Senior Living News

What Is a Staycation?

Staycation refers to the idea of taking a vacation while staying home. For those in the career stage of life, staycations may refer to taking time off work and other regular responsibilities to enjoy life at home and local attractions and amenities.

In some ways, a move into an assisted living community is an extended staycation. When you choose life at a location like Bethesda Gardens in Monument, Colorado, you get an ongoing break from cooking, laundry and other household chores so you can relax and enjoy hobbies, downtime and outings — a lot of what you might do on a staycation.

But older adults can enhance their vacation lifestyle by adventuring around their own cities, counties or regions.

Tips for Planning a Staycation During Retirement

The point of a staycation during the career stage of life is to get a break from the day-to-day work life. During retirement, the point of a staycation is to break free of the mundane living you might have fallen into and inject some inspiration and adventure into your days.

Here are some tips for planning a staycation as an older adult:

• Involve others. Plan your adventures with a like-minded friend who also needs a break from the normal, or organize your staycation around a family visit so you can do things with the grandkids.
• Align outings with your interests. Choose things you're excited to do. For example, if you want to explore an art hobby, create a weekend staycation that explores art museums and galleries.
• Understanding limitations. You don't have to cram everything into a 2-day staycation. One of the benefits of retirement is that you can plan staycations every month if you want, so take it slow and plan for the amount of movement that works for you.
• Leverage discounts and free admission. Research attractions ahead of time and find options that offer free admission or senior discounts to reduce the cost of your staycation.
• Splurge on food in a reasonable manner. Consider packing snacks and lunch so you're not eating out every meal to reduce unhealthy and salty eating. Then, splurge on dinner before you head home after a day of outings.
• Range outside your city. Staycations mean you end up in your own bed at the end of the day rather than a hotel. Depending on your stamina, you might visit attractions as far as 2-3 hours' drive away as a day trip during your staycation.

A Few Staycation Ideas for Monument Seniors

‍Staycation itineraries should be custom-tailored to your own interests, budget and physical capabilities. However, if you're not sure where to start, here are a few ideas for attractions within a 3-hour drive of Monument, Colorado:

• The Garden of the Gods, where you can marvel at beautiful sandstone rock formations and enjoy unhurried walks amid inspiring landscapes
• The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, which offers the chance to engage with animals from all over the world and participate in activities like giraffe feeding — this would be a great addition to a staycation that involves children
• The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, where you can learn about the history of the region and see historic artifacts from Native American tribes and the Westward Expansion movement
• Palmer Lake, CO, which is located north of Monument and offers an ideal fair-weather location for picnics, walks near the water and birdwatching

Using AI to Help Plan Your Staycation

‍If you're not used to adventuring, decision paralysis could keep you from planning a staycation or even a single outing. Researching your options and deciding on what might be fun can be daunting, but you can use modern tools to help with that.

Go to ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, and enter a prompt. Be as specific as possible.

Here's an example of a prompt: "I would like to take a staycation around Monument, Colorado. I am 69 years old, and I can walk about a quarter of a mile at a time slowly, but then I need to sit and rest for a bit. I am interested in art, history and odd local facts and attractions. I would like to plan a day of outings from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that includes a stop for lunch. Could you recommend some places I could visit and where I might eat lunch?"

Here's what ChatGPT returns for that prompt:

• 10 - 11:30 a.m.: Self-guided ArtSites public art tour
• 11:30 - 12:30 p.m.: Tri-Lakes Historical Society Meeting
• 12:45 - 2 p.m.: Lunch at Rosie's Diner
• 2:15 - 3:30 p.m.: A stroll in Limbach Park, which has plenty of seating areas to rest in
• 3:45 - 5 p.m.: Western Museum of Mining & Industry

You don't have to follow this itinerary exactly, but AI can help you break through your decision paralysis and find local and regional options to explore.