MODERN LIFE
Home, sweet home
Seven reasons to feel better about having a staycation The world will not end if you don’t get to swim in the Med or sip a glass of rosé poolside in Provence
We’ve all found out things about ourselves during these lockdown weeks, namely, that some of us won’t miss having a summer holiday abroad. It might have been nice to get away, but then again, no. On balance, a staycation, somewhere by the sea in August, sounds quite appealing and we were sort of leaning in that direction anyway. Now is the time to listen to the reassuring whisper of the pro-staycationer; to understand the world will not end if you don’t get to swim in the Med or sip a glass of rosé poolside in Provence. You might even find there are upsides to a holiday close to home. For example:
No airports
To state the obvious. If you could expect an hour to get through security BC (Before Corona) then AC you’re talking, what, five hours? Seven? Taking the train somewhere could be fun. But how much fun in a plastic visor, mask and rubber gloves is the question? Hmm. Back on the subject of air travel, it is true that duty-free shopping in
“dwell time” was heaven. That strip-lit limbo when you shopped like Elizabeth Taylor on Valium, buying rhinestone-encrusted catseye sunglasses, bobbletrimmed beach wraps, insanely expensive eyelid sunblock – such fun. But that’s not happening (not unless you want to stand in a queue from the Clinique counter all the way back to Zone A check-in).
No packing stress
Think about that for just a minute. Consider the packing challenge with the carry onsize case and the tiny bottles and your task is to: assemble all the things you will
Pack it in: preparing for a staycation is much easier than a troublesome trip abroad definitely need, and all the things you would just like to take and… urgh… already too many things. Whereas, when heading off on a staycation, you can take all of it! Fill the car up to the roof with everything, including your favourite hard to get chilli sauce, special neck pillow, giant pump dispenser of moisturiser, sunhats the size of satellite dishes (not getting those on any plane) and the sort of cocktail ingredients they only have in 12 bars in the world, eg Punt e Mes. I mean, no contest.
No Kindle
Maybe you love a Kindle on holiday; any book you like delivered to your screen at the touch of a button etc. Or maybe you want to take a ton of actual books? In which case, knock yourself out, just stack them up in the boot alongside the leg of pata negra.
No sightseeing
Love sightseeing. Desperate to see the Pierro della Francesca frescoes, Cathar castles, and so forth. Really. But in 30 degrees, when it’s two hours there and back, and… 30 degrees? Meanwhile at home, in the top staycation spots, there’s nothing to see apart from a famous rock you can climb. Makes life simpler.
Crowds
Obviously, summer 2020 is likely to be the biggest staycation year since records began and then some. That said it’s been the sunniest May on record, which will probably mean a disappointing July and patchy August, so all the people who planned to be on the beach will in fact be on the sofa or queuing up in town for ice cream. Which means Staycation 2020 – much less crowded than abroad, though there’s a reason for that.
Saving money
No £12 a pop G&T on the waterfront (back garden G&T, about 60p). None of that tea glass and hammam towels utterly pointless shopping. No €30 beach club entry ticket or €25 to see the garden of the house where Dalí lived. Could go on… Just So Much Cheaper to stay put.
No suncream
Maybe a bit, now and then, but not that all over body and earlobes routine that, frankly, makes you wonder why you’re putting yourself through all this.