Staycation is a term only recently coined: it appears to be the vacation you have when you are not having a vacation. The idea is that you stay home and you vacation. Well most women know that staying at home isn’t a vacation; you might have time off work but you are not on vacation.

After all if you at home there are still chores to be done, gardens to be gardened and food to be cooked. But more importantly, you are still in a familiar environment - therefore you are not on vacation. The whole reason we feel so relaxed and happy when we are on vacation is that we are in an entirely new environment.

Ever wondered why you feel like you’ve been away for weeks when in fact its only been 48 hours since you hit the beach? Its because you are making your brain work over-time processing all the new sights, sounds and tastes of this strange new place called “vacation”!

Now unless you happen to live in a home like this, or possibly this, then a staycation at a luxury hotel in or near your home town may be worth considering. Unless you are used to butler service, a turn down service and cocktails in the spa, you are dramatically changing your environment - and with little travel required!

Yes its going to cost more than your normal nightly hotel budget: possibly a lot more, but think of the advantages:

• no passport required
• no travel costs - though it might be wise to get a lift rather than pay to park your car at some of these places
• no jetlag
• no vacation time lost traveling to and from your destination
• no costs for daily sight-seeing

Lets face it a lot the 5 star luxury hotels we review its a shame to only sleep there. They are designed for the total immersion, why leave a property you are spending so much to enjoy? Start with a late breakfast, or maybe an early morning swim followed by a late breakfast, check out the shopping arcade, the spa treatments, the gardens, the golf course, the pool. Get pampered at the on site beauty salon. Then have a nap before proceeding to the evening’s pre-dinner cocktails and a meal, at the hotel’s restaurant of course. No problem with who is sober enough to drive.

Another variation of a luxury staycation vacation is to took look near home but not at home. If you are lucky enough to live in a rich country near another country with a lower cost of living go visit it: be it France, Mexico or Bali many large Western Countries are close to lower cost and interesting destinations which are often ignored. Now there still be costs involving a bit of gas or a short flight, but the lower cost of living will probably cover this for a 2-week jaunt. I guess that would be called a semi-staycation?