Step up your summer staycation with these 5 apps and sites
Summer is finally here and if your plans have you sticking close to home, you can still fill your 'Gram with plenty of fabulous experiences.
"Good Morning America" has rounded up the new -- and new-ish -- sites and apps to step you your summer staycation. From off-the-beaten path tours to day passes to high-end hotels, you can have the summer vacation of a lifetime, no airfare required.
Swimply
You’re sweltering hot and you’re dreaming of a swim. Only trouble is you don’t have a pool. Or you want to host an epic pool party but again, that pesky detail of not having a pool.
Enter Swimply: the first online marketplace where people can rent pools by the hour. The site launched in 2018 and there's an app coming this summer. Select your date and time, number of people and search for a pool in your area. 20 states currently have pool listings and the company says more are being added every day. Many come with changing areas, hot tubs and BBQ grills.
Airbnb Experiences
No overnight stay required! Be a tourist in your hometown with an Airbnb expert – from hiking an yoga outings to surfing lessons, to photo shoots and pizza and sandwich tours, there’s thousands of experiences to choose from in your own backyard. Bake with a Michelin-starred chef? Yes please.
Here's how it works: On the Airbnb homepage, scroll about halfway down and click on "Experiences" and type in your city of choice. The experiences are sorted by both theme -- food & drink, photography, wellness, etc -- and by rating. Prices and ratings are clearly displayed. A calendar will show you on which dates the experience if offered.
Daycation
Available in 15 markets in the US and Caribbean, Daycation's just-launched app features showcases a big expansion, from just 10 properties to 50 in the last three months.
Daycationers -- non-overnight guests including locals and travelers -- download the app, explore the participating hotel properties, and pay a fee to spend the day enjoying the amenities including the pool, spa, and gym or participating in an experiences at host hotel, for example, a mediation class. Hotels also have a way to manage Daycation and see guests arriving that day and manage the crowds.
Resortpass
Resortpass works similarly to Daycation. Available in 65 U.S. cities, the site sells pool and spa passes at 170 local hotels, with a projected 300 total by the end of the year.Travelers -- or locals -- can access amenities like the rooftop pool at the W Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles for $15 per day, a spa pass at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island for $80 or a cabana at Orlando's Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress for $250.
Great Wolf Lodge
Though these are specific to this resort chain, it's new and nationwide. The Waterpark Day Pass Program costs $50 per person and is only bookable at greatwolf.com. Passes must be booked one day in advance. Perfect for a rainy day, families can visit the indoor water parks from 10 a.m. until closing time. There are 17 locations around the U.S.
