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Holiday Inn invites everyone to go on a real vacation, but to do so closer to home by exploring your home state. With family budgets being tight the idea of a lavish vacation is unreasonable, but a staycation lacks the true feel of getting away from your normal responsibilities and surroundings. The solution? A state-cation.
What is a State-cation?
A vacation within your home state. This means you take a road trip to a neighboring city or perhaps the other side of the state, but either way, you get away and see the best of what your home state has to offer. The advantages of a state-cation mean you can skip the hassles of airline travel, the limits on luggage, the various extra fees, and the expense of a rental car, among many other long distance travel frustrations and budget busters. On the flip side, going on a state-cation instead of a staycation provides a genuine vacation experience that includes the pleasure of staying in a hotel. This includes having someone else clean up the room, which is a vacation necessity for any mom who needs a break! A hotel can also provide a more romantic atmosphere for a couple escaping the stresses of everyday life. Furthermore, on a state-cation being far enough away that your vacation can’t be interrupted with local concerns makes for a true change of pace. Plus getting a change of scenery provides excitement and rejuvenation.
Holiday Inn Re-launch
The biggest hotel re-launch in history, Holiday Inn is in the process of “refreshing” over 3,300 of their hotels around the world to reflect their new contemporary image. Their changes include:
- The logo and hotel signs have been changed to a modern look.
- To provide the best comfort each guest is provided two pillows, one soft and one firm (which is embroidered on the edge of the pillow case) so you can choose which works best for you.
- New crisp, white bedding and a double-layered, sheeted comforter.
- Upgraded showers with specially designed shower heads that provide superior pressure and a curved shower rod to give you more room and light in the bathtub.
- Bath & Body Works amenities that complement the Holiday Inn supplies.
- The employees undergo the “Stay Real” training program so you will be treated like a real person, not just a number.
- Plus numerous additional touches that vary per hotel location. (The hotel I stayed in had free popcorn and cookies in the lobby in the evening.)
My State-cation
Holiday Inn provided me with the opportunity to experience my own state-cation so I could give my review. The opportunity had great timing since it provided my husband and I the chance to celebrate our 2-year wedding anniversary with a trip to Austin, Texas. Holiday Inn provided us with 2 nights in their Austin North Central hotel and they gave us a gift card to help with the cost of food and gas. We were so excited to take a real vacation because every trip we’ve been on has been to visit family or attend a wedding. Even our honeymoon wasn’t much of a trip as we simply spent a couple of nights in a low-cost hotel before moving to Texas. And since we have only lived in Texas for a couple of years, we were also very excited to get to know our home state better.
Our state-cation was fantastic! The Holiday Inn was such a nice hotel, much nicer than we expected for their reputation as being affordable. Exploring Austin was a lot of fun. We ate at a Texas Land and Cattle Steak House, toured the Texas Capitol building, learned about the state at The Texas State History Museum, and we went on a sunset boat tour and watched the famous Austin bat colony emerge from the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk (over a million Mexican free-tailed bats live under this bridge, the largest urban bat colony in North America). You should watch the video to see all the fun we had. There was so much to do! It felt like we got a whole week’s worth of events into just a weekend. Plus, traveling about 4 hours away from home and exploring an area that we barely knew made this into a real vacation. We also got to know our state so much better and we are full of Texas pride! It was exactly the break we needed and we came home refreshed. Both my husband and I highly recommend taking a state-cation. You get all the benefits of a real vacation with it still being affordable.
Win Your State-cation
Holiday Inn is giving one lucky TotallyHer reader:
- 1 Free Night in a Holiday Inn Hotel
You’ll get to choose which Holiday Inn Hotel is best for your state-cation plans.
How to Enter:
- Leave a comment below
- Extra Entry: Re-tweet this article and leave a comment about your re-tweet.
- Extra Entry: Post this article on Facebook, then leave a comment below to let us know.
Limit: 3 entries per user
Giveaway ends December 15th.
Good Luck!
Plan Your State-cation
With the holiday season coming up and family getting time off of work and school, there is no better time to plan your state-cation. So enjoy exploring your home state while spending time with your loved ones!
(P.S. A state-cation is a great way to keep the kids busy while they’re home from school or to spend time with the in-laws without them having to stay in your house!)
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November 16th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I would LOVE to take advantage of that, specially since I live in FL! =)
November 16th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1354681984
November 16th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
When I was a little girl my grandmother worked at Holiday Inn in Arlington Tx. I always loved to go there and look at the pool. Now when I stay at Holiday Inn it brings back the memories of her when she was here.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
This would be an amazing opportunity to explore my state of Florida more! I would love to win this ♥
November 16th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Man do I need a staycation!Im a Mom of 6 an grandmother of 5 an still have a teenager at home an just want to go away with my husband for one night alone ,no phone,no nothing!
November 16th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I tweeted;http://twitter.com/vickiecouturier/status/5775169622
November 16th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
This would be so fun….we live in florida and there are plenty of places we have yet to explore….
November 16th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I posted on facebook;Vickie Couturier @totallyher Holiday Inn State-cation & Giveaway – TotallyHer.com http://bit.ly/2PASVS
November 16th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Posted article on facebook….the world needs to know about this contest…lol
November 16th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by TotallyHer and Vickie L Couturier, Sarah Eve. Sarah Eve said: Check out the Holiday Inn State-cation giveaway! http://bit.ly/4pD1KK [...]
November 16th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
This would be a blesssing! thanks!
November 16th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
I retweeted!!! thanks! (id- aSSload)
November 16th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I would love to see more of PA, there is so much I haven’t seen.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
So fun… would love a getaway in NY, especially since we just spent the past couple of weeks fighting the flu. A break is in order!
November 16th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
What a fun opportunity! I haven’t had a vacation for over a year because of a rough twin pregnancy & my newborns. I could “get away” to somewhere nearby, I think. I’d like to see Tucson, AZ.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
RT the contest. Thanks!
November 17th, 2009 at 10:05 am
This would be so fun to win!
tiramisu392 (at) yahoo.com
November 18th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Oooh- I would go to Niagara Falls, that would be so wonderful! Be in a New-York-State-Cation-Of-Mind!
November 20th, 2009 at 10:02 am
always a nice stay at Holiday Inn
November 21st, 2009 at 5:39 pm
This would be great to win – I’d probably head to the NC beach!
November 21st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I retweeted – thanks!
November 21st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I’m really needing a staycation right now. And being in Florida works to my advantage. All I need next is the hotel. Holiday Inn perhaps?
November 24th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
A state-cation would be perfect!
November 25th, 2009 at 1:19 am
I really need it.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:20 am
I tweeted:
http://twitter.com/donnak4/status/6042757093
November 26th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
A staycation would be a great chance to spend some time with my sweet hubby, I know there are many places close to home (driving distance) that would be so nice to see!
November 29th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
love the inn
November 30th, 2009 at 9:03 am
[...] part of the Holiday Inn State-cation promotion, I got to stay in a newly “refreshed” Holiday Inn hotel in Austin, TX. I must admit, to me the [...]
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I love Holiday Inn. Just went there for my son’s birthday-I would love to getaway and spend a night for mine!
December 7th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
[...] State-cation [...]