Vacations don’t need to involve making grand travel plans that require you to spend an arm and a leg on.
Everyone wants the thrill of an exciting vacation, but it's not always realistic to get enough time off from work and have money saved for a lavish getaway. Being forced to stay home when you're dreaming of a tropical island or European village is brutal enough; the FOMO that comes when you see your friends planning expensive trips is even worse.
However, just because you can't go on a trip doesn't mean you can't have an enriching vacation at home. It's not quite as adventurous, but it can be relaxing, inspiring, and completely affordable. And with virtual networking apps like Zoom, you can experience versatile events without having to explore the corners of the world.
Here are 4 staycation ideas to add to your weekend itinerary.
1. Virtual Entertainment
Virtual entertainment has grown more popular throughout the past few years, with musicians selling tickets for virtual “seats” for their concerts. This trend is widespread throughout the entertainment industry, with magicians hosting amazing virtual shows for audiences of all sizes. Websites like Etsy even offer virtual escape rooms for you and your family by using virtual puzzles and a web browser as the room.
Scheduling a virtual show is rather easy, and you just need to contact the host or seller to set up a desired meeting time and location. Many choose platforms like Zoom as it is easier to set up one-time rooms without much hassle. However, for reoccurring entertainment, many will use Discord due to its personalization and customizability.
2. Online Museum Tours
Virtual museum tours are always a great alternative if you can't visit the museum in person. These virtual tours guide you through each exhibit while providing the history of the piece.
Museums like the Smithsonian Museum allow you to virtually walk through the halls of the exhibit yourself by clicking the corresponding arrows on your screen. Checking out museums in different cities around the world!
3. Visit Dream Destinations Virtually
Virtual tours are not only limited to art and history museums, though, as you can even find virtual tours of aquariums, zoos, and other hot vacation spots. But did you know that you could even virtually visit the city streets of your dream vacation?
An easy way to do so would be to use Google Earth and change it to “street view.” From there, you will be able to click, drag and explore whatever Google's 3D camera picked up.
But what if you want something more intimate? Say you want to visit the classy streets of Paris, France. If you want to do this tour virtually, you can find many 360-videos on YouTube, or you can schedule an official virtual visit with Paris' convention and visitors bureau to see the capital for yourself.
4. Watch a Documentary
Documentaries are a great way to broaden your knowledge. However, the best films also transport you to another place, making you forget you're at home altogether.
When people think of documentaries, many envision the nature shows they were forced to watch in their science classes. However, there are many inspiring and award-winning documentaries that appear on streaming services every year. We recommend looking at the Academy Award nominees as a place to start.
Final Thoughts
Vacations don't need to involve making grand travel plans that require you to spend an arm and a leg on. If you have some well-needed time off from work, you can still enjoy downtime and experience culturally rewarding events at home.
Turning your weekend off into an entertaining and inspiring staycation with these virtual suggestions is the best way to go to maximize your free time. Schedule a few of these events on your Saturday and Sunday to inspire your inner-traveler!
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
