20 ways to make your staycation feel like a vacation

If you’ve ever come home from a trip and thought, I need a vacation, then you know that traveling can sometimes be less than relaxing. And that’s where a staycation — a vacation without travel — can help. Staycations may have gained popularity during the recession and slow recovery, but there are reasons other than financial to consider a few days off at home: Your flight won’t be canceled; you don’t need a phrase book; and you can’t leave your toothbrush behind. So save some stress, and some cash, by enjoying a vacation close to home. Here’s how.

Or, make believe you’re in Rome with this Boston staycation

1. Make plans

Don’t just wing it. Choose, then read up on day-trip destinations and make an itinerary for the weekend or week. To make it feel special for kids, take a drive before you “check in’’ at home.

2. Keep everyday life out

It’s a simple formula: Treat your time off at home like a vacation and it will feel like a vacation. Ban housework, set an out-of-office alert on your personal e-mail account, even stop your mail for the week. If you don’t create some separation, your staycation can end up feeling like a really long chore-laden Saturday afternoon. 

3. Set a budget – then spend it

Spend a little more than usual, budgeting for meals, entertainment, and souvenirs. Look at it this way: 79 percent of vacationers surveyed by Newton-based TripAdvisor said they planned to spend $3,000 on vacations in 2012. So go ahead and buy that “I [shamrock] Boston’’ T-shirt. You’ll still be $2,990 ahead.

4. Act like a tourist

Why stop with a shirt? Do all the silly stuff you’ve never gotten around to. Go on a duck boat tour or an Upper Deck Trolley tour (both run year-round, and the latter is offering off-season extras through February 28). On a clear day, shell out the $14 to go to the top of the Pru. Window-shop on Newbury, and end the day with cannoli in the North End. There’s a reason tourists do these things: They’re wicked fun.

5. Get taken for a ride

Save on parking and avoid traffic by taking the T (just plan around busy commuting times — you’re on vacation, remember). You can also hail a cab or use your smartphone to summon a livery service such as Uber (uber.com) or Hailo (hailocab.com/boston).

6. Learn something

You can never go wrong visiting one of Boston’s big five museums — the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Children’s Museum, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium. But you’ll find fun off the beaten path, too. Check out the
Nichols House Museum
,
EcoTarium
,
Fuller Craft Museum
,
Museum of African American History
, or the
American Textile History Museum
.

7. Play car games

If you plan to drive for a day-trip, make getting there fun. Forget those expensive travel games with the teeny-tiny magnetic pieces. I Spy and License Plate Bingo require little more than a few players and an open road.

8. In the neighborhood

Boston is famous for being a city of neighborhoods. Spend a day — or more — soaking up the atmosphere in a new community. Check out the handy neighborhood brochures at cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods.

9. Treat yourself

You’re saving a boatload of cash on travel and accommodations, so why not spring for some luxury services normally reserved for the 1 percent? Drop off your laundry for wash-and-fold service. Take a vacation from meal planning, prep, and cleanup by hiring a personal chef, such as Boston-based chef Lester Esser, whose pricing starts at $250 plus the cost of groceries for four to five complete meals for two (617-512-5114, lesteresser.com
). Or, make couple of small home improvements, trying Handybook.com, a new site (developed in the Harvard Innovation Lab) that lets you choose from a list of fixed-price services available in your area.

10. Get a room

Staying local doesn’t necessarily mean staying at home. Whether you’re looking for a romantic night out or a family getaway, take advantage of special packages.

11. Wish you were here

Send postcards to grandparents and friends. Need some inspiration? Visit the MFA exhibit “The Postcard Age,’’ which runs through April 14.

12. Avoid the TV trap

You’ll be hanging around home, but don’t just sit in front of the TV all week. Try some entertaining alternatives: Theater :
The Glass Menagerie just opened at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. Starting March 8, Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company stages A Raisin in the Sun, while Oliver! runs at the Wheelock Family Theatre, in the Fenway, through February 24. Film: The Institute of Contemporary Art on Fan Pier is screening Oscar-nominated short films throughout February and March. If you’re staycationing because you’ve just welcomed a new bundle of joy, try the “Bring Your Baby’’ matinees at AMC theaters in Framingham, Burlington, and on Boston Common the first Tuesday of every month. Events: If you opted out of a trip to Orlando, you can still see “Disney on Ice Presents Rockin’ Ever After’’ at the TD Garden in Boston through February 24.

13. Choose a theme

While you might not be soaking in the atmosphere in an exotic locale, you can still have an immersive vacation experience by building activities around a fun theme. For example, try a factory-touring theme by visiting the Taza Chocolate factory (pictured), the Samuel Adams or Harpoon Breweries, and the Cape Cod potato chip factory.

14. Pool your resources

Take a dip without taking a trip at these hotels, which offer day passes (most cost $25 to $35 per adult, $5 to $25 kids) for swimmers. Try the Boston Harbor Hotel (70 Rowes Wharf, Boston, 617-439-7000, bhh.com
), the pool at The Langham, Boston ( 250 Franklin Street, Boston, 617-451-1900, boston.langhamhotels.com
), SPA InterContinental (510 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, 617-747-1000, intercontinentalboston.com
), or the area’s two CoCo Key indoor water parks (CoCo Key Water Resort (at the Holiday Inn), 150 Royal Plaza Drive, Fitchburg, 978-342-7100, cocokeyfitchburg.com; CoCo Key Water Park (at the DoubleTree by Hilton), 50 Fencroft Road, Danvers, 978-646-1062, cocokeyboston.com
).

15. Leave your diet behind

Your staycation might not feature boardwalk treats or a midnight buffet, but you can still indulge with a few of the area’s most decadent delicacies: Try Kane’s Donuts (120 Lincoln Avenue, Saugus, 781-233-8499, kanesdonuts.com
); Check out the oversize ice cream cones at Bedford Farms (18 North Road, Bedford, 781-275-6501, and 68 Thoreau Street, Concord, 978-341-0000; bedfordfarmsicecream.com
); Pay a visit to cash-only Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant (743 Washington Street, Newton, 617-964-9200, cabots.com
); Sample 12 homemade sauces on your fries at Saus (33 Union Street, Boston, 617-248-8835, eatfrites.com
); or Belly up to a bowl of mac and cheese at the Silvertone Bar & Grill (69 Bromfield Street, Boston, 617-338-7887, silvertonedowntown.com
).

16. Take the scenic route

Even if you’re heading for a familiar destination, make it a pretty drive. Find the best at byways.org, myscenicdrives.com, and similar websites.

17. Be your guest

Transform your house into a romantic B & B. Go upscale — Frette sheets, organic toiletries — or just visit the dollar store for new hand towels, drinking glasses, and serving trays. Fill a “welcome’’ basket with soaps, lotions, toothbrushes, tea bags, and other items you’d find in a well-appointed guest room. Turn down the bed and leave chocolates on the pillows before you go out for the day.

18. Think globally, cook locally

Now’s the chance to try cooking all those recipes you don’t make time for in everyday life. Hit your local library for a selection of international cookbooks and then hit the streets for authentic ingredients. Find a comprehensive list of ethnic food markets in the area at bostonmuseum.org/bostonethnicmarkets.html.

19. Give back

Use some of your time off to give back to your local community. Hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and area historic sites often need volunteers. At bostonvolunteer.org, you can peruse the calendar of events for no-commitment or last-minute opportunities. Events are sponsored by well-known charities like Rosie’s Place and Habitat for Humanity. “The site makes it easy for people to volunteer and help people,’’ says founder Josh Konoff. For families, the online calendar at www.bostoncares.org allows you to search for age-appropriate events like Kids Who Care Day at the Greater Boston Food Bank on February 20 from 1 to 3 p.m.

20. Eat your way across America

Zagat recently released a list of top-rated restaurants around the country. Skip the multi-city tour and check out local taste-alikes instead. Bacchanalia in Atlanta gets praise from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for its prix fixe menu and “easygoing luxury.’’ For a similar experience, try EVOO in Cambridge (350 Third Street, Cambridge, 617-661-3866, evoorestaurant.com
); For sushi  you can’t beat Urasawa in Los Angeles. But you can’t beat Boston’s O Ya, either. (9 East Street, Boston, 617-654-9900, oyarestaurantboston.com
); A butcher shop and wine bar in New Orleans, Cochon Butcher is a Zagat favorite. Boston’s own Butcher Shop serves delectable house-cured meats and much more (552 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-423-4800, thebutchershopboston.com
).