Nothing beats doing fun activities with your friends and family during the summer. However, many families have had to scale back vacations to expensive destinations due to the poor economy and high gas prices. The term “staycation destination” was created in recent years to describe the phenomenon of families staying home and planning small trips instead of going away for their vacations. On top of little trips, families can make their backyard into a great place to enjoy each other’s company and still enjoy their summer vacations.
Tips on how to make your yard staycation destination
Making A Backyard Hangout
Staying home doesn’t have to be boring, you just have to step outside the box and come up with a few new games or ideas that will make relaxing in your own backyard seem like a new adventure. Families can plan more gatherings and activities right at home by making their backyards into a fun hangout spot. There are several fairly inexpensive and easy to do ways to create the perfect backyard for summer fun:
- Comfortable furniture. Adding tables, chairs and even outdoor sofas can give everyone a place to lounge and enjoy the summer sun.
- Outdoor cooking. Make dinnertime fun with outdoor cookouts for friends and family. Everyone can bring their favorite side dish, and then cook up the main entrees on the grill.
- Outdoor games. There are many games that don’t cost much and can be set up even in small yards. Crochet, badminton and even a water slide can be fun activities for family gatherings.
Adding a few amenities to the yard is much less expensive than most vacations and will last for years. Make sure to turn on the sprinklers and give everyone a way to cool off in the hot sun.
Backyard Camping
Another fun idea is to have backyard camping trips that make it possible to enjoy all the fun of camping right at home. Families can set up their tents with sleeping bags and all their regular camping gear. To make it authentic, adding a fire pit to the backyard is a great idea. At night, you can still have a fire and even roast marshmallows while telling campfire stories. It’s a great way to chill out on hot summer nights and experience the fun of camping without having to go farther than your backyard.
However, even at home, bugs can be a bother when camping. Another way to make your backyard a great place to hang out and camp is to have a system to deter bugs. There are many products on the market that can help make your yard free of mosquitoes and biting flies. Some use insect attractant to lure the bugs in and then kill them. For those that use these types of devices, make sure to stock up on octenol refill cartridges before the summer.
Summer memories are not about where you go but who you spend time with. Although expensive vacations to family fun spots are great, there is no reason that you can’t have a wonderful vacation right at home. By making your backyard into a “staycation destination,” you get to have fun all summer long right at home!