A stay-at-home vacation, or “staycation,” offers a chance to relax, rejuvenate, and have fun without the costs and hassles of traveling

Ready to plan your very own “staycation?” The benefits of a stay-at-home vacation, or staycation, include lower costs (including savings on airline tickets, gas, and hotels) and potentially lower levels of frustration (no lost luggage or missed connections). Whether you're planning a staycation for a weekend or a whole week, here are four tips to make it a big success:

1. The most important staycation rule is to have fun as a family. Splurge on dinners, local attraction tickets, and even family-friendly hotels. Forget about obligations, must-dos, and voicemails.
2. Make sure your house is in shape beforehand so there will be no temptation to clean instead of having fun. In the weeks before your staycation, get the whole family involved in cleaning your house from top to bottom. You may even want to use some of the money you saved on airfare to hire a house cleaner.
3. Tell yourself and everyone in your family that working on home projects will just have to wait. Your staycation isn't the time to fix a leaky faucet, paint the spare bedroom, or patch your sidewalk.
4. To maximize your ability to relax, resist the temptation to check your work email or voicemail, and try to limit the number of times you check personal emails or text messages, too. That goes for everyone in the family!

Once your staycation is in full swing, why not add a little bit of Florida to it, too? You can create an afternoon of Florida fun just by adding a few elements to your backyard. To set the scene, you'll want to add a few "fun in the sun" elements like a beachball, a small fan, a big towel, a good book, and flip-flops. You can also consider filling up your kids' swimming pool or buying a bag of sand from a home improvement store. Finally, put on a relaxing CD of ocean sounds and pour a glass of Florida's Natural® Brand Premium orange juice with a bit of sparkling water and ice added!

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