Vacation, holiday, staycation, getaway, and break: What's the difference
What's the story
Most people use vacation, holiday, staycation, getaway, and break in place of each other thinking that they mean the same. However, all these travel and tourism words differ from one another in terms of their meaning, purpose, time frame, and planning. Having said that, let us acquaint you with some basic differences between these leisure terms.
Long and planned
Vacation
Vacation refers to a period of time that you take off from your school, workplace, or home to enjoy a period of travel from one place to another. It is of long duration and could be relatively more expensive. Additionally, vacations are planned in nature and often involve thorough itineraries, as opposed to other leisure terms on the list.
Short and festive
Holiday
A holiday is generally seen as something to celebrate and take some time off doing so. While vacations are planned, holidays can be sudden and are shorter than the erstwhile. Another notable thing about holidays is that it is a common term for vacation in British English. Additionally, these usually involve religious, traditional, and cultural elements with festivals like Diwali, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Home and relaxation
Staycation
A staycation is a subset of vacation but it is more about staying at home. While for some, it means staying in and enjoying their local area, for most it includes short trips in and around their hometown including overnight halts at hotels or homestays. Rejuvenation, therapy, wellness, and a change of environment are the most important elements of a staycation.
Offbeat and nearby
Getaway
Getaway, in layman's terms, simply means an escape. Getaways are usually short and are done at places that are offbeat and near to the traveler's city. With that said, it is a form of leisure that can be planned instantly, involves minimal travel usually by road, and is also less costly than most other forms on this list.
Very short and subjective
Break
A break is a time period that you take off from your daily work or things that consume you. It could span from a few hours to some days, which makes it shorter than others. Moreover, breaks aren't necessarily about travel and are subjective as one can take them by simply staying at home, sleeping, stepping out for a while, or watching Netflix, etc.