Travel and Vacations

How To Plan A Family Staycation

This past year we have been very intentional with traveling and giving the boys new experiences outside of the home.  We have been state hopping so much that we hadn’t stopped to take a moment to enjoy the state we are in! Especially with the fact that we are not Texas natives.  We felt it was time to do a family staycation.

What is a family staycation?

If you are not familiar with the term staycation it is basically a trip that you take at within the city you live in.  Or you can even do a staycation at home. A staycation is taking a vacation from life’s every day busyness and doing a getaway without truly traveling anywhere.

Why is a family staycation important?

Vacations are so critical for your overall mental health in my opinion, and staycations are no different.  It allows you to break away from the stresses of life, reset, and rejuvenate.  Also sometimes full vacations travel is not in the budget or you don’t have the time.  That doesn’t mean simply not getaway.  This is the perfect time to consider a staycation.

Four Seasons Dallas  hosted our family over Mother’s Day weekend for the most amazing family staycation weekend.  The grounds were amazing, and even more than that the service was exceptional!

FINALLY the Newtons are back with a new FAMILY VLOG! Life has been so busy with the blog, work, and just life.  With that, we have decided to find consistency that works for US.  We will now be doing ‘Weekends with the Newtons’.

What will that mean?  The vlogs will show our daily life happenings which typically takes place on the weekends.  By subscribing and watching, you will become  an extension to the Newton crew.

MAKE SURE TO WATCH OUT LATEST BLOG sharing our family staycation experience.

It’s time to start planning your next family staycation, and I am sharing tips to help you make it an amazing one.

ESTABLISH YOUR FAMILY STAYCATION BUDGET 

Staycations should not break the bank.  Their purpose is to do a quick getaway that will allow you to feel you’re on vacation without the travel expenses.  With that, establish your budget.  Then make your search based on your budget.

FIND KID FRIENDLY HOTELS

This is crucial if you are planning a family staycation.  While adults are happy just to getaway at a hotel, I know our boys love the amenities. Remember before planning your staycation that kids will want to have amenities as they are traveling.  At the resort we stayed, there was a kids club, pool, fitness center and more.  Kids want to be entertained, so if you can find a family friendly hotel.

When we stayed at the Four Seasons they had the room ready for the boys with a Dino comforter and treats waiting.  From that moment the boys were sold with our family staycation!

SCHEDULE A SPA DAY

When I go on vacation I always like to schedule a spa service.  It allows me to feel pampered and relaxed.  This is perfect for a moment to be kid-free and have some self-care.

POOL DAY

Nothing says vacation more than laying by the pool.  We spent our entire last day by the pool.  The boys were playing in the pool, I was in a cabana.  I couldn’t tell I wasn’t somewhere tropical.

ENJOY THE HOTEL RESTAURANT

If you want your staycation to feel like a true hotel, try not to leave the hotel/resort.  Leaving the resort whilst on your family staycation will instantly have you feeling like you are back in the daily grind.  Before booking try to plan your stay at a hotel that has hotel dining.  Giving you no reason to get out of the mode of vacation. We at the Four Season’s Law and Outlaw and both has amazing food, and the serving staff was absolutely amazing.

DATE NIGHT

Another very important aspect when on a family staycation is we try to make it a point to have some time alone for a bit.  You can accomplish this by putting your children in the resort kid care.  OR since we were local Rick and I spent the first night at the hotel alone and then got our boys the next day.

UNPLUG

When we go on family staycation I like to unplug from work and take that time to not check my phone AND put on my out of office. Staycations should be no different.  Use this time to unplug, leave work at home, and focus on being in the moment.  Staycation should still be vacay mode.

For us personally, our overall experience at the Four Seasons exceeded all expectations for our first family staycation.  The Newtons left feeling so rejuvenated and like we had a traveled states away!