Media Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler, carmen.chandler@csun.edu, (818) 677-2130
As the cost of jet fuel continues to rise, so do the prices of airline tickets. The prices at the fuel pump are also going up. But that doesn’t mean a weekend getaway or a week’s vacation is out of reach.
The solution can be found a little closer to home, according to California State University, Northridge’s Mechelle N. Best, a tourism expert and dean of CSUN’s College of Health and Human Development.
“People come to California from around the world for a visit,” Best said. “You can take for granted the things that are in your backyard that other people call attractions but are really just places in your community that you may not take the time to experience because you’re home, you’re working and people typically think about a vacation as something that you do somewhere else.
“But you can be home and be on vacation and take advantage of all the things that are in your backyard,” she said.
Technically, Best said, tourism doesn’t happen unless one travels 50 miles or more from where they normally reside and are in a location for more than 24 hours.
“But you could be a traveler. You could be a visitor,” she said. “You could do a staycation for much less than a couple thousand dollars and still get the break that you need.”
While the prices of plane tickets and gas may seem to put a long-weekend getaway to the Bay Area out of reach, Best said travelers might consider taking a train, “which can be a lot cheaper than a plane ticket if you want that experience away from home but don’t want to spend a fortune to do it.”
If that’s still a bit much, Best said vacationing from home may be the answer.
“People travel to Europe to see art, but we have great art here in Los Angeles at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), the Getty and countless other museums and art galleries across the area,” she said. “You can stand on the Getty patio and see amazing view of Los Angeles and feel like you’re in a different space. A number of Los Angeles institutions offer free shows and free openings during the summer. You just have to look for them.”
If one is looking for respite outdoors, Best pointed out that the mountains, the desert and the beach, which include state and national parks, are just a couple hours drive away.
“You can have a wonderful time in Southern California without ever stepping on a plane,” she said.
You just need to remember that you are on vacation, Best said.
“When you plan a vacation, you usually plan an itinerary,” she said. “Maybe you don’t want it too packed. Maybe you want it packed. You want to do something different every day. You think about what you are going to wear, what you’re going to take. Let that shape your vacation from home.
“For many of us, the hotel is the place where we rest our heads at night while we’re traveling,” she continued. “The hotel is not the experience. Your home is not the experience. The experience is what we do during the day. Where we may have dinner and so on. You may be going back to sleep in your regular bed, but you are going to sleep knowing that tomorrow you’re waking up, you’re going out and having a different experience.”
Best advised people on vacation not to check their work emails, even when their “hotel” is home.
“The ‘out of office’ message is to me one of the best inventions ever because it tells someone that I am away, that I am not going to be responding to their message for at least a week” she said. “Take the time to refresh. That is the whole point of a vacation.”
Best noted that some people travel to explore different cultures.
“Even within a state, you can experience different cultures — the rhythm of speaking is different from the person in San Diego or the person from Chico,” she said. “You just have to want to have the experience.”
The key to having a great vacation or travel experience is your budget, Best said.
“The question is, what does your budget allow you to do?” she said. “Maybe all you have is $500, not thousands, set aside for travel. You may not be able to afford a trip to Paris. But who knows? Maybe a trip to Canada may not be out of reach. If you’re open to experiences and it’s about the escape, and not a particular destination, then you could be willing to go anywhere that $500 will take you and you could truly have a vacation to remember, even if you end up staying home.”
Comments are closed.