This morning did you blink your sleepy eyes and mumble, “I really want to get away for a few days. Get out of Dodge. Run away from the routine.” But, before you threw back the bed covers did a herd of contradictory feelings trample over your gotta-get-away thoughts? Those stinging second thoughts might have included, “Oh, yeah? Too much work to do. Don’t want to drive three or four hours to the beach or mountains. Don’t want to go solo.” Before of after the “don’t” thoughts, money thoughts may have muscled into your mind as well. “Wonder how much gas, hotel and meals would cost--$700.00?”

Before you scream into your bed pillow consider creating a customized “stay-cation.” Fret not about a traveling companion, pocket the $150 in gas, eliminate the long drive, and save the hotel expense. Stay-cations are compelling to women, men, couples and families.

What is a stay-cation you ask? According to Wikipedia the term stay-cation appeared around 2007 when it became popular for individuals and families to choose to spend vacation days relaxing at home, enjoying local attractions, taking day trips and spending time with family and friends. For many people the initial attraction to stay-cations was economic due to rising costs of travel. There are many, many variations on stay-cations, the main emphasis being to halt regular routines and by-pass traditional, household responsibilities. Of course, some stay-cationers fill the time with creative home projects, such as painting rooms and planting gardens. If the stay-cation that you envision is theme-oriented, such as, personal spa, reading retreat, or decorating a room in your home, the theme alone will decidedly influence how much time you spend with your feet propped up on a hassock versus rolling a paint brush and stepping up and down a ladder.

You certainly want and deserve every second of this revive, relax and refresh time. So, pin a concierge button onto your lapel and take these four easy steps toward creating your personalized stay-cation. Straighten your shoulders; take a deep, cleansing breath and smile like you have a juicy secret. Take another deep breath and promise yourself that you will not--absolutely not--criticize or berate yourself for seizing these hours/days for yourself. If you allow critical thoughts to creep in, you will lick the red off of your own candy.

Step #1 – take charge mentally
Take charge of this mental space first. Reach for a big, imaginary broom and sweep away thoughts of “shouldn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t.” This personal time is about WANT, not about need. Even though you can probably mount a significant case for cooling your heels from the burning pace of running a home, a job, and a social life this is a time to rev up your personal power. If you plead with yourself about deserving a break, thought-by-thought you deflate your personal power as quickly as piercing a balloon with a hat pin. Be your own best friend and claim this personalized stay-cation experience! There’s no “whose been naughty or nice” list to kowtow to; rather, it is that inner knowing that you will benefit enormously by having refreshed, revived and renewed during your escape to stay-cation land.

Step #2 – open yourself to inspiration
If you are someone who regularly entertains RRR (refresh, revive, renew) thoughts, your only challenge will be to narrow down a huge quantity of ideas. You might even become a mentor and share your creativity with other would-be stay-cationers. Here are a few general guidelines.

• Pick-up a notepad or open a blank screen on your computer. Get comfortable. Kick off your shoes and prop your feet up if possible.
• At the top of the page write: My personalized stay-cation, boldly and with flourish.
• Don’t filter, don’t self-argue, don’t limit. Write down all the ideas as quickly as you can.
• If the flow of ideas slows down, just wait. More ideas will shoot out of your pen (or keyboard).
• And, if you go completely blank, do something else for 30 minutes; and, return to your notepad the minute new inspirations begin to flow.
• Look for themes or combinations. Use hi-lighters or colored pens to encircle complimentary activities that appear on your big list of ideas, such as: massage, hot tub, pedicure, facial, soothing music, wine. They are perfect partners for inventing a stay-cation spa day.
• Arrange as many combinations as intrigue you. Often additional ideas will spark which will expand your enthusiasm.
• Smile. Enjoy this prelude to your personalized stay-cation.

Step #3 – compose your personalized stay-cation plan
As with all trip and travel planning, you may want to crunch the numbers and details before finalizing. First, establish the dates of your stay-cation. Will you opt for five days? Are you attracted to the split week option --- three days one week and three days the week after? If making a day trip or attending a nearby festival is part of your plan, your dates may revolve around those happenings. On the other hand, if you want to create an at-home-spa seasoned with a full day of reading and sleeping as late as you please, a three day stay-cation plan may be just the ticket for you.

The plan that you put together is all about YOU, YOU, YOU! Gaze back at Step #2, item #3 in this article and refresh your commitment to “not filtering, not self-arguing, not limiting.” Once you have selected actual dates be as serious about them as if you had written a check for a $3000 cruise. Of course, things can come crashing in--brakes for your car, root canals and high priority business transactions. Do not eliminate your stay-cation. Manage the delay and be inspired to say, “My personalized stay-cation is confirmed and my new date is two weeks from today!”

Here are three personal favorite stay-cations:

Read/relax stay-cation

• Select one to three favorite books--new or repeats.
• Buy favorite coffee and pastry.
• Sleep as late as you like.
• Add several extra bed pillows.
• Fill a serving tray and deliver it to your bedroom.
• Sip coffee, munch pastry.
• Relax in the pillows as long as you like snoozing and reading.
• Repeat as often as you like.

Personal spa

• Pick your favorites – massage, hot tub, facial, pedicure, etc.
• Buy or make natural ingredient recipes for the treatments.
• Solo, or with a friend, give yourself the treatments.
• Relax and soak in the feeling.
• While your feet soak, read or listen to soothing music.
• After your spa treatments take a long, luxurious bath or nap.

Invite yourself to a friend’s

• If you have friends or family members who have swimming pools, hot tubs or weekend homes, share your stay-cation vision with them.
• Pack a small tote and take yourself there for the day.
• Remember something to read.
• Consider being silent for the day and only talk during your meal.
• Picnic--peanut butter and jelly is still a treat!

Step #4 – pour yourself a glass full of congratulations

Congratulations! By working your way through these four easy steps you have doubled or tripled the value of your personal well-being! In a somewhat misdirected way, we often look outside ourselves for affirmations, hoping that our family members, co-workers and loved ones will loudly pronounce, “You really deserve a vacation! Take some time off before you snarl and bite someone!” You know yourself better than anyone else, even your BFF. For you a spa day may be a blah day; whereas, a day trip to a festival may light your fire. The uniqueness of the stay-cation is that “getting away” is less important than achieving your “inner way,” your inner desires to revive, refresh and renew.

Write to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and share your stay-cation favorites.