To Staycate or to Vacate

As a young adult, I am eager to venture all over the world, explore new sights and try new foods. Torn between taking an adventurous trip or my bank account, it seems as though any daring adventures in my future will involve late-night drives through Waianae. I mean, that’s basically the equivalent of daring adventures. Settling for a relaxing staycation will, without a doubt, be a wonderful substitution for a vacation. A staycation practically sells itself.    

Unfortunately, not all of us became 20-year-old millionaires who can hop on a private jet and travel the world for a new Instagram picture. Flying from Hawaii to basically anywhere else is a death sentence to your hard-earned cash. With a staycation, that’s no problem! Just think, instead of buying a $1,000 plane ticket to Italy to feast upon homemade pasta, you can stay home and buy 100 plate lunches from L&L for the exact same price. What a deal! On top of that, our island is so wonderfully small and limited, that gas money would cost $15 at the most. High-fives all around.

If that alone fails to sell you on a staycation, two of the biggest conflicts one must encounter while vacationing is packing and the language barrier in a foreign country. When you pack a suitcase for your staycation, it’s mainly just the necessities. If you forgot your favorite swimsuit or any medication, a simple drive back home in Hawaii traffic will solve that problem in 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic hour. Now that’s something you can’t do while on vacation. As for the language barrier, when you staycate, it’s all the same language. You will know exactly which bathroom to use, how much something is priced, and how to communicate with those around you. How unbelievably convenient and exciting is that?

(On a personal note, just throwing this out there: If I were to get kidnapped in another country, I would preferably like to understand what my kidnappers are saying. But that’s just me.)

If cheap gas, easy packing, and same language still fails to convince you that a staycation is greater than a vacation, then wait until you hear this: You will most likely bump into someone you know. How great is that, you may ask? Beyond great. Nothing says “get away today,” more than going to Waikiki beach and seeing your professor in a bikini or passing by your coworkers and awkwardly debating whether or not to should say hi.

As for the adventures and sightseeing, nothing comes close to the beauty of our island. With the blue skies we see every day, ocean views that completely surround us every day, and the eye-pleasing construction of the rail, there is no where you would rather be than staycationing in Hawaii.

While you debate on how to spend your “you time,” just remember how much better it is to staycate than to vacate. Why would you want to travel long hours on an airplane just to see the lights of Paris or the mountains of Peru? You could travel an hour around the island and see the wonderful characters of Waikiki and the dry mountains of Waianae. Just like I said before, a staycation practically sells itself.