Like last summer, many St. Louis families are opting to stay put this summer to avoid steep travel costs, and BP helped put the kibosh on the vacation plans of many other families who were planning to take a trip to the Gulf Cost. But everyone, especially busy moms and dads, still need a vacation. The infamous staycation has returned to serve many families summer relaxation needs. Here are five quick tips for making your homemade vacation as rejuvenating as a trip away from it all:

1. Institute a start and end time for your staycation- If you don’t have a flight to catch you might miss that signal that you are officially on vacation, so make it official by having a designated start and end time. With an official clock running it won’t feel like just a long weekend, and you may even resist the urge to answer work emails.
2. Declare a “choratorium”- Put the vacuum and dust cloth away for the week. You may not be staying in a high-end hotel, but a week without dusting isn’t going to make your home feel like the place that Clorox forgot. You can’t do the laundry on vacation, and you can’t do it on your staycation either!
3. Throw a party- You might want to do this at the beginning of the week… or even better keep your fiesta outside so your choratorium doesn’t turn into a mad rush to straighten before company arrives. Hanging with friends and family is one of the advantages of staying at home for your vacation so enjoy it.
4. Plan activities and be a tourist in your home town- You could start the day with a tour of Busch Stadium (public tours range from $6-$10 and are offered on days when there isn’t a daytime home game), and then plan an afternoon outdoors game day with hoosier golf, washers, catch, and bocce ball. Or plan a scavenger hunt at the zoo or Grant’s Farm. For the slightly more adventurous you could take a mini road trip to Sedalia for the Missouri State Fair in mid-August. Since you can’t make it to the beach pack a pool bag with sunscreen, water, sippy cups for the kids, snacks, and everything you need to be comfortable for an entire day poolside. Bonus: no messy, itchy sand!
5. Plan a block party- Neighbors sticking close to home this summer as well? Get everyone together, block off the street, and have a pot-luck block party. Contact your local city hall to find out if you can get a fire truck or ambulance to park on the block to let the kids climb and play. Ask the police for permission to block off the street and they may even be nice enough to offer to set up barricades at the ends of the street. It might seem like a lot of work at first, but by dividing up the responsibility it becomes much easier… and may even make a few new neighbor friends.

Staying at home and rejuvenating isn’t that hard- it just takes a little creativity. Think of all your favorite vacation activities and chances are you can find something similar in St. Louis and in the comfort of your own home. Spa day anyone?

Watch me talk to Ken Erhardt on KMOV’S Great Day St. Louis about St. Louis staycations: