The sun, the sea, and your bare feet in the sand- sounds nice, doesn’t it? Even though this is a really nice picture of relaxation, it’s not the only way to find peace after a whole year of working hard like most ads and media will have you believe.
Sometimes, all a person needs is the comfort of their own for a few days. Your staycation can end up being even more relaxing than travelling somewhere. After all, who wants to deal with jet lag, inevitable travel stress and family fallouts, and potential sunburn?
All you have to do is create the right environment at home, and you’ll be on vacation in half the price and zero the stress.
Simple Staycation Tips
1. Go off the grid
It seems that we’re constantly surrounded by people and reminders today. Do this, go there, meet them, see that…Even though this is exciting in the beginning, it gets old pretty soon. No matter how extroverted you are, you have to admit that being bombarded by various information constantly only tires you out.
This staycation, go off the grid. Turn off your alarms, reminders, and your answering machine. Limit your online presence, and take some time to yourself.
The world won’t end just because you went off the grid for a while. Let yourself sleep in, don’t arrange meetings with friends if you don’t feel like it, and don’t feel guilty about just wanting to breathe.
The highlight of your staycation will be sipping your coffee in peace, without anything ringing to get you up and moving. Close your eyes, listen to the nature around you, and just relax.
2. Drink tropically
Just because you’re not on the beach doesn’t mean you can’t drink tropically. Your local grocery store carries all the perfect ingredients for fun summer cocktails. It would be a shame to pass up with opportunity. Take a look online and find some recipes you like, then don’t be afraid to get creative.
Try as many kinds of new fruit and alcohol combinations that you like and let your taste buds discover a whole new world. Who knows, you might even find a new favourite cocktail.
If fruity drinks aren’t your thing and you’d rather stick to the true and classy, you can always experiment with wine. The internet is full of information, so use it to discover how certain wines differ from others and go all out. Sophistication starts with a little degustation.
3. Have the house cleaned
Vacations are all about relaxing and letting someone else handle the workload. When you’re at home, though, it doesn’t seem like you can enjoy your staycation when the whole place is a mess.
No matter how tidy you are, you have to admit that the place simply isn’t as clean as it could be. Instead of spending your staycation cleaning your home, treat yourself. You deserve to rest- after all, you’re on vacation.
In that spirit, you can hire someone else to clean the place up for you. This should be done at the beginning of the staycation so that you can enjoy your clean and fresh home every day. Take a stroll, buy some ice cream, and let the professionals do their job.
You’ll come back to a whole new world of tidy and clean. Who knew that having a spotless house could be so rewarding when you’re not the one doing the work?
4. Invest in a relaxation area
Spending tons of money on vacations can seem like a huge waste. You’re only getting that experience once but you have to pay a fortune for it. It’s much more sensible to invest that money in a relaxation area at home that you can use time and time again. It can very well be incorporated into your living room or bedroom, making it even easier to create.
Investing in a relaxation area means prioritizing health care and opting for massage chairs, spa treatments, scented candles, and maybe even a surround sound system. The massage chairs are great for releasing tension and relaxing your body, while the spa treatments will make you feel rejuvenated and ten years younger.
The scented candles are there to further relax your senses while the surround system leads your brain to serenity. This is a mix of good feelings and excellent health care that’s only missing one thing- stress- and you can bet it will stay this way.
5. Be a tourist
Just because you’re not travelling anywhere this year doesn’t mean you can’t be a tourist. Think about it, with all the places you’ve visited there’s still one that you see every day but know almost nothing about.
Your city has a lot to offer to a tourist, but as a local, you just don’t notice it. It’s fairly common for locals not to see the famous touristic sights in their city simply because they’re used to them. This year, book tours around your own town.
Not only will you get to know your hometown better, but you’ll also see a new side of it. Who knew that the same old boring place you live in could be so exciting? Don’t be afraid to pretend you’re actually a foreigner to make things more fun.
You should also try and be extroverted and make friends while on tour. Who knows, you might even make a new friend from somewhere far away. A little cultural exchange is always welcome on any type of vacation.
Conclusion
It’s time to change the way we look at staycations. Instead of making them out to be something terrible, it’s time we saw all of their benefits. You get to reacquaint yourself with your home, save a few bucks, and finally relax the way you’ve been yearning to all year.
These tips will give you the sanctuary your heart is after without putting any sort of pressure on you to do anything but enjoy your living room cushions and the cold drink in your hand.
