Lifestyle: 20 Ways to Make a Staycation Your Best Holiday Yet
Staying at home instead of travelling is an easy, purse-friendly way to take a break. Here’s how to make yours happy and restful
Taking a staycation has become a popular holiday option in recent years. If your budget is tight or you’re over queuing at airports, shelling out on expensive accommodation or paying school holiday premiums, the staycation is perfect.
In addition, the money you save by not going away can be invested in making staying at home feel like a memorable break. That’s as long as you exercise some discipline, forget about work and resist getting dragged into doing chores. These 20 tips and ideas will help you make the most of your domestic downtime.
In addition, the money you save by not going away can be invested in making staying at home feel like a memorable break. That’s as long as you exercise some discipline, forget about work and resist getting dragged into doing chores. These 20 tips and ideas will help you make the most of your domestic downtime.
Buy a classic holiday item
If you were flying off overseas, you would have a list of essentials you’d need to buy for the trip. So treat your staycation in the same way and grab some new sunglasses, a nice pair of shorts, a beach towel or new tote bag to help your holiday go with a swing.
If you were flying off overseas, you would have a list of essentials you’d need to buy for the trip. So treat your staycation in the same way and grab some new sunglasses, a nice pair of shorts, a beach towel or new tote bag to help your holiday go with a swing.
Bring in some flowers
Fresh flowers create real impact in a home, making it look alive, cared for and colourful. Buy simple blooms that you can heap into a jug, or pick wildflowers when out on a country walk and pop them by your bed or in the kitchen.
See more artful ways to display fresh flowers
Fresh flowers create real impact in a home, making it look alive, cared for and colourful. Buy simple blooms that you can heap into a jug, or pick wildflowers when out on a country walk and pop them by your bed or in the kitchen.
See more artful ways to display fresh flowers
Play your favourite tunes
Music boosts your mood and puts you in a relaxed, holiday state of mind. Take the opportunity while on staycation to listen to lots of music and put together a few beachy, summery playlists, too, while you’re off.
Music boosts your mood and puts you in a relaxed, holiday state of mind. Take the opportunity while on staycation to listen to lots of music and put together a few beachy, summery playlists, too, while you’re off.
Salute the sun in the garden
Make the most of your time off and any good weather by taking activities usually reserved for indoors outside. Try some yoga in your garden or t’ai chi in the local park.
Book a personal trainer
Alternatively, book a yoga teacher or personal trainer to come to your house and give you and some friends a tailored workout.
Make the most of your time off and any good weather by taking activities usually reserved for indoors outside. Try some yoga in your garden or t’ai chi in the local park.
Book a personal trainer
Alternatively, book a yoga teacher or personal trainer to come to your house and give you and some friends a tailored workout.
Get outside
Use your staycation to make the most of the great outdoors, especially if your job confines you to an office or keeps you indoors most of the time.
Even if you don’t have a large garden, enjoy being outside at any opportunity. Drink your morning coffee alfresco, sip a glass of wine in the evening on the terrace or just sit with a book for a break. And if the weather is cool, wrap up and get out there anyway!
Discover great ways to make the most of a tiny garden
Use your staycation to make the most of the great outdoors, especially if your job confines you to an office or keeps you indoors most of the time.
Even if you don’t have a large garden, enjoy being outside at any opportunity. Drink your morning coffee alfresco, sip a glass of wine in the evening on the terrace or just sit with a book for a break. And if the weather is cool, wrap up and get out there anyway!
Discover great ways to make the most of a tiny garden
Cook less
Unless cooking is your absolute favourite pastime, spare yourself hours slaving over a hot stove and graze instead on light meals, ideally alfresco. Choose no-cook favourites such as salads, antipasti and gazpacho for an extra dose of summer holiday good-feeling.
Eat out
Alternatively, skip the meal preparation altogether and eat out. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Try lunch in one of the local cafés you don’t usually have time to visit when working.
Unless cooking is your absolute favourite pastime, spare yourself hours slaving over a hot stove and graze instead on light meals, ideally alfresco. Choose no-cook favourites such as salads, antipasti and gazpacho for an extra dose of summer holiday good-feeling.
Eat out
Alternatively, skip the meal preparation altogether and eat out. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Try lunch in one of the local cafés you don’t usually have time to visit when working.
Splash out on a robe
Treat yourself to a brand-new, super-fluffy dressing gown that you can loaf about in every morning throughout your staycation.
Treat yourself to a brand-new, super-fluffy dressing gown that you can loaf about in every morning throughout your staycation.
Learn a new skill
Take a one-day course in something you have always wanted to try. It might be an introduction to water sports at your local marina, or something more crafty, such as learning to crochet or weave baskets.
Check online, in local mags and at your nearest arts or adult education college for a subject that tempts you. Alternatively, simply attend a lecture or lunchtime concert.
Take a one-day course in something you have always wanted to try. It might be an introduction to water sports at your local marina, or something more crafty, such as learning to crochet or weave baskets.
Check online, in local mags and at your nearest arts or adult education college for a subject that tempts you. Alternatively, simply attend a lecture or lunchtime concert.
Arrange an at-home treatment
Rather than invest in a spa day, get the treatments to come to you. Find a local massage therapist, nail artist or hairdresser who will visit your home, and spoil yourself (and a partner or friend) to an at-home treat.
Rather than invest in a spa day, get the treatments to come to you. Find a local massage therapist, nail artist or hairdresser who will visit your home, and spoil yourself (and a partner or friend) to an at-home treat.
Make like a tourist
We so often overlook the attractions in our own neighbourhood, but that means we are missing out. So behave like a tourist and visit your local castle, stately home, garden, museum or brewery. Or take a harbour tour or river trip, join a city walk or even hop on an open-top bus for a new perspective on your home town.
We so often overlook the attractions in our own neighbourhood, but that means we are missing out. So behave like a tourist and visit your local castle, stately home, garden, museum or brewery. Or take a harbour tour or river trip, join a city walk or even hop on an open-top bus for a new perspective on your home town.
Mix some summer cocktails
Tequila sunrises and margaritas don’t just belong on foreign holidays. Stock up on spirits and mixers and you can serve up some luscious summer cocktails at home, too.
Tequila sunrises and margaritas don’t just belong on foreign holidays. Stock up on spirits and mixers and you can serve up some luscious summer cocktails at home, too.
Clear your desk
If you work from home usually, don’t let ongoing projects or a messy desk space lure you back to work. Clear your desk and tidy away workaday clutter, such as bills and admin letters, to help you focus on having a break.
If you work from home usually, don’t let ongoing projects or a messy desk space lure you back to work. Clear your desk and tidy away workaday clutter, such as bills and admin letters, to help you focus on having a break.
Send an auto message
Adjust your email reply settings so your account automatically sends a message that you are on holiday. Ideally, you can then switch off from work, but even if you do sneak a peek at your messages, you will feel less obliged to respond, as the sender will think you are away.
Don’t open your post
Pile all your mail into a box to be looked at when your staycation is over. If you were overseas for a week, this is exactly what would happen, with no harm done at all.
Adjust your email reply settings so your account automatically sends a message that you are on holiday. Ideally, you can then switch off from work, but even if you do sneak a peek at your messages, you will feel less obliged to respond, as the sender will think you are away.
Don’t open your post
Pile all your mail into a box to be looked at when your staycation is over. If you were overseas for a week, this is exactly what would happen, with no harm done at all.
Hire a cleaner
Give yourself a break from domestic chores as well as paid employment during your staycation by hiring a cleaner to give your home a deep clean. Imagine how great it would feel to walk in after a lovely day out to find your home sparkling.
Give yourself a break from domestic chores as well as paid employment during your staycation by hiring a cleaner to give your home a deep clean. Imagine how great it would feel to walk in after a lovely day out to find your home sparkling.
Photograph your time
Whatever you do during your staycation, take some snaps of it. Photographing things forces us to slow down and observe the world more closely, so take time to catalogue your time off, from what you enjoyed at breakfast, to where you went and who you had fun with.
Whatever you do during your staycation, take some snaps of it. Photographing things forces us to slow down and observe the world more closely, so take time to catalogue your time off, from what you enjoyed at breakfast, to where you went and who you had fun with.
Break from the norm
A staycation is a chance to enjoy your home in a different way to the everyday. So give yourself permission to do the things you would not have time for after a day at work or even during a weekend. Make popcorn and watch a movie in the afternoon, take a nap, make a cake or some bread, or binge on a box set.
TELL US…
Do you have any tips for a great staycation? Please share them in the Comments below.
A staycation is a chance to enjoy your home in a different way to the everyday. So give yourself permission to do the things you would not have time for after a day at work or even during a weekend. Make popcorn and watch a movie in the afternoon, take a nap, make a cake or some bread, or binge on a box set.
TELL US…
Do you have any tips for a great staycation? Please share them in the Comments below.
Breakfast is typically rushed and rarely savoured on a working day. So during your staycation, make it a real pause point by preparing some lovely food, brewing a big pot of tea or coffee that will keep you going for a while, buying the papers and listening to the radio.