Millions of people fly across the world to wait in line Magic Kingdomride a roller coaster, eat an overpriced burger, and go home sunburned and smiling.
Meanwhile, people live just 90 minutes away and haven’t booked a hotel room in Orlando in…ever? That’s the problem with staycations, they are often overlooked because you don’t have to get on a plane to get there!
But believe me, after basing ourselves in many places around the world and going on weekend trips, I can say that these vacations can be just as fun – and less stressful – than an international vacation.
The feeling of being on vacation has almost nothing to do with distance and almost everything to do with giving yourself permission – to not check email, to sleep, to sit by the pool with a good book and to simply go through the day at your own pace.
Orlando is one of most visited locations in the United States and happens to be a great place to stay. And if you live in Florida or Georgia, you can get it cheaper than almost anyone else.
Here’s how to plan a trip to Orlando that actually feels like a trip.
Why Orlando works better as a staycation than a vacation
Most visitors to Orlando are on a clock. They have four days, seven parks, a restaurant reservation at 8:15 p.m. and a return flight on Sunday. They don’t relax…they have a tight schedule!
For residents of Florida and Georgia, you do not have this problem. You can drive in on a Friday afternoon, do exactly one thing a day, and go home Sunday night without that “we’re on a plane” panic. all in this way we to have go to the water park.
This changes everything about how you should plan. Instead of trying to see everything at once, you can choose…because you can just come back next month if you want!
This also means you can travel during the shoulder season, when tourists usually come outside of school. You can come the second week of September, or the end of January, or the first half of May – when the parks are quieter, hotel rates drop and you’re not waiting in line 80 minutes for a ride that only takes three.
Choosing the right area to stay
This is something to consider when you only have a few days to visit Orlando, and it’s also where most staycations fail. People book whatever is cheapest near the airport, spend the whole weekend on I-4, and wonder why it doesn’t feel like a vacation.
Orlando is huge and sprawling, and the neighborhood you choose determines what your weekend will actually look like. For most people having a typical stay in Orlando, it’s I-Drive or the Disney side – those are both purpose-built areas.
International Drive (I-Drive): This is the resort corridor, it is a long strip roughly parallel to I-4, filled with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, mini golf, the convention center and Universal a few minutes north. If you want everything within a short drive, this is the most convenient base in town. This is also where you’ll find the largest resort properties with the best amenities.
Lake Buena Vista and Highway 192 (Kissimmee): it’s Disney’s orbit. If you frequent the parks with kids, staying on this side saves you a lot of time and traffic each day. It’s larger and less walkable than I-Drive, but accommodation options are more varied. You’ll find villas and multi-bedroom units rather than standard hotel rooms – which is exactly what you’re looking for as a family.
Winter Park is the opposite end of the spectrum. Here you’ll find leafy, historic brick sidewalks, independent boutiques and boutique hotels. There’s nothing theme park about it. If your stay is a grew up weekend without parks, this is the place to be.
Downtown Orlando works if you want the city rather than the tourist version. Discover Lake Eola, Thornton Park, Mills 50, the Milk District. Here you will find nightliferestaurants and real local life.
Where to Stay: Florida and Georgia Resident Discount
Westgate Resorts have properties in both major corridors – on Turkey Lake, near I-Drive, and on the Disney side, near Kissimmee, and Florida and Georgia residents get a discounted rate in each.
Their popular villa-style units feature fully equipped kitchens and separate living areas. Not to mention, there are several restaurants, swimming pools, and more on-site. Check rates for Florida and Georgia residents here.
Things to Do in Orlando That Aren’t Theme Parks
If you’re not planning on visiting Disney World, there are plenty of other things to do in orlando to keep you busy. The city is one of the best places to go in Florida for a reason!
The Chocolate Kingdom Factory. This tour walks you through the grain-to-bar processing process. How cocoa is grown, roasted, ground and turned into chocolate you actually eat. This is a guided tour with plenty of tastings along the way, and you finish by creating your own personalized bar. Click here for more details.
Enjoy the view from the Florida Eye. One of Orlando’s most recognizable attractions is The Orlando Eye at ICON Parkthe 400-foot observation wheel on International Drive. The ride takes about 20 minutes, and on a clear day you can see all the way to the Kennedy Space Center.
Do the downtown thing. Lake Eola with its swan boats is a postcard photo, but the surrounding neighborhoods are where the city itself lives. Check Thornton Park Walkable neighborhood and a great place to eat. On the first Thursday of each month, the neighborhood’s galleries open their doors for an evening of art and live music – with a more local atmosphere.
Kennedy Space Center. An hour east, and one of the most impressive day trips from Orlando you can do. Visit this NASA facility it’s worth the detour. Click here for a very popular tour, transport included.
Do the theme parks like a local (not a tourist)
If you TO DO want parks, do it differently than people who flew in.
Buy an annual pass if you go more than twice. Florida residents enjoy significantly reduced annual pass prices at Disney and Universal, often with monthly payment options. If you plan to visit two or three times a year, the pass beats individual tickets and removes the pressure of “we have to get our money’s worth today”, which is the opposite of what a relaxed stay is.
Go for half days. The tourist’s mindset is: arrive when the rope drops and stay for the fireworks. The local mindset is: arrive at 4 p.m., do four things, eat dinner, watch the show, leave. The evenings are cooler, the crowds thin out after the day-trippers leave, and you go home happy instead of exhausted.
Use resident-only ticket offers. The two major park operators run promotions for Florida residents throughout the year, especially in the fall and late winter. These are often the cheapest admissions available to the parks.
Skip the park altogether and do Disney Springs or CityWalk. No tickets are required. You get free entry, access to restaurants, live music, shopping and a cinema. This scratches the theme park itch for the price of parking.
Tips for Saving Money for a Stay in Orlando
The advantage of a stay is that it should cost much less than a “real” trip. Here’s how you can save money.
Use resident rates – all. Resort resident discounts like with Westgate Resorts, Florida resident park tickets, resident rates at attractions like the Kennedy Space Center and aquariums. A surprising number of places will honor it if you just ask. Be sure to bring your ID.
Book accommodation with a kitchen. Breakfast at home, pack a lunch and eat dinner at the restaurant. That’s one restaurant meal per day instead of three. A family of four eating three meals a day at Orlando restaurants can easily earn $200 a day.
Driving, obviously. The benefit of staying in Florida is that you don’t have to pay for expensive flights, baggage fees, and there are no additional fees. rental car necessary! You can bring a cooler, some of your own food, a case of water, your favorite coffee machine, whatever you need! Even things like beach chairs – and anything else you would have bought or rented at a resort price… just throw it in the car.
Travel midweek. Sunday through Thursday rates in Orlando are often a fraction of Friday through Saturday rates. If your schedule is flexible, you can save a lot.
Avoid peak weeks. Spring Break, Christmas week, Easter, and the 4th of July period are the most expensive and busiest times in Central Florida. THE best time to travel to florida is September, early December and late January – lower prices, fewer crowds and better weather than July.
Pre-book parking or use the resort shuttles. Theme park parking costs over $30 per day. If your resort offers a shuttle, use it.
Establish a “one good thing” daily budget. Rather than tracking every dollar, choose one thing per day that you will spend well on. Maybe a nice dinner, the spa, a special ticket – and the rest stays cheap. It seems indulgent without the hefty bill at the end.
How to Make It Feel Like a Vacation
It’s the difference between a stay where you feel like you’ve gone abroad and a stay where you’ve simply… slept somewhere else.
Pack a real bag. Not a gym bag with a toothbrush. Pack a suitcase like you’re going somewhere. Packing well r makes you feel like you’re going on vacation.
Set an actual departure time and stick to it. The problem with the staycation mentality is leaving at 4pm on Friday because you “just had to finish one thing”. Leave at noon if you can and take the half day. The four additional hours represent a quarter of your weekend.
Turn off notifications. All. Pretend you’re on vacation in Europe. Don’t respond to emails, texts or anything – you’re offline!
Don’t schedule every hour. The joy of staying is that you don’t have to cram everything in…because you can just come back a month later if you want! Choose two main activities for a weekend and also be sure to carve out time for the pool and relaxation.
Eat somewhere you wouldn’t normally eat. Tourists eat at the resort and locals eat at the same six locations on a rotating basis. Break both patterns and go somewhere new! Ask your hotel for recommendations or check Google Maps or Yelp.
Examples of Orlando stay itineraries
The two night reset (no parks)
Friday: Arrive at noon, check-in, pool time, spa treatment, dinner on I-Drive, and finish with a sunset ride on The Florida Eye at ICON Park, which is a five-minute walk from most restaurants.
SATURDAY: Winter Park In the morning, enjoy the Morse Museum and Scenic Boat Tour, followed by a long lunch on Park Avenue. Return to the station for the afternoon, followed by a food tour in the Milk District for interior.
Sunday: Wekiwa Springs early, return home mid-afternoon. Daytime entry costs $6 per vehicle and you need to reserve a slot in advance now, so reserve it before you go.
The long weekend with the family
Thursday: Arrival, stock up on groceries, settle into the villa, resort pool time.
Friday: Sleep and enjoy the resort, have a slow breakfast in the villa, pool until lunch, then head to the park rested around 3 p.m. Half-day park tours work well because you’re not exhausted at 3 p.m….being lazy in the morning to the point.
SATURDAY: Chocolate Kingdom in the morning, resort water park all afternoon, no one drives anywhere else. Dinner at the resort.
Sunday: Disney Sources Or City walkbefore returning home in the afternoon.
The Space and City Weekend
Friday: Arrival, installation, dinner and stroll in the city center. SATURDAY: Kennedy Space Center – it’s an hour each way and deserves a full day, so go early and don’t try to pair it with anything. Back for a late dinner.
Sunday: Walking tour of historic downtown neighborhoods, brunch at Thornton Park, return home mid-afternoon.
Cheap weekend
Arrive on Friday evening, cook all your meals in the villa except one. Saturday to Wekiwa Springs, $6 per vehicle, then to Lake Eola and stroll downtown in the afternoon, which costs nothing at all.
Sunday morning spent at the resort pool, then back home. Cooking your own food, taking advantage of resident accommodation rates and doing free activities will save you a lot of money on your stay.
Final Thoughts
Some of the best trips we’ve taken weren’t the most expensive or the most remote. These are the ones where we really slowed down, where the schedule was relaxed and we had lots of time to be spontaneous.
Orlando is exceptionally well equipped for this. It’s built for visitors, it’s packed with things to do at every price point, and if you’re a resident of Florida or Georgia, you have access to rates that people arriving from any other state (or abroad) would love to get their hands on.
You don’t need a passport. You don’t need two weeks of vacation. All you need is a weekend away, a tank of gas, and a room that’s not yours.
