1986 — Linda Pender, "Daycations", Cincinnati Magazine, June 1986:
You'll want a back-pocket, getaway idea to pull out when you have a free afternoon and the itch to take off for a while. Our "daycations" are just the ticket to satisfy mini wanderlust.
1994 — Cincinnati Magazine, April 1994 (on table of contents page):
Delights await the visitor to Lexington, Louisville and the environs: A guide to planning a daycation on the south side of the Tristate.
2000 — James R. Lucas, 1001 Ways to Connect With Your Kids, Tyndale House Publishers (2000), →ISBN, page 160:
Consider doing joint activities with your family and your friend's.[sic] Plan an outing, daycation, or vacation (if there is a really close connection).
"Basic, bread and butter core stress-reducing therapies like massage are through the roof and there is a rising trend of 'daycation' consumers who are forgoing expensive travel to seek out retreats closer to home," says SpaFinder President Susie Ellis.