I live in a home representative of the most popular trends in this nation.  For example, one of my sons has moved home to save money after he graduated from college as he pursues the job of his dreams. My husband and I opted to trade in our Lexus RX SUV for an energy efficient Prius. As a family we enjoy spending time together, we have family dinners most nights each week. We share the job of cooking: I prepare most of the meals indoors, and my husband and sons share in the cooking on the outdoor grill. We talk about what is currently going on in the world, we share the highlights of our days, and we discuss our hopes and dreams for the future.

For the past 15 years, we have opted to take family vacations that have imprinted memories in our hearts and minds that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. As the kids are getting older, they are planning their own adventures to explore the world we live in. We all always make time to share together, and some of the best times are the simplest: hanging out in our backyard enjoying the hot tub, the fire pit, the BBQ, and comfortable cozy furniture. But, most of all, we love sharing this experience with our best friends and closest family members.

In the current economic conditions, there are many people just like my family who are choosing to stay at home for their vacation – or staycation, “a vacation that is spent at one’s home enjoying all that the home and one’s environs have to offer,” as defined in the dictionary. This is an innovative way to think of vacations, especially for overscheduled families.

I enjoy planning weekend getaways and socialization in my backyard, especially with the skyrocketing prices of gas. California is one of the states with the distinct honor of the highest gas prices in the nation.

The money that we are saving on staycations affords us the opportunity to spend money where it will last for more than one week, like our backyard. We recently added new outdoor drapes and outdoor throw pillows, we are shopping for a new outdoor rug and outdoor dog bed, and we are planning a big Memorial Day bash with our closest friends and their families. We are also contemplating a new outdoor pavilion, and we would love a Italian-style brick pizza oven to create authentic pizzas like we ate when we vacationed in Italy.

The best part of staycationing in our own backyards is that we can create the outdoor room that perfectly fits our lifestyle, and we will receive many hours and days of enjoyment for years to come. If you love to cook, create a gourmet outdoor kitchen. If you love water, choose a water feature that will give you pleasure, such as a fountain, spa, pool or pond. For people who love sitting around a cozy fire, there are a multitude of options such as fire pits, fire places and fire features. If you want to stay warm, there are outdoor heaters and cozy throw blankets. If you like to entertain, you can add an outdoor billiard table, an outdoor television, and outdoor speakers. If you can dream it, I am pretty certain you can find just the right things for your outdoor oasis.

What does your dream staycation destination look like?