A staycation is NOT a holiday in the UK, FFS!

[FunTimes2020]

I know I am NOT being unreasonable

However if people misuse and conflate words it causes confusion and a lack of clarity when it becomes common use.

Just think about what 'woman' can mean these days!

A better example would be using epidemic instead of pandemic. Epidemic could then mean either global or a specific community through the evolution of language.

@JaninaDuszejko I resisted that example

I would hear staycation and think holiday in your home country. My personal understanding or interpretation of the word doesn't make it correct however, any more than anyone else's opinion who may interpret it differently. Officially it means both...so it means both.

I agree but seems the change in meaning has happened, made more so due to Covid.

In the past I only ever heard people of it used to describe staying home for your 'holiday' and having a series of day trips.

Now it appears to refer to any holiday spent within the U.K. (or your own country.)

I know certainly when I was growing up that was just called a holiday. Every year I went on a summer holiday - it just happened to be in England and not abroad. One year we didn't go away and we went to different places each day - that wasn't a holiday as such but what I'd now call a staycation.

Currently on my way home from a holiday** in Cornwall. That was a holiday bit a staycation as far as I'm concerned! It certainly cost as much as my last summer holiday in France!

then most people have a staycation every weekend and every time they take a sickie, do we really need a word for "staying home"?

No that's just a weekend.

Staycation was having your 'vacation' or annual leave from work using your home as the base, instead of travelling to another location to sleep over for a period of time. You then do holiday type activities from your home base.

A weekend is just that - a weekend.

A weekend away in another city/location isn't a holiday either to me. It's a weekend away. A long weekend away includes Friday and/or Monday too. I think a holiday needs to be a few days, more than just 3 or 4 days away from your home and work.

God why do people care so much?! Everyone has their own subjective view of what constitutes a holiday. To me a summer holiday isn’t a proper holiday unless I have been somewhere really warm and swum outdoors which basically rules out the uk this year bar a few days in July 🙄🙄🙄. Our beach days in the north east involved a biting wind and jumpers. That is not my definition of a summer holiday.

What about people who don't work?

The idea is going something different to the every day normality.

So it's going what you'd do when away from home for a HOLIDAY, but using your own home as the base, in the way you would use a hotel, B&B, tent, caravan, holiday let.

On a U.K. holiday people rarely just stay in the one place doing all the normal day to day stuff - washing, cleaning, cooking, chores, big shop, etc. They're more likely having fun together as a family, going out to see the sights and attractions, spending time on a beach or lovely park area, playing games, going on a bus/boat trip, etc. So a staycation is doing those kind of 'holiday' activities but using your own home as your holiday base.

@AvonCallingBarksdale

There’s a five hour time difference between Texas and Hawaii so you’d be unlikely to call that a staycation!

So my visit to Cornwall is about a 5-6 hour car journey. Or an hours flight when we flew last time. But it's all within the U.K.

Is it a holiday or a staycation?

To me it's most definitely not a staycation.
A staycation would have been if I'd stayed in Sheffield and done day trips each day, round the local area for our two week time off.

So like a normal weekend then?

@Abraxan

What about people who don't work?

The idea is going something different to the every day normality.

So it's going what you'd do when away from home for a HOLIDAY, but using your own home as the base, in the way you would use a hotel, B&B, tent, caravan, holiday let.

On a U.K. holiday people rarely just stay in the one place doing all the normal day to day stuff - washing, cleaning, cooking, chores, big shop, etc. They're more likely having fun together as a family, going out to see the sights and attractions, spending time on a beach or lovely park area, playing games, going on a bus/boat trip, etc. So a staycation is doing those kind of 'holiday' activities but using your own home as your holiday base.

My aunt did that. She had a week of eating out for lunch and dinner every day, with different day trips. She didn't do any housework /domestic jobs for the week. Maybe washing breakfast bowls up. Also kept off SM and emails.

So like a normal weekend then?

When DH and I were growing up - days out were rare treats most weekends were visiting DGP and shopping usually grocery occasionally into town and even rarer nearby city.

Our children do many more days out - I do wonder if it's partly as we've moved so much so new areas have new tourist/historical attractions. but many of their friends have similar childhoods to DH and I.

DD2 was in a huge group of her year group and they were doing Roman history - she was the only one who'd done the local world class sites - even the walkable free ones.

Even we don't do local trips every weekend - about one or twice a month mix with mix of price ranges but it is why old fashioned staycations don't appeal as much to us - eating out and visiting attractions isn't the rarity it was when we were children - though TBF I wasn't wild about staycations in my childhood.

Abraxan

AvonCallingBarksdale
There’s a five hour time difference between Texas and Hawaii so you’d be unlikely to call that a staycation!

So my visit to Cornwall is about a 5-6 hour car journey. Or an hours flight when we flew last time. But it's all within the U.K.

Is it a holiday or a staycation?

To me it's most definitely not a staycation.
A staycation would have been if I'd stayed in Sheffield and done day trips each day, round the local area for our two week time off*

It’s a moot point now but I was talking about a 5-hour time difference, not the amount of time it takes to get somewhere

Aargh, all apart from the final para was supposed to be bold, quoting Abraxan

@MsTSwift

So like a normal weekend then?

Depends what your normal weekends are like. While enjoyable, mine certainly aren't what I would do on holiday.

Ah I missed the time difference.

So if I go to Portugal, which is in the same time difference to us, is it a holiday or a staycation if we use the time difference making a difference?

A holiday is when you take time off work.

Now it appears to refer to any holiday spent within the U.K. (or your own country.)
No need for the brackets at the end. The second meaning is UK-specific.

I.e. in most countries, plus the UK, the word means taking time off and engaging in holiday like activities while staying at home. In the UK only, it now also means holidaying in the UK.

The second definition would be very silly to use in the context of the larger, English-speaking countries. It only makes any degree of sense in the UK because the UK is so small.

Actually, make that 'it only makes any degree of sense in the UK because the UK is both very small and an island".

By comparison, I live in Vancouver (which is in the Province of British Columbia). I could drive to the US within an hour and, if I stayed there a week, that would be a holiday by either definition. However, if I drove 18 hours North, then took a 7 hour ferry trip to Haida Gwaii, not only would I still be in tbe same country but I'd still be (comfortably) within British Columbia. If you applied the second definition, that would apparently be a 'staycation', even though I travelled 25 times longer than the first example. It's fucking stupid.

So, who rang into Ellie Taylor's Safe Space on Radio 4 just now to install on the correct usae of "staycation"?

Insist, not install

@Zenithbear

If stay cation means staying at home and doing trips out, going to local events and places of interest then we are almost permanently on holiday! Having a day out then going home to bed isn't being on holiday in my book. My holiday bar is much higher than that. The first principle of a holiday is not being at home. Otherwise it's just a day off or day out.

It's when you take a week off work for example then do day trips but sleep at home. And do no normal kids clubs etc. You act like you are on holiday but stay at own house

@EBearhug

If I stay in my home for a week and just do the same old stuff, that's just staying at home. If I stay at home for a week, but have day trips to local beaches or other towns and go to museums and art galleries and country walks, and eat out most evenings, then it's a staycation.

Spot on, Take time off work. No routine activities. Day trips. Every year we go away camping / caravan / hotels / glamping etc Those are UK holidays

@AngeloMysterioso

Does it really matter that much?

Yes it does. It's being used by people who normally holiday abroad but have been prevented from doing so by covid restrictions this year. It implies that the "staycation" is a bit of a novelty but doesn't count as a proper holiday. I can see how that might annoy people who can't ever afford to go abroad as it implies that all their years at the Cotswolds/Lake District/Jurassic coast don't count as proper holidays. I also worry that next year when restrictions are fully lifted there will be playground conversations where Child 1 says "I went on holiday to Dorset" and Child 2 says "No you didn't, that's not a holiday it's a staycation" so Child 1 goes home to parents and says "When can we go on a proper holiday?" So yes, it does matter.

I also worry that next year when restrictions are fully lifted there will be playground conversations where Child 1 says "I went on holiday to Dorset" and Child 2 says "No you didn't, that's not a holiday it's a staycation" so Child 1 goes home to parents and says "When can we go on a proper holiday?

‘‘Twas ever thus, though. There’s always someone who’s been on a “bigger/better” holiday. Comparison is the thief of joy. Over the years, we’ve done UK holidays, European holidays, long haul, staycations. It’s depended on what we’ve fancied or have been able to afford at the time. Couldn’t care less what others are doing - that doesn’t affect the enjoyment of our holidays and our DC know that.