staycation
noun

- a staycation, a combination of “stay” and “vacation”, is a period in which an individual or family stays home and participates in leisure activities within day trip distance of their home and does not require overnight accommodation

English Oxford Living Dictionaries

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ORIGIN

Staycations achieved popularity in the U.S. during the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and also in the UK in 2009 as a weak pound sterling made overseas holidays significantly more expensive.

Common activities of a staycation include use of a backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals and amusement parks.

However, in British English the term became associated with taking a holiday in one’s own country as opposed to travelling abroad.

In 2020, staycations have become very popular due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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FYI, here are some other "CATION" terms we came across:

- daycation = a day trip or other short vacation that does not require an overnight stay

- naycation = time off from work spent without travelling and without spending money on leisure activities

- mancation = a vacation in which the participants are all men.

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation, say something like:

"Many people are now finding the STAYCATION cheaper and more relaxing than flying abroad."

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SOURCES

- “The Great American Staycation: How to Make a Vacation at Home Fun for the Whole Family” Matt Wixon
- “Rallying call for UK ‘staycation’”, BBC News
- “Staycations Boom Despite Summer Gloom” Sky News
- “UK holidaymakers opt for a ‘staycation’ in the Britain” The Guardian
- “When will we start traveling again? Here’s what experts are saying” CNBC

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Thanks to Sabine for suggesting today’s word!