Staycation? Give me a Breakcation.

Who came up with this super trendy new word? Everywhere I go this summer, billboards, Borders, the box office, everyone is advertising things to do and buy “while on your Staycation.” Now, assuming the stupid word spurred from a global economic epidemic, then isn’t it obvious that the underlined meaning is to save money? Ahem, a simple Wikipedia search claims its origin from the financial 2007 – 2009 financial crisis, with the actual word joining Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary in 2009.

The word’s as annoying and contradicting as Green-friendly campaigns, insisting that our martyr-selves can save energy (and the world) by spending more green, buying better cars, houses and boats. So, the experts at Gal about the Globe dug deep to find some real money savers for the rest of this summer’s Staycation. What are yours?
Who came up with this super trendy new word? Everywhere I go this summer, billboards, Borders, the box office, everyone is advertising things to do and buy “while on your Staycation.” Now, assuming the stupid word spurred from a global economic epidemic, then isn’t it obvious that the underlined meaning is to save money? Ahem, a simple Wikipedia search claims its origin from the financial 2007 – 2009 financial crisis, with the actual word joining Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary in 2009.

The word’s as annoying and contradicting as Green-friendly campaigns, insisting that our martyr-selves can save energy (and the world) by spending more green, buying better cars, houses and boats. So, the experts at Gal about the Globe dug deep to find some real money savers for the rest of this summer’s Staycation. What are yours?

* Instead of spending $30 on a book at Barnes&Noble or Borders, try somewhere you can get books at almost full-price off: The library. Go on, indulge in decadent late fees; maybe even take a chance on something you’d never in a million years be seen buying but always wanted to try. We won’t tell.

* Instead of eating three to five servings every time you order a meal, split that dish with your friend. Heck, split the dish with five friends. Try it with Ethiopian food. Or the grocery store.

* Freeze that gym membership for the summer (or what’s left of it) and get your booty outside.

* Research some basic astronomy, grab a blanket, stay out past your bedtime, and look up, up, up. As long as you can get some amount of distance from the worst of your town or city’s light pollution, the night sky is sacred and beautiful wherever you are.

* Take the bus, bike, train, tram, trolley, and carpool or walk wherever you go.

* Throw an intimate theme party with food as the means of escape. If you’re classy like us, you’ll combine the wonders of a Tour de Franzia party with a New York/Chicago/Sicilian/Hot and Ready Little Caesar’s style Pizza cabal for a Moveable Feast of true Staycation proportions.

* Read aloud from Gal about the Globe’s “City of the Week” and “Our Journeys” sections in a terrible British, New York or ambiguously European accent. You’ll feel like you just got back from a vacation. And your friends will hate you.

* Finally, dig deep yourself. Take some time to record the sights, sounds, feelings and memories of your past vacations, adventures, places you’ve lived. You’ll be conserving memories for years to come. Again, you’ll feel like you’ve just returned from a vacation. Plus, it just so happens we’re taking submissions. You can email desiree@galabouttheglobe.com