Staying at home this summer? Can’t afford the usual 2 week vacation in the Mediterranean or Caribbean? Well you’re not alone! With the global recession really starting to hit home this summer, jetting off to exotic locations for a week of sunshine and cocktails isn’t high on our list of priorities this year either. But, it is possible however to have a great holiday or Staycation without having to drag the suitcases out of the loft and give the latest celebrity diet a shot to get your beach body back!

Well, beleive it or not, it is possible to have a superb holiday right here at home, and with long school summer holidays looming just around the corner, it’s well worth planning what we’re going to do with the kids too, as sitting infront of the TV for 6 weeks isn’t an option! So we’ve put this collection of hints and tips together to help you have a great holiday or Staycation in your own home!

We’d love to hear your Staycation ideas too, so we’re opening our very own forum where you can post, discuss and research your own staycation ideas to make the coming holiday one to remember!

Just because your staying at home doesn’t mean your boss / colleagues don’t need to know you’re not going abroad! Before you finish work for your Staycation, make the point that you won’t be contactable because you’re going away. Just because you’re staying at home doesn’t mean you should be easily contactable.  Turn off your work mobile and let the calls go to voicemail and let your emails hold for a week. You can check them when you return to work.  If you don’t think that’s possible, rest assured, whatever it is can wait. There are very few Life and Death situations that require your immediate attention. I was nervous when I first tried turning my email and phone off, but it worked out fine. Now when I take a few days off, even just weekends, the laptop & mobile are turned off when I leave, and stay off until I start back to work.

Current Work Projects That Can’t Wait?
If you’ve got current projects at work that need to be worked on while you’re away, make sure you do a verbal if not written handover to a colleague who can take care of them while you’re away. That way your workplace will cope just fine while you’re not there.

De-Stress Tip - Turn your laptop & phone off at weekends / evenings. I used to think I had to be contactable 24/7 because I worked on the web and would miss orders and enquiries, but over the past year, I’ve restricted the number of people I give my mobile number to, and only check my email twice a day max. This gives me more time to focus on important projects, plus, people gradually get to know my habits and become a little more patient, so they know I’ll return there call or email as soon as I get back to the office.