Staycation
методическая разработка по английскому языку

STAYCATION

Kate                Hello, I'm Kate Colin and today I'm joined by Jackie Dalton. Hi, Jackie.

Jackie                Hi, Kate

Kate                Jackie, I believe you've just got back from holiday, haven’t you. How was it?

Jackie        It was great, thank you - I had a very relaxing time. I did lots of reading and some skiing.

Kate        Sounds wonderful, but these days more and more of us are considering whether we can actually justify the cost of a holiday abroad and the idea of going absolutely nowhere is actually becoming quite appealing. A 'staycation' is a new phrase which is combination of the expressions 'stay'(at home)' and 'vacation'.

Jackie        Well, yes, I have heard of staycations, but to be honest I can't say it is something that really appeals to me because I like going on holiday to see other cultures, to listen to new languages and eat different food. Just to get away from my normal day to day life once in a while. I think that's what holidays are about.

Kate        Well to some people it is, but before we go any further, I'm going to ask my question for this week. Which country is the top location for British people to go on holiday at the moment? Is it                 a) Spain                 b) France                 c) Turkey?

Jackie        Well, I always see lots of British people in Spain, so I think Spain is the number one holiday destination.

Kate        Good answer; we'll check if you're correct in a few minutes. But first here’s a lady who really likes staycations. Why does she prefer to stay at home?

If you take your 2 weeks off and just stay at home and do what you like, it's so much more liberating than going away somewhere new and not having your own things around and having the pressure to explore all this new stuff. It's just a winner; I don’t understand why more people don't do it.

Jackie        She said that staying at home is much more liberating than going away. If something is 'liberating' it makes you feel free and able to do what you like. She goes on to say that going on holiday means that you don't have your own things around you and there's lots of pressure to explore. She says that staying at home is a 'winner' (which means a very good thing) and she can't understand why more people don' t do it!

Kate        Now we're going to hear from someone with the opposite point of view. She uses the phrase 'contradiction in terms' which means to say a combination of things which don't make sense as they often have opposite meanings. She also uses the term 'same old, same old' which you often hear when people talk about always doing the same thing. Listen out for it in the following extract…

Well to me, holidaying at home is a complete contradiction in terms. When you stay at home you know it's the same old, same old and it just underpins the whole beauty of having that energizing break and doing something entirely different.

Jackie        Well, she said that she thinks holidaying at home is a contradiction in terms – it doesn't make sense. She thinks that taking a holiday is about getting away from your usual routine of being at home which she describes as' the same old, same old'. I suppose she's referring to the everyday jobs of housework and shopping and things like that. She says this underpins the whole beauty of going away. Underpins means to give strength or support to something, so here the fact that there's always so much to do when you stay at home, supports or underpins her argument that we need to go away on holiday once in a while.

Kate        Let's go back to the first lady we heard from. Here she gives some other reasons why she prefers not to go away. She uses the term 'peace of mind'. What does this mean?

Jackie        'Peace of mind' is when you can relax because you don’t have to worry about anything.

On the rare occasions that I have gone on a proper holiday, the amount of work you have to do to go away and enjoy peace of mind totally negates the benefit of the holiday to me.

Jackie        She says that all the effort you have to go to make sure you can enjoy peace of mind, negates the benefit of the holiday. I suppose she means that she spends a lot of time making sure her house is locked properly and things to make sure that she won't have to worry about anything going wrong while she's away. She says this negates the benefit of a holiday. To negate means to cancel out the effect of something, so all the worry related to going on holiday negates the good things about holidays.

Kate        Let's hear what the second lady has to say in reply, she uses the word 'anticipation'. What does this mean?

Jackie        'Anticipation' means to look forward to something. You'll also hear the expression 'Groundhog Day'. In this context, this is a term which we sometimes use when referring to doing the same thing over and over again. It comes from a film called 'Groundhog Day' starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, and the film features a man who finds himself living the same day over and over again. Now the expression has made its way into the English language to describe something which is the same every day. So if you have a job where it seems you're doing the same thing day after day, you could say it is like 'Groundhog Day'.

It is like anything in life you either approach it positively or negatively. I think part of the beauty of a holiday is the anticipation. I know it's stressful preparing for a holiday but it's quite exciting too and I think we need it because when we do the same things day after day, life becomes like Groundhog Day and one of the great beauties underpinning that is to go on holiday.

Kate        What do you think, Jackie? Are you tempted to have a 'staycation' next time you want a holiday?

Jackie        Well, having heard both sides of the argument, I can understand the reasons for staying at home but I'm afraid I like to travel too much and I don't think I'll be taking a staycation this year.

Kate        So let's have a look the words we came across earlier in the programme. We had: staycation

liberating

a contradiction in terms

same old, same old

to underpin

peace of mind

negates

anticipation

Groundhog Day

Kate        Finally to the question I asked earlier. I asked you which country is the top European location for British people to go on holiday at the moment.

Jackie                …and I said Spain.

Kate                I'm afraid you were wrong. You were nearly right, but it is in fact Turkey.

Both                That' s all for this week. Goodbye!

10 REASONS A STAYCATION CAN BE BETTER THAN A VACATION

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Easy Planning

One of the benefits of taking a staycation over a vacation is that it’s pretty easy to plan. If you have a week off of work you don’t need to worry about rushing to pack your suitcase and arriving on time for your flight. You don’t need to worry about booking each vacation day full of activities. You already know where you’re sleeping and what’s around you, so planning should be a piece of cake.

Little to No Travel Costs

Another benefit of taking a staycation is that you eliminate travel costs that usually go along with vacations. You don’t have to worry about paying outrageous airline or hotel prices.

No Time Lost Traveling

Additionally, a staycation means that you don’t have to worry about booking an extra day to travel to your destination. There’s nothing worse than planning a one or two-week vacation only to realize you lose one or maybe two days because or airline flight times.

No Travel Stress

Traveling can be a lot of fun, but it can also be stressful. You need to make sure you check in and out of the hotel at the correct times, that you don’t miss your flight or mess up your itinerary, and that you don’t leave anything behind. You also want to make sure that you make the most of your trip and see everything there is to see at whatever location you choose. A staycation shouldn’t stress you out at all since the most you’ll have to worry about is how to keep yourself entertained.

Inexpensive

Many people have opted for staycation due to the rising cost of vacations or because they’re on a limited financial budget. Staycations can be pretty cheap especially if you choose to spend your vacation at home watching movies, catching up your reading, or going to movies or dinners out. Even if you go to a big event such as a sports game, a theatre show, or an amusement park you’re still saving money. Had you done those same events on your travel vacation, you would have been saying the same price but you would have also been paying for airfare and hotel accommodations as well.

Explore Your Town, City

Have you always wanted to go to a certain museum or take a certain tour of your city but have never found the time? Even if you’ve lived in the same city for years, there are probably places you’ve never even visited.

Catch Up on Activities

Is there a book you’ve been meaning to read for years? Maybe you’ve put off painting your dining room because you haven’t had time. Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to start a garden but had no free days to start the project. A staycation can be the perfect time to catch up on any hobbies, activities, or projects you’ve been meaning to do.

Relaxing

If you’re constantly stressed out by work, family obligation, financial problems, or other issues, then a staycation could be exactly what you need to relax. Sometimes there’s nothing better than relaxing to give you a fresh start and vacations are too often about seeing sights and cramming too many things into one day or one trip.

Comfort of Your Own Home

You can relax and enjoy your vacation from the comfort of your own home. You won’t need to deal with sleeping on a lackluster hotel bedroom or trying to find a decent place to eat. Sometimes there’s no better place than your own home when you want to just sit back and relax.

Set Your Own Pace

Taking a staycation also means that you’re not bound by a strict schedule. Many cruises or group tours don’t allow time for you to do what you want and you’re rushed along from location to location. A staycation lets you set your own pace.