AIBU to think that a staycation involves actually staying at home?

[cheeseismydownfall]

I have always thought that a staycation is when you take leave from work and stay at home, in your house, taking day trips and generally trying to create a holiday vibe by doing the sort of things that you might normally only do on holiday.

Recently though I have seen it used to mean any holiday in the UK. Surely this is just a regular holiday?!

It started during the 2008 recession when lots of people couldn't afford to travel at all, even within country. It's initial meaning was to stay at home. Not saying it hasn't evolved, but I would only use it for a stay at home "vacation".

Does it really matter?

As long as people aren't using the phrase "holibobs with the famalam" they can call their holiday in the UK whatever they want.

Chloemol - that's one dictionary's definition. Others give a different meaning. Even the dictionaries can't decide!

It's original meaning in the US did appear to refer to staying at home though.

Cambridge dictionary:
a holiday that someone spends in their own country or at home, rather than travelling somewhere else

Now this is maybe where problem lies. That's under "business english" under informal English it has : a holiday that you take at home or near your home rather than travelling to another place

@hammeringinmyhead

I really do not believe that someone who lives in New York who flies to Colorado to go skiing would call that a "staycation" and not "vacation".

YANBU.

This, YANBU

YANBU

YANBU. It's an expression used by privileged people who seem surprised that anyone could actually count a UK break as a holiday.

I wonder what the overlap is with people who talk about minimoons to refer to what is clearly a honeymoon after a wedding, but before another extravagant holiday they want to call a honeymoon 6-12 months after the wedding.

Holiday in the same country. Not your house

I have only ever heard it used in the context of holidaying in the UK, never to describe just staying at home

I must admit I always thought it meant stay at home. I don’t like then”stay” in the U.K. definition but concede that it is correct. A U.K. holiday was just a holiday to me. It does have an air of “oh we’re JUST staying in the U.K.” poor us about it tbh.

Staycation for me is when we do a uk holiday. Staying home is just annual leave.

I love a staycation caravan holiday

YANBU A staycation is staying at home. A holiday is a holiday (including if its in the UK, which nearly all my holidays are!)

YANBU. It feels patronising to me when I read travel articles in the press about people 'discovering' the staycation and then going on to describe the absolute revelation of the fun they have had going on what I consider a luxury holiday that just happens to be in the UK. It dismisses the idea that people going on holiday every year in their own countries have known what they are doing - as if giving it a new word (which has meant something else til recently) means they have discovered it! I either holiday in the UK or have occasional staycations at home where we have planned day trips we wouldn't otherwise do/afford and change our routines. I'm not offended' as such - just irritated by those leading it in the media without actually considering their use of language.

I've always thought that it is this. Seems its been used differently now by many people. As in just a holiday in your home country.

Another vote for a holiday in your home country. I would never say I’m staycationing when I mean I’ve taken some annual leave. That sounds far more pretentious imo

For me it's taking leave from work, but staying at home.

A holiday in the UK, is still a holiday!

I dont use the term "staycation" though. That's sounds wanky.

I use the much more succinct "I'm on holiday, but not going anywhere, maybe have a few days out here and there"...

Lots of words can describe the same activity.

Recently married couple with pregnant wife go away to a local city.

That could be a:
Honeymoon
Babymoon
Minimoon
City break
Weekend away
Staycation
Holiday
Vacation

Etc etc etc.

I’ve never heard anyone use staycation to suggest that it isn’t a real holiday or denigrate those who aren’t going abroad.

It feels patronising to me when I read travel articles in the press about people 'discovering' the staycation and then going on to describe the absolute revelation of the fun they have had going on what I consider a luxury holiday that just happens to be in the UK.

Completely agree. Patronising is the word. Especially from people who usually have another "proper" holiday abroad. I hadn't realised before this pandemic how many holidays some people have (and take for granted that others do as well).

We holiday in the UK. I wouldn't call it a staycation. It's just as much a holiday as going abroad.

It, to me, sounds a little dismissive. I would expect to hear more "oh just a staycation" rather than "oh how nice a staycation".

I suspect people who use it normally holiday abroad.

Staying at home isn’t a staycation for me and I’ve never heard it used that way until I read it on here. Staying it home is just...well...staying at home!

‘Staycation’ for me definitely means holidaying in the same country as your home. Basically a holiday that isn’t abroad.

It's only on the last couple of threads on here I've heard people use the word staycation to mean holiday.

If you go away, then it is a holiday. Sort of by definition.
If you are on a staycation, the clue is in the word - you are staying at home.

I've always used it to mean a uk holiday

Wow I've only heard it to mean a uk holiday on here. A uk holiday is well.. a holiday isnt it?! When I was growing up most people didnt go abroad often but did go on holiday. Noone would think a uk holiday wasnt a holiday.

Staycation was a week off work doing the local sights which you mught not normally do.

I think Id think a little less of those needing a work for a uk holiday as to them people having uk holidays aren't really on holiday!