road trip by car or bicycle. These are only a few of the options holidaymakers can choose from each year.

Where you end up on holiday is a matter of money, time and your preferences. To give you a couple of ideas about making the perfect choice, let's see the pros and cons of the most popular types of holidays.

Vacations

Package holidays

When we say vacation, we automatically think of travelling somewhere. Vacationers normally consider two ways of getting away from their day-to-day lives. One possibility is to go on a PACKAGE HOLIDAY. Let’s have a look at what we need to know about it:

-a package holiday is a type of holiday fully organized by a travel agency

-accommodation, travelling, ticket prices, food expenses and guided tours are all included in the fixed price you have to pay

-package holidays are absolutely comfortable because you just have to make your payments, pack your luggage and be there

-you can choose to hang out all day around your accommodation, but you can also get involved in sightseeing trips in the area (the organizers may charge you an extra fee for these)

-you get the chance to meet new people on the way, make new friendships or even relationships

-probably the biggest advantage of package holidays is that you get to see many popular places

-however, many people think these are too comfortable and don't offer a sense of challenge and adventure

-you may have to stick to a very tight schedule which can result in losing the magic of the journey, and your stay can turn into stressful rushing

-also they might be risky, because the travel agency may go bankrupt while you are there, or they may rip you off (typical complaints include lower hotel-rating, dirty rooms or the lack of meals advertised)

Off the beaten track

If you feel that the cons of package holidays outweigh the pros, you can also organize your own holiday, which means choosing INDEPENDENT TRAVEL (or going off the beaten track)

-it means you organize everything for yourself – you book the accommodation, you choose how to get there, you make a list of the sights and places you wish to see

-you can choose from a huge variety of activities: you can independently travel to the places you would on a package holiday, or you can engage in any form of active and passive leisure time doing – for instance, you can board a train and travel from one European city to another (this is called backpacking)

-people tend to embark upon independent journeys, as they offer more adventure, more freedom, more challenge and much more exciting memories, and they can also be less pricy

-you can explore the hidden treasures of a place and get more chance to meet and talk to locals – it feels great to become part of a place, it is definitely worth trying

-you can still go sightseeing, and in this case you do not have to follow the instructions of anybody

-of course, going off the beaten track also has its disadvantages, for instance you may get lost, miss a train or your car can break down in the middle of nowhere

-many adventurers do not have the insurance that automatically goes together with package holidays

-despite all the careful planning, you may end up paying more than you would with a travel agency

Staycations

If you are not in the mood for travelling, you can go for another popular possibility which is called a staycation.

The phrase might be new, but the idea is quite old: it means that families stay within driving distance to their homes on holiday, or even they completely spend their time in their own house. They can take little trips during the day to nearby places, such as mountains, lakes, zoos or theme parks, and return back to the comfort of their home for the night. If it sounds crazy, we should really consider what it can provide to people.

-you can totally avoid preparation, so the days before the vacation starts can be as rewarding as the programs themselves

-you can save money as you do not have to pay for long journeys or overpriced hotel, so the spare money you have can be spent on improving the quality of the things you do

-this is an amazing chance for families with commuting parents to reconnect and spend some quality time together

-there is no need to ask the neighbor to look after your pets, you can take care of them as well

-you may discover things you have not noticed before, such as a little park in town, a small diner or how great your backyard is to wind down