Staycation! 3 Ways to Amazing Independent Bliss!

Happy Sunday everyone!  

When you think of holidays what is the first thing that pops into your mind? Is it white sandy beaches or snow? Drinking cocktails on a cruise ship rocking one hell of a sunburn?

I think it is fair enough to say that majority of us think that in order to have a holiday, one has to either go to a different Country or Town.

However, another way of ‘holidaying’ has become more prominent thanks to COVID. That is a ‘Staycation’. Either you holiday at home or you find a Hotel not too far away from your home base, which gives you the feeling of going away but still being in a familiar town.

I have never been one to branch out and try anything by myself. I always thought I would be glued to my parents until I found a partner. However, my Psychologist made it very clear that it is about time I spread my wings and go on adventures by myself.

So, I thought how would I go holidaying alone without any help?

Long story short I bit the bullet and decided that I would spend 3 nights, 15 minutes down the road from my house in a hotel in the heart of town. 10 minutes to the nearest shopping centre, and 2 minutes to the cinema. I could still have my parents around the corner should I need help. And a familiar environment is always a Win Win!

 With that being said, as soon as a got into my room, I realised that this little adventure would make for an awesome blog post, to show you how and why I staycated and why I feel anyone of any ability can do this!

Staycation 1: The question is ‘Why?’

For me I had numerous answers to the question of “why do I want to have a staycation”. However, the strongest answer to this question was the fact that I have never experienced a holiday on my own. Plenty of people have done solo overseas trips, however I was always under the false pretence that I could not holiday alone because of my disability.

Lately I realised that I was not taking the advice of my latest blog post, of self-care and looking after my intrinsic self. My life was getting hectic and I felt out of control. So, I knew that my batteries where dying and I needed a little pep up. Being almost 22 years old and living at home with your parents, you don’t have much space for guilt free R&R, so what better way than to take a little Staycation!

I knew that at some point in my life that I would holiday by myself, however the ducks aligned this time round, so it was the perfect time to give it shot!  

I felt comforted to know that my parents were right around the corner should I need anything, and that for the most part everything around me was accessible. That I will delve into a little later.

Staycation Tip 2: How?

You may be asking how I made my staycation possible, given the fact that I am not your ‘standard issue’ human being.

First things first, being disabled and going on a holiday without assistance was always something that terrified me! The good old ‘what ifs’ slowly started to make is usual rounds in my head. However, I decided that since I was still in town, if it did not go according to plan then I could just call my family and they would pick me up.

However, as soon as I booked my room and realised there was no turning back, I really had to think of the logistics of how I was going to get this to work in my favour! I know a little too late, but at least I thought about things… Right??

Anyway, there were several things that I did to ensure that I was as independent as possible while also being realistic. First, I had my parents help me get into my room, that way I didn’t have to worry about carting my bags while driving my scooter, because that in itself is a disaster waiting to happen. Although it would have made Security chuckle watching the CCTV!

Next, I went through every aspect of my room to make sure I could access everything I needed to. With the toilet situation, I brought my toilet frame from home to ensure that I could in fact be by myself and not need to call my mother saying I got stuck on the toilet… Because let’s face it, that is not a story I want told at any family functions!

I then tried every chair in my room, including the balcony chairs. Chairs for me are hit and miss, anything that falls below my knees are impossible to get up from, thanks to my less than stella quad strength.  With the balcony, I had to stack the two chairs to give me enough height so I could get off the chair with relative ease. The couch was high enough that I could just lean on the arm of the couch to get up. With the dining room chairs, I simply placed a pillow on top of the chair to give me the height that I needed. Sometimes it certainly helps to think outside the box!

With the kitchen, I had my parents grab a set of plates, glasses, and mugs down from the cupboards and place them on the kitchen side. That way I didn’t have to worry about smashing anything when trying to reach them. I also had them open everything for me in my fridge, so I could actually eat!

 I also got them to move the microwave as it was in a location that was too high, therefore too dangerous for me to use. We placed it on the hotplates, (turned off I can assure you, because the last thing I would need is to climb down 5 flights of stairs because the hotplate thought the microwave was a food item) That way I could reach right in front of me instead of above or below me. Safety first always!

The other thing that I had to do to ensure not only my safety, but my parents’ nerves remained calm, was that I gave them my second key card. That way should I run into trouble in my room (ie face plant in spectacular fashion) they could come up and be able to get into my room.

Previously, I would never have gone to all this work just to have a holiday or make life easier for myself. I simply put it in the ‘too hard’ basket and didn’t even want to think that I had to fix things in an apartment.

However now that I have done it, I don’t regret it for a second. It has been nice to have my own space and access everything. The one thing I realised during my time away, was that for the first time in 21 years I was completely 100% independent!  So now I know from now on when I go on holidays, all it takes is a little extra planning and thought to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.

Staycation Tip 3: Self-care Platinum

I think when taking a staycation, you obviously need a goal in mind or a reason as to why you are choosing to go on a holiday like this.

For some it may be a complete pause on life, and a legit holiday. Others may treat it like a wellness retreat.

For me personally it was a bit of both. I have had all of Summer off from Uni but I have been working, so I haven’t been totally lazy and a break was well needed. The other side is because I felt like I needed a bit of a recharge and a retreat to take time to focus on my health in all areas. Okay maybe the food choices could have been a bit better… oops. What can I say! Nothing is better than a alcoholic beverage and some cheese on a summer afternoon!

However, all in all having a reason and a ‘list’ of what you want to get out of your trip is a must.

For me, I had certain goals I wanted to achieve:

1. Read!
2. Facials
3. Chesses and drinks of an afternoon
4. Bible study
5. Go on a walk
6. Travel on my scooter to the shops
7. Journal.

They may seem strange to you, but I honestly needed these elements to really recharge, regroup and refocus before I got stuck back into Uni for another year.

Rounding it all up

One of the things I wanted to focus on this year was listening to the direction my heart. I wanted this year to also be a year where I don’t overthink too much and over-analyse. So when I felt like I wanted to try a  solo Staycation, my folks tried to softly persuade me to do 2 nights instead of three. However, when I sat there about to book, my heart was telling me that I needed 3 nights. At the time I didn’t understand why, but now I most certainly do.

I realised that when you live at home with your folks, what you do when is built around the household’s movements. So I realised that I didn’t know who I was alone. What that means is something I am still trying to work out.

Being so independent allowed me to focus on the things I wanted to implement and change when I got back to reality. First things first, I want to create a little oasis in my bedroom that is completely independent and accessible. Not to say that my room isn’t already, but my wardrobes aren’t completely ‘Rhi’ friendly, and there is storage space I can’t access.

I also found a new appreciation for my aids! For years I was such a moody teenager at the thought of needing to take my toilet frame to gatherings or needing to modify chairs or getting people to help me. I hated the fact that I needed any help. However, this little getaway has truly allowed me to be at peace with my Toilet Frame and Mobility Scooter. Let’s face it, without those two crucial things, I could not have been on my own.

It has made me accept my cards in life even more, but to also hugely appreciate my abilities, and my family’s willingness to help me in whatever endeavour I choose. For them to be so comfortable with me going away by myself, enabled me to feel even more confident in my decision… Yes ok they were comfortable with it after asking 101 questions and our combined brainpower to trouble shoot.

So all in all, I challenge everyone who can, safely of course, take a staycation! Trust me there is something truly empowering from challenging yourself to go outside your comfort zone. The fact that you can prove to yourself that you are capable of things that you never thought possible is something to be proud of.

Have you ever tried a staycation before? Let me know all your tips and tricks!

Rhi xo

P.s. Check out my first post all about cruising while disabled!

https://livingabled.com.au/how-cruising-is-the-best-abled-holiday-ever/ There certainly nothing like going on holidays!

P.s. I created Instagram stories covering all the ‘modifications’ to my room that i mentioned in this blog: To see it go to https://www.instagram.com/livingabledblog/