Vacationing Close to Home

Things to consider first

One of the biggest objections to vacationing from home or close by is that it rarely turns out to be much of a vacation.

• The phone still rings,
• the kids are gone with friends or stuck in front of the TV,
• and the boss just might call for that one bit of help that only you can give (yeah right, but at least it keeps his vacation clear).

Then there's the dishes, and shopping, and bills and.... well, so much for vacation time.

But it doesn't have to be that way! All a local vacation needs for success is the same planning, consideration, and respect you'd give a cruise in the Caribbean.

Treat it like a holiday and it tends to turn out to be a holiday.

Things to consider:

• Investigate. Take time to surf the net and sites like this one to see what's going on during your vacation period. The North abounds with festivals, artistic events, and plenty of lakes to fish in. Pretend you're from somewhere else, what sort of things do other people find to do? Find them yourself. If you can't find something to do that you've never done before you can't be trying!
   
• Plan ahead. Schedule in some events, find prices on nearby attractions, gather brochures, buy tickets ahead of time to spread out the expense, and discuss things with your family.
   
• Organize your life. You would cancel newspapers during vacation time, or look after the plants ahead of time, or pay your bills ahead of time, do those things anyway. Then put them firmly out of sight and out of mind.
   
• Join things. Sometimes joining a group prior to an event means you get a reduction in ticket prices. And hey you live here, you can then benefit from the club or organization the rest of the year too!
   
• Bargain. You may be visiting the businesses, stores, resorts, and parks owned by your friends, business associates and neighbours. Call ahead and see if there are alternative ways to cut down expenses.
  • Can you trade a bit of bookkeeping advice (to be done after your vacation) for a night at a local resort?
  • Can you get the kids out for a clean up day at a local camp ground in exchange for a tent lot for a weekend?
  • Does your third cousin twice removed have a really cool mini putt and he'll need help with moving later this summer?

  Get creative, call in favours.

Don't hesitate to send us your suggestions to add to this list.

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