It’s officially summer and with COVID-19 looming, it feels we have to come up with creative new ways to enjoy some much-needed time off work. With the world limiting our travel, a staycation can quickly turn into a pile of home projects and no actual rest can happen. With that in mind, we have come up with a list of our favorite staycation ideas and staycation “trips” to keep your time at home more exciting.
Lay down some ground rules for your at-home staycation to help ensure maximum relaxation:
- Disconnect with no phones, news, or social media
- Finish your chores in advance so you don’t have a to-do list in your head
- Don’t feeling guilty for relaxing!
Staycation at-home
Staycation relaxation
- At-home spa day – who doesn’t love a day at the spa? Turn your bathroom into its own spa and create full relaxation with bath bombs, candles, and relaxing music. Kick back and relax with a face mask, nail treatments, a long bath, & water with cut up fruit (or wine.)
- Try and make your favorite vacation drink – do you always have a pina colada when you hit a resort? Grab a blender and check out this 3-ingredient pina colada recipe. Nothing says vacation like a drink you never normally drink at home.
Staycation splurge
- If it’s in the budget – plan to have a cleaner come in and do a deep clean of your house. This will allow you the ultimate relaxation during your time off!
- Double down by having a few dinners delivered so you don’t have the work of cooking & doing dishes for every single meal.
- Vacation book – nothing defines a good vacation like a cheesy novel you only take the time to read during a trip. Put these books out in plain sight, grab that pina colada, and you’ll quickly forget anything you “should have” been doing on this Wednesday afternoon.
- Mandy’s Quarantine Picks: Untamed by Glennon Doyle & Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Staycation food!
- Movie night complete with a themed snack menu – Whether you love Harry Potter (like us!) or are a sucker for rom-coms, line up a few movies and create some snacks to go with them! We found some fun HP snacks for our movie nights to enjoy.
- Make a brunch spread – who doesn’t love brunch? It was something we often did with friends or family and enjoyed trying out new brunch specialties. We realized it wasn’t something we often made at home but why not? Here are 60 brunch ideas from Love and lemons.com
- Picnic indoors (or outdoors!) – a picnic can be a really fun way to break out of a normal routine. Setting up blanket with a bunch of pillows on the ground paired with your favorite sandwiches and snacks can make for a fun afternoon. Maybe grab a deck of cards or your favorite book for ultimate relaxation.
Staycation "trips"
Understanding restrictions is an important note here. Counties, cities, and states are all at different levels of opening, so it is extremely important to plan ahead and make sure you are safe.
- Camping is one of those activities that pulls many out of their comfort zone. It gives a true sense of disconnection, clarity, and peacefulness. If you’re new to camping, find a campsite that has showers & bathrooms so you feel more comfortable. It will also allow you to relax a bit more. You could even invite a couple friends and still follow social distancing guidelines!
- Head to a park – there are city, state, and national parks that are open and ready for you to explore. Many offer activities such as tubing or ropes courses that can be a fun new experience with friends or family.
- A beach – need I say more? Beaches are the classic fun-in-the-sun activity. Don’t live near a beach? Pools are always great too!
Staycation exercise
- Bike Riding – we have taken to bike riding a few times a week and absolutely love it. We are exploring new trails, checking out new areas, and getting exercise! Win-win.
- Activities on the water – kayaking, paddling boarding, jet skiing, tubing and more! There are lots of fun water activities that can also give you some great exercise. Explore your local rental spots and find a new fun hobby.
Try Something New this Staycation
- Tourist in home town – your town is full of its own unique history that you’ve likely never explored. Dig into the archives and find what makes your town special.
- Geocaching – – this has been around for a while, but geocaching is a fun way to go on a real-world treasure hunt. If you haven’t tried this before, check out this site to learn more!
- Road Tripping – Pick a spot that you’ve always meant to check out and take a day trip! If you’re comfortable, you can also stay in a hotel and make it a multi-day trip
A staycation can offer lots of options, this is just a start! With COVID-19 still in full swing, it’s important to make sure all of these options are safe for you and your family. Enjoy making your staycation as great as your normal vacations!
Cheer’s to Chasing Our Compass!
