14 Ideas for Being a Tourist in Your Own Town When a Vacation isn’t in the Budget

Can’t go anywhere this holiday? Here are some tips to enjoy your own town from a fresh perspective.

How do you get that holiday feeling when a holiday isn’t in the budget?

Otherwise known as the infamous staycation, staying at home is something we’re all a little tired of, post 2020, but also something many of us have to do because of budget constraints.

While the great thing about a vacation away is that you escape the mundaneness of everyday living, staycationing is trying to reproduce that refreshed an re-energised feeling without actually travelling or spending a lot of money.

We don’t travel a lot because, you know, money. So here are my staycation tips that I’ve found helpful over the years.

How to Feel Refreshed Even When You’re Not Going Away

While it can be tempting to spend the whole time off work vegging in front of Netflix, I’ve found that doing that just makes me feel worse in the end.

It’s relaxing, sure, and good to do for a day, but it’s not restorative.

Vegging doesn’t fill your cup.

The things that I’ve found restorative over the years include:

1. time out of the house
2. a break from routine
3. discovering new things

1. Time Away From the House

I don’t know about you, but my house is packed full of ‘shoulds’.

I should wash the dishes. Should vacuum the floor. Should sort the third drawer down in the kitchen.

The beauty of a vacation is you escape all those shoulds. You can leave them all behind with the winds of freedom blowing in your hair…mostly, anyway.

Even if it’s just a picnic at the park for the afternoon, coffee with a friend, going for a walk, or staying over at your parent’s place (mine live 1,600km away, but I have friends who do this), that time out of the house is an escape from the everyday responsibilities, at least for a while.

2. Break From Routine

Don’t get me wrong, I love routines. Routines make life so much easier.

But it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and feel the total mundaneness in life when you’re doing your routine for what feels like the thousandth time in a row.

They say a change is as good as a holiday, and while that’s probably an exaggeration, it can help you feel a little refreshed when a vacation is not on the cards.

Ideas might include:

• eating dinner outside or on a picnic rug on the loungeroom floor
• having breakfast in bed
• sleeping in
• taking a different driving route to one you normally use
• visiting somewhere you haven’t been
• trying a different coffee shop
• having a long soak in the bath with candles and music

One of my jobs is writing real estate copy. I often paint lifestyle pictures like ‘enjoy your morning coffee on the balcony/in the garden while soaking up the sun‘ or ‘a covered alfresco where you can dine in the cool evening breeze‘ or ‘a bathroom with a bath, where you can soak away the cares of the week.‘

It occurred to me recently how little I take time to enjoy these “lifestyle” moments—they’re some of the things we dream of when we think of a vacation.

In the day-to-day minutiae, I rarely have time to relax outside with my coffee, have a long bath, or take an evening stroll.

A break in routine is a good time to savour that aspirational lifestyle.

On a similar note, letting go of expectations helps as well. It’s ok that the living room is a disaster because the kids have made a fort out of every cushion and blanket in the house. Climbing into that fort and reliving a childhood moment is good for the soul.

3. Discovering New Things

Humans crave novelty.

Novelty brings us joy and gets our creativity flowing.

But staring at the same four walls—not so novel.

Some of the things I like doing include:

• trying a new hobby
• cooking a new dish
• reading a different type of book

(Really, any book is an imaginary escape from everyday existence.)

Another way to discover new things is to be a tourist in your own town.

My mum lives in a small country town, and last time I visited, we went to a historic house that she’s never visited, even after living there for over 40 years! So, even if you feel you’ve seen it all, there’s probably something new waiting to be discovered. Here are some ideas.

14 Budget-Friendly Ideas for Being a Tourist in Your Own Town

Just like planning a vacation allows you to maximise your time away, planning a staycation can help avoid the whole ‘what are we going to do today?’ doldrums.

So spend some time doing a little research on your home town or city. Check out tourist guides, local ‘what’s on’ websites, the council website, local tourist information places, and Facebook Events for ideas.

1. Explore Natural Attractions for Free

Whether it’s a hike through a local national park, a swim at the beach, exploring a botanical garden, or enjoying a picnic in the park, every town and city has its natural attractions, many of which are free to enjoy.

2. Visit your Tourist Spot

Does your local area have a tourist spot?

You could make like a tourist and spend time exploring or re-exploring the local hot spots. This is especially good in ‘not’ tourist season.

3. Get Cultural

Many major art galleries and museums have free entry to their everyday exhibits, offering a free or low-cost day out. At the time of writing, Queensland has 50c public transport, so a trip to the city and back to explore these free destinations is super cheap and one we’ve been doing as frequently as we can while the discounts last.

As well as major galleries, don’t forget the smaller backstreet galleries and museums—even art shops can be interesting to browse.

TAFE, uni, and some schools also have exhibitions of students work to enjoy.

Many museums that charge an entry fee also have free days once a month. And if it’s school holidays, your local gallery and museum may have children’s activities.

4. Visit Historical Buildings

Historical buildings and churches can be great to explore especially if you’ve read up on the architectural style and history before hand. Some are free, others are low cost.

Or you could just visit the outside of the building and maybe spend some time sketching it, if that’s your thing.

5. Free and Low-Cost Local Events

What free events are on during your planned staycation.

A concert? Night Markets? Festival? Fashion Parade?

Check out Facebook Events and Eventbrite for free and low-cost events you can attend.

6. Book Browse

One of our favourite things to do is browse for books in the bookstores and libraries. And when it’s at the library, you can take books home for free! At least temporarily.

Another ideas is to borrow a magazine from your local library and read it in the coffee shop or park – it’s a cheap way to relax and catch up with your favourite reading material.

You can also make the most of the free and cheap events and activities that your local library offers like reading time for the kids or adult workshops.

7. Ride Public Transport

Leave the car at home and avoid the rat race and use public transport. If you don’t normally commute on public transport, this can be a novelty (I love it, not everyone does, I guess).

Many cities have offer free public transport around the CBD, so you can simply take a ride around the city for free.

8. Local’s Discounts on Tourist Attractions

Many tourist attractions offer locals discount tickets or cheap yearly passes, especially in the off-season.

While it’s not free, it means you can have all the fun, without the cost. I’ve had friends who’ve had cheap yearly passes to the local aquarium, for instance, and would take their younger kids there once a month for something to do.

Sign up to newsletters at your local tourist attractions to find out about discounts for local residents in the off season. Some of our local attractions offer cheap yearly passes for locals. If you go often, then the price per visit can be quite small.

While we’re on the subject of discounts, keep an eye out online deals for cheap entertainment.

9. Explore a New Suburb or Town

Flying to another country might not be in your budget, but what about checking out a café or park in the suburb next door?

The novelty of new surrounds can be refreshing, even if it’s not a full vacation.

Personally, I like to do a little research and check out the best things to see, or plan a walking route to see the best sights. Also, the nerd in me enjoys reading up on the history of the area and learning something new—again, learning something is novelty, and novelty is exciting.

10. Support a Local Sports Team

While big sporting events may set you back a few dollars, you can usually watch your local team play for free.

Even better, you might consider joining the local club. Clubs often have cheaper food, drinks, and entertainment than regular nightspots.

11. Visit the Local Markets

Bag a bargain or view the talent of local artists at your home town’s markets.

I’m biased because I volunteer at our local farmer’s markets, but it can be a lovely, community-oriented way to spend your morning in the fresh air.

Our markets raise a tonne of money for all sorts of worthy causes (cyclone relief, DV support, supporting charities etc), so it’s not only a nice way to enjoy a weekend morning, support local business, and support local charities.

12. Café and Pub Entertainment

Cafes and pubs offer free entertainment for patrons – it’s a cheap way to enjoy live music—all it costs is the cost of a drink or two.

13. Look for Small Scale Productions

Small scale local plays, school musicals, local bands, and smaller playhouses offer value for money over the big productions and are often almost as good as their more prestigious counterparts.

14. Sit, Relax, and People Watch

Another favourite of mine—to sit, relax and watch the world (and people) pass by.

Whether you’re simply observing, or making a mental story about the people you see, it’s a great way to simply be in the world (and out of the house).

A getaway might not be in the budget right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your time off.

Have a favourite tip or a go-to activity we didn’t mention? Share it in the comments below.