STAYCATIONS

Read the Wikipedia definition for ‘Staycation’ to check your ideas. Can you explain
what it is in your own words? (Read the first section; 4 paragraphs until Contents)

A staycation (a portmanteau of "stay" and "vacation"), or holistay (a portmanteau of "holiday"

and "stay"), is a period in which an individual or family stays home and participates in leisure
activities within day trip distance of their home and does not require overnight
accommodation. In British English the term has increasingly come to refer to domestic
tourism: taking a holiday in one's own country as opposed to travelling abroad.

Common activities of a staycation include use of a backyard pool, visits to local parks and
museums, and attendance at local festivals and amusement parks. Some staycationers also
like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and
avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation.

Staycations achieved popularity in the U.S. during the financial crisis of 2007–2010.
Staycations also became a popular phenomenon in the UK in 2009 as a weak pound sterling
made overseas holidays significantly more expensive.

In 2020, staycations became common due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conversation

1. Is a ‘staycation’ a popular type of holiday in your country?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of holidaying at home?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of going away on holiday?

4. What would / did you do with a week off at home?

5. Tell Alex about your last holiday.

6. Do you find vacations stressful?

7. What is your idea of a perfect staycation?

8. What do you think about these opinions?

A. A holiday isn’t a holiday without good weather.

B. People don’t get enough holiday time these days.
C. People who take a lot of flights for holidays are selfish – they don’t think about
the environmental impact that flying has.
D. Tourism has more disadvantages than advantages for the host country.
E. Going on holiday in your own country is boring.
F. If you travel abroad, you should learn some of the local language before you
go.
G. Tourists should pay more for products and services than local people.