I travel for pleasure. I travel for work. But sometimes I hate to travel.

All the organizing. All the packing. Crowded airplanes. Expensive everything.

Sometimes I just want to hole up at home. This summer I did just that; I took a week's vacation and stayed in Seattle.

It was the first time I'd taken a vacation from work and gone nowhere. It was wonderful. No stress. No schedules. And no big expenses.

I explored places I'd never made time for in my daily working-parent life - such as a Seattle beach, a museum and waterfront walk.

They were more enjoyable than some beaches and museums that I've traveled thousands of miles to see.

The beach? Carkeek Park. It's not idyllic Hawaii . . . just a rocky little strip along Puget Sound, hemmed in by train tracks.

But it was just fine for my 1-year-old daughter and me. We waded in the shallows and chucked pebbles into the water. I gazed across to the craggy Olympics. We waved at the trains rumbling along the tracks.

Another day, I headed to the Museum of History and Industry. It's not the Louvre, but I learned a lot about my own city's past from old photos and displays - everything from the Seattle fire to the burgeoning of Boeing.

Just out the museum's door is the Foster Island nature walk, one of those places I've been meaning to explore for years.

I finally made it there, and meandered along the path's half-mile waterfront tangle of reeds and trees, with its peek-a-boo views of boats churning to and from Montlake Cut.

Granted, these are not places with exotic scenery or culture. But they were fun, accessible and cost little or nothing.

Along with seeing some local sights, I vowed to tackle some big household chores during my homebody vacation - the ones that are left undone in the daily rush.

I attacked one jumbled closet. Knee-deep in junk, I concluded that cleaning closets was not what I wanted to do on my vacation.

I abandoned it; it'll keep. (Weeks later it's still waiting - I just keep the door closed.)

Here's what I learned about making the most of a stay-at-home vacation:

-- Even though you're at home, this is your vacation. Treat it like one. Okay, do one mega-chore, like cleaning the garage, if it really makes you happy.

But mainly, make yourself relax. Sleep in. Be lazy. Do some local sightseeing, hiking, shopping - whatever you really enjoy - in mid-week when everything is less crowded.

-- Be a tourist in your own town. Visit a museum or a neighborhood like the International District. For ideas, get a Seattle guidebook from a bookstore or contact the Seattle-King County Convention and Visitors Bureau (phone 461-5840).

Visitors love the Underground Seattle and Boeing tours; you probably will, too. To be a true tourist, go to the top of the Space Needle.

-- Have children? Line up babysitters and go out for a couple of nights to a play, concert, movie - things you're probably too tired to do in a normal working week.

-- Why cook? A vacation means escaping the daily routine. You can do that, even at home, by getting take-out food or home delivery. And, for at least one night, splurge for a meal at a good restaurant. Spend a bit of the money you've saved by vacationing at home.

-- Plan an afternoon or evening with old friends - the ones you keep meaning to see but never do.

My vacation at home recharged my batteries; now I'm again eagerly planning some out-of-town trips.

Will I take a homebody vacation again? You bet. Especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas, when almost everybody hits the road, you'll find me close to home.

Have any tips on enjoying an at-home vacation? Send a letter (maximum of 150 words) to Kristin Jackson, Travel Department, Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. Please include a daytime phone number (for verification only).