John: How did you spend your holidays?
Mary: Oh, we had a wonderful staycation.
John: Staycation? Do you mean ‘holistay’?
Mary: Yea, it is a sort of holistay, a vacation spent at home and our hometown.
Of late, we have come across the word ‘staycation’ used frequently in advertisements and news stories in mainstream media and also on social media. Staycations are rising in popularity not only in foreign countries but also in India due to the ongoing global travel restrictions caused by COVID-19. Ever since the Corona pandemic forced people across the globe to stay home, those who usually spend their holiday abroad or in different places within their countries have decided to opt for domestic tourism.
New words are coined based on needs and necessities. Staycation is a portmanteau of stay and vacation. According to Collins Dictionary, a staycation is “a holiday that you spend in your own home or your own country, relaxing and enjoying leisure activities there”. Though the idea of ‘staycation’ is not new, it has become popular now after the pandemic imposed travel restrictions. Here are examples of how the word is used in sentences:
My family is planning to have a staycation in a beach resort in Chennai.
Live it up with a lavish staycation in Kerala.
Can ‘staycation’ be used as a verb? If ‘vacation’ can be used as a verb, ‘staycation’ can also be verbified. Look at these examples:
They have been vacationing in Maldives since last Monday.
This year, due to the second wave of Corona, we staycationed in Chennai itself.
A person who has a staycation is a staycationer.
During the past few months, the number of visitors to the local museum has increased. It could be due to the increase in the number of staycationers.
The word ‘holistay’, a combination of holiday and stay, means ‘stay at home holiday’. ‘Staycation’ and ‘holistay’ are very commonly used both in British and American English varieties.
Another word that can be used to refer to a short holiday is ‘getaway’. A place that is suitable for a holiday is also called ‘getaway’. It is also a very common term.
The newly-married couple had a romantic weekend getaway in Kodaikanal.
Ooty is a perfect getaway for middle-class people.
