Brrrrrr....It is very cold out there today. Temperatures were hitting -40, and I was sitting in my home office with a toque on, plus slippers and an extra layer to stay warm without running the furnace too much.It is times like this that the thoughts of going on vacation enter our minds. Sadly, vacations are not exactly that green, especially if you are traveling a long distance. Going by plane means a lot of CO2, and driving means excess CO2 emissions as well. On top of that, there is the financial toll that going on vacation can take on you and your family. Estimates state that a vacation of only a week or so, for a family of four or five, can cost upwards of $10,000!
This week, Layla and I have begun our vacation from our company. We did it to take a break from the long days we work with at our company and because it is Christmas. Naturally, the thought of vacation crept into our minds, but then we began to think of the environmental toll of it. Therefore, we are taking not a vacation, but a staycation.
For those who watch Corner Gas, you will know exactly what a staycation is. It is taking a vacation, where you live. It was coined by Corner Gas, and in the staycation episode, Brent Butt went on vacation to a lawn chair across the road from his gas station. He sat all day staring into the horizon, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He would send cards from exotic locations to his friends, and he saved a lot of money doing it.
For these next two weeks, Layla and I are going on vacation from our company, in our home. We have the money to travel, but we feel its just better to stay home for the environment. Since we can stay home, we can continue being green and don't have to worry about all the environmental issues that arise from vacation.
Staycations are becoming increasingly popular during tough economic times as families look for ways to get away from it all, without leaving it all. Some people vacation in their own city by staying at a hotel, others will travel to a nearby town to vacation.
For us, it is the ranch that will be the home of our vacation.
We can relax here, not worry about work, eat well and enjoy peace and quiet, which are many of the things we would have gone on vacation for.
So, we hope that if you can take a vacation this year, you choose to take a staycation, it may be the best vacation you ever had.
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