A couple of days ago I was reading an article on Yahoo about “4 Common Travel Planning Mistakes That Cost Singaporeans Dearly”, and the author mentions that staycations don’t count as a holiday. What really counts as a holiday (in the author’s eyes) is to get out of Singapore because “The point of going on holiday is to get away from the stress and suffocating congestion of Singapore – and that includes getting away as far as possible from sight, sound and kiasuism other Singaporeans..”
Well, I believe that a holiday, no matter where you are, is something or someplace where you enjoy yourself, being relaxed and just taking it slow or getting to do all the things you want to; which varies for each individual. For the time (and sometime budget/family) constraint individuals, yes a staycation DOES count as a holiday too. The rationale is simple, if your idea of a holiday is just lazing by the pool, chilling out, having breakfast served and just doing the things you normally don’t have time for than it doesn’t matter whether you are outside of Singapore or not... Does it?
Spend a little more and find yourself on Sentosa or even Tioman (for example), where you could convince yourself that you are somewhere out of Singapore (figuratively or literally). I mean, if you are just mostly going to be staying in the hotel and not going out much for your holiday other than eating and shopping than it really doesn’t matter where you are… right? As long as you are happy and have a good time, it doesn’t matter where you are. And if it’s a staycation, you even get to save more (and have a bigger budget for a better room etc…) on the flight fare.
Even if you decide to go overseas, while you might be able to get away from the sight, sound and kiasuism of other Singaporeans, that still won’t spare you from meeting nasty people abroad who behave in strangely similar ways, just in different ‘presentations’. No matter where you are there will be some sort of congestion (unless you decide to head off to some remote place which isn’t well-known to escape people and/or traffic).
Ultimately, it all boils down to your attitude and perspective. If you think that a holiday is an ’escape’ from all of that (and the reality in which you live in), than you will always be coming back ‘home’ more unhappy than when you left and always wishing you could go back. A holiday, in essence, should be something that is viewed as an extension (not an escape from) of your life; where you learn and enjoy the new (and probably sometimes challenging yet fun) experiences, and do it within your means not beyond it. Otherwise, you will only return from each holiday feeling more ‘drained’ than last one.
Well, I believe that a holiday, no matter where you are, is something or someplace where you enjoy yourself, being relaxed and just taking it slow or getting to do all the things you want to; which varies for each individual. For the time (and sometime budget/family) constraint individuals, yes a staycation DOES count as a holiday too. The rationale is simple, if your idea of a holiday is just lazing by the pool, chilling out, having breakfast served and just doing the things you normally don’t have time for than it doesn’t matter whether you are outside of Singapore or not... Does it?
Spend a little more and find yourself on Sentosa or even Tioman (for example), where you could convince yourself that you are somewhere out of Singapore (figuratively or literally). I mean, if you are just mostly going to be staying in the hotel and not going out much for your holiday other than eating and shopping than it really doesn’t matter where you are… right? As long as you are happy and have a good time, it doesn’t matter where you are. And if it’s a staycation, you even get to save more (and have a bigger budget for a better room etc…) on the flight fare.
Even if you decide to go overseas, while you might be able to get away from the sight, sound and kiasuism of other Singaporeans, that still won’t spare you from meeting nasty people abroad who behave in strangely similar ways, just in different ‘presentations’. No matter where you are there will be some sort of congestion (unless you decide to head off to some remote place which isn’t well-known to escape people and/or traffic).
Ultimately, it all boils down to your attitude and perspective. If you think that a holiday is an ’escape’ from all of that (and the reality in which you live in), than you will always be coming back ‘home’ more unhappy than when you left and always wishing you could go back. A holiday, in essence, should be something that is viewed as an extension (not an escape from) of your life; where you learn and enjoy the new (and probably sometimes challenging yet fun) experiences, and do it within your means not beyond it. Otherwise, you will only return from each holiday feeling more ‘drained’ than last one.
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