SEATTLE, May 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This Memorial
Day weekend could mark the start of "homecation" season, as
Americans reconsider their summer vacation plans and, instead, come
up with creative ways to vacation at home.
A new survey from Zillow conducted by The Harris
Poll1 finds 38 percent of Americans plan to spend more
time at home this summer compared to years past as a result of
COVID-19.
A homecation, which is a vacation at home, allows families to
make memories and hold onto some summer traditions, without the
health, safety and financial concerns that may now come with a
traditional vacation.
"Our homes have never been more important or served more
functions. They are our schools and our workplaces, and that
can bring stress to our sanctuaries," said Zillow home trends
expert Amanda Pendleton. "A
homecation can bring fun and joy back to our homes and give us some
much needed time to unwind, reconnect and
recharge."
Some aren't waiting for summer to start their homecations.
"Since we have been mostly stuck at the house lately, my husband
and two daughters decided to mix things up by camping in our
backyard," said Jeannie Bohlman of
Bainbridge Island, Wash. "We
sang songs around the campfire until it was time for them to get
into their sleeping bags, and then they read stories by
lantern-light and listened to the sounds of frogs, coyotes, and
owls nearby. It was my 3-year-old's first time camping in the
backyard, so we weren't sure she was going to make it all night,
but she hung in there and had a great time!"
"Our family enjoyed a 'drive-in' movie," said Courtney Lavigne of North Chili, NY, who projected the flick onto
her garage door. "I just wanted to do something fun for my
girls."
"We had a picnic in our living room," said Josh Leblang of Seattle. "Our 10- and
11-year-old kids decided to make a three-course meal for me and my
wife. When a storm came through, we moved the picnic blanket
inside to our living room floor. It was great. The kids felt they
could contribute and the food was delicious!"
Here are Zillow's tips to make the most out of your
homecation:
- Turn off your phone and set an out-of-office notification. Let
your colleagues know that you're taking time off, even if you're
not leaving your property. Extra credit if the message is a
creative one.
- Knock out any household chores ahead of time so they're not a
distraction. It's hard to unwind if you're staring at a mountain of
dirty laundry.
- Save the screen time. Give everyone's eyes a break from video
calls and online work, and instead pick up a good book, play a game
or get outside.
- Plan something special you'll look forward to. Is backyard
camping too rustic for you? Plan an at-home DIY spa day or a dinner
alfresco on your porch with take-out from a favorite restaurant.
Invite friends or family over via video call or in a safe,
socially-distanced visit.
- Take pictures. Like any other vacation, make sure to take lots
of photos and post your pics on social media with the hashtag
#homecation. One day, you may look back on this moment in history
and wish you had family photos to document how you spent your time
at home.
About Zillow
Zillow® is transforming how people buy, sell, rent and finance
homes by creating seamless real estate transactions for today's
on-demand consumer. Zillow is the leading real estate and rental
marketplace and a trusted source for data, inspiration and
knowledge among both consumers and real estate professionals.
Zillow's proprietary data, technology and industry partnerships
put Zillow at nearly every major point of the home shopping
experience, helping consumers search for and get into their new
home faster. Zillow now offers a fully integrated home shopping
experience that includes access to for sale and rental listings,
Zillow Offers®, which provides a new, hassle-free way to buy and
sell eligible homes directly through Zillow; and Zillow Home Loans,
Zillow's affiliated lender that provides an easy way to receive
mortgage pre-approvals and financing. Zillow Premier Agent
instantly connects buyers and sellers with its network of real
estate professionals to help guide them through the home shopping
process. For renters, Zillow's innovations are streamlining the way
people search, tour, apply and pay rent for leased properties.
In addition to Zillow.com, Zillow operates the most popular
suite of mobile real estate apps, with more than two dozen apps
across all major platforms. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and
operated by Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z and ZG) and headquartered
in Seattle.
Zillow and Zillow Offers are registered trademarks of Zillow,
Inc.
1 This survey was conducted online within
the United States by The Harris
Poll on behalf of Zillow from May
4-6, 2020 among 2,065 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This
online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no
estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For
complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and
subgroup sample sizes, please contact press@zillow.com.
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SOURCE Zillow