Destinations

Why influencer Makaia Carr loves staycations

Why drive five hours when you can drive 15 minutes, says the popular influencer.
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How many of us have spent an entire year looking forward to a family holiday, only to feel like we never left town within a week of coming back?

And then there’s the fact we had to drive for two days to get there and back… now the year stretches on endlessly ahead with nothing much to look forward to… and so on.

While family holidays are certainly not to be knocked, social influencer Makaia Carr has found a smarter, cheaper and more practical way to regularly destress with her family: staycations.

Makaia, husband Jason, and their kids Gabe, 19, and Jana-Lee, 12, regularly hit the road and travel for up to 15 minutes to a hotel within Auckland they’ve never been to before.

“We try and find somewhere locally, with a pool and great restaurants – and we always take a digital detox,” she explains in our video, above.

Makaia Carr is a big advocate of staycations – there’s no time wasted in travelling to your destination and you feel like you’ve had a complete change of scene, she enthuses.

Makaia’s regular staycations have meant she has probably explored more of Auckland than most, which is why she has joined the team at Avani Metropolis Auckland Residences on Kitchener Street in Auckland City as an online tour guide.

Guests can contact Makaia and other Auckland insiders via Facebook message to find out the best places to eat, go for coffee, or experience the local culture.

In this video Makaia explains how the service works and also lists some of her favourite weekend haunts.

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