If we had it our way, we’d be on vacation somewhere tropical every weekend. In addition to that, we’d travel internationally at least a few times a year getting lost in a city where nobody speaks English, wondering the streets and having the time of our lives.

Unfortunately, this is not quite a reality for us…yet. While we wait for the day we become a Paris Hilton socialite, we will have to settle for doing things a bit differently by planning little stay-cations as often as we can.

For those of you who haven’t heard of a stay-cation, it’s pretty simple. You basically spend the weekend or even just an evening somewhere outside of your house or apartment, but still within your city. The idea is to explore the place in which you reside but from the eyes of a tourist.

This is a time to book a night at that hotel you’ve always wanted to check out, a reservation at that restaurant you’ve been dying to try, and go even further by booking an activity that is hosted in your city or town.

Our ideal stay-cation in LA would go as follows:

Spend the weekend at the Montage Beverly Hills. Eat dinner at Katsuya. See a show at The Magic Castle. Have brunch at Short Order in Downtown LA. Go to the Opera.

Ok, we never said our stay-cation would be cheap! We just said it would be local. However, a stay-cation doesn’t have to break the bank, and we’d settle for a combination of any of the things mentioned above.

Sometimes we forget how awesome the places right around us are, and while many of you probably don’t live in Los Angeles, you can still find something great to do within a few miles if you try! And if that means you book it to the closest bigger city near you, we will still consider it a stay-cation. Don’t worry.

-Sasha Huff