Health and Wellbeing,  Travel

How to have a Staycation at home

September 4, 2020 / 1 Comment
food and entertainment. Since the average visit abroad lasts around 10 nights, the all-in average holiday cost amounted to £380 per day, or £95 per person per day” Not having to pay for flights & accommodation, would equate to a big saving! I also like the idea of a “mini” staycations at home i.e. on several weekends, throughout the year.

Here are some tips on how to feel like you are having a lovely holiday, in your own home- some of which are good for any season:

  1. Get your house “Staycation ready”!

Clean & tidy the house and get it ready for your staycation, the day before it starts. Think about your favourite hotel rooms and get the bedrooms to mirror these. Make the beds and, perhaps, fold down the sheets and scatter some chocolates, or rose petals, over them, before bedtime! You can check out some more ideas on Swoonworthy Styling website. If you like having coffee/tea in your hotel room, you could set up a kettle, some cups and coffee/tea, on a table in your room. I have this in my own bedroom, all year round, as I love my coffee first thing in the morning! You can store some milk, water and perhaps, some breakfast croissants, in a portable mini fridge, which would also be handy for day trips and picnics, during your staycation @ home. Add some lovely fragrances to the house, that remind you of your favourite holidays. These could be tropical, mediterranean, beachside or woodland scents. You can find a great range on Amazon. If you have kids at home, a few seaside decorations would be a good idea.

2. Set up your garden to look, and feel, like a resort

You can easily create a holiday vibe, in your garden by adding a few items, that remind you of places you have visited. Firstly, lay out some sunbeds so you can chill outside with a book and/or a cocktail from your outdoor bar. The Tiki bar, pictured above, has a lovey, tropical vibe. You can add a few matching cushions, drinking glasses and a cocktail making set, to complete the look. You can also create a bar area, on an outdoor table, if you’d rather not buy one. You can find a great range of cocktail recipe books on Amazon Now light some scented candles and add a few outdoor lights to enjoy when the sun sets. If it’s a little chilly outside, you can use an outdoor heater, chiminea or fire pit to warm up!

3. Hire a Pool or Hot Tub

If you are not lucky enough to have your own pool or hot tub, you can always hire one (or both) for your staycation @ home. This particular company, Hydro Hot Tubs, is based in South East England and will deliver to homes in Surrey, Sussex & Kent. They supply a range hot tubs for 4-7 people and 13.25 x 6.5 ft Steel Rectangular or 18 x 9 ft Steel Oval Frame Pools. Hot tubs are available for a minimum of 4 days from £140 and pools for a minimum of 7 days from £249.97. They will be delivered, set up and collected by the company, at the end of your hire period. They will also explain exactly how to use the tubs/pools. For more information about all their products, check out their website: Hydro Hot Tubs. If you don’t live in this area, or country, just google search Hot Tub & Pool hire companies which deliver to your area.

4. Film nights, inside or outside

My family loves watching movies together so we often, grab some snacks/drinks or create a, movie/TV themed meal. Then, chill out, in front of the TV. There are so many choices available on your standard TV channels or on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video My kids bought me a projector, last Christmas, and it is truly amazing! You can watch films, or TV shows, projected onto a white wall or screen, It really feels like you have your own private cinema. We are also going to try it out in the garden soon! Amazon has a great range of projectors & screens, at very reasonable prices or, if you’d prefer, you can have a company like Moonlit Events, to set up the “outdoor cinema experience” for you. They will deliver all the required equipment, set everything up and collect when it’s over. They are based in Surrey but will deliver across the UK ( For bookings outside a 12 mile radius, different rates do apply) Check out their website for more information. You can also check out Ideal Home for some more great ideas for your outdoor cinema experience or Good Housekeeping for some more ways to make have a fun “movie night” at home, with the family

5. Enjoy World Food in, and out, of your home:

Eating the local food, of my favourite travel destinations, always brings back lovely memories and makes me feel like I am being transported back to those places! I also like to try food from places I have not yet visited but are on on my travel bucket list. There are so many amazing world food recipe books available, so whether you feel like some Mediterranean, Eastern European, Middle Eastern, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Antipodean, American, Caribbean or even traditional British food, you will find something to suit your taste. There are even Disney themed cookery books -I’m sure the kid would love these! Eat around the table (in or outside) and play some music that reminds you of the holiday location. Don’t forget to pair some appropriate drinks with your food. I love combining, either red or white, Sangria with Spanish meals. Loved those days when you could share your Sangria, before Covid hit! For more great food and drink pairing ideas, check out The Flavour Principle guide book

When you are away on holiday, you can also enjoy a meal out, to a local restaurant, so why not treat yourself, whilst you’re on your staycation at home? Another option is to order a take-away or have a meal served for you, at home, by a local catering company.

6. Take Day Trips

Plan some days out during your staycation. There are lots of options – here are just a few suggestions for places to visit. click on the links for more info:

7. Glamping in the Garden

Whether it’s to celebrate a special occasion or just to chill out with nature, Glamping is a great idea. It’s just like camping with a but of added luxury! If you don’t already have a tent, you can hire, or buy, some luxury ones, for your garden glamping experience. There is something special about being this close to nature- hearing the birds in the morning and smelling the flowers is so calming. Added bonus- you don’t have to share your loos/bathrooms/kitchen with strangers! Add some candles, solar lights and a fire-pit for so you can enjoy relaxing outside at night.

8. Take Virtual world tours

Even though you may not be able to travel the world, at the moment, you can still take virtual tours to some amazing places, from the comfort of your own home! Whether you’d like to explore New York, Cape Town, Niagra Falls, Istanbul, London, Sydney, Barcelona, Hawaiian Islands, The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Athens, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Las Vagas or anywhere else in the world, you can find guided tours on YouTube. You can even chose more specific tours of places such as art galleries, museums, scuba diving, railway journeys, helicopter rides, skiing, exploring the Titanic, zoos, safari and theme parks. The kids will really love the Disneyland & Disney World virtual tours & rides – actually, I did too! Some of these may bring back some great memories for you or could actually inspire you to visit places you’ve never been to, in the future!

9. Have a Spa day at Home

Whether you’re on your own, with a friend or with your partner, Spa days are a great way to feel pampered. So, dim the lights, light some candle candles, add some fairy lights & scented oil diffusers , play some relaxing music and have some lemon & cucumber water and/or a few cocktails ready! Now put on your dressing gown/robe and you’re ready to go! Here are some ideas for creating the perfect spa experience at home:

  • Facial Treatments – Start by cleansing and or/exfoliating your skin, then begin your treatment with a facial steam. It’s great first step as it improves cell vitality and oxygen absorption through skin, for a healthier, younger looking complexion and opens and unclogs pores to allow better penetration of products. You can buy a professional style facial steamer for a very reasonable price or you can try a bit of D.I.Y. by boiling some water, pouring it into a large bowl and adding a squeeze of lemon or some essential oils, covering your head with a towel and placing your face over the steam, for up to 10 minutes (take several 1 minute breaks if your skins feels too hot) Next, apply a face mask. You could try ones for oily, dry, sensitive or for anti-aging, depending on your skin type. Relax on a bed, sofa, in a bath or hot tub, while your masks get to work. Next, remove mask before apply a moisturiser to suit your skin. Check out some more ideas Wiki tips on how to Exfoliate, Steam and Use Face Masks
  • Treat your feet: This Misiki foot spa massager relaxes your feet, promotes blood circulation with it’s oxygen bubbles, relieve stress and fatigue, improve your sleeping quality, with massage rollers and exfoliates to help remove calluses, corns and dead skin with it’s footstone. For a more frugal option, add some foot soak salts to a large bowl, or a bucket of warm water and soak your feet for 20 to 30 mins then exfoliate any callouses or dry skin with a foot exfoliator . Next, dry your feel, apply foot cream and slip on a pair of moisture retaining socks (which can be worn overnight)
  • Have a Massage: If your friend or partner is not a qualified masseur, The Shiatsu massager (see photo in gallery above) would be a great option as it provides deep tissue massages on your neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back, waist, foot, tights, calves, legs, feet and arms – helping your full body parts to release stress, relieve sore muscles, and help you relax.
  • Relax in your bath : Now it’s time to chill out in your bath with a bath pillow and some bath bombs, essential oils , body wash or bath salts. or you can relax in your Hot Tub, if you have one.
  • Moisturise your body: Use your favourite body moisturiser then put on your dressing gown and relax with some herbal water, some bubbly or a nice cocktail/mocktail and a lovely meal!

10. Take lots of photos and keep a journal of your Staycation @ home!

Make it feel like a vacation/holiday by creating memories in photos and/or videos. As so many photos taken on your phone are lost or forgotten, I thought it would be a good idea to create a journal of photos, with written descriptions, so that you and your loved ones, look back, in years to come, and be reminded of all the fun you had, even in these difficult times! Amazon has a great range of photo journals, some of which also have a storage pocket for DVDs/CDs. There is also a great range of photo journal kits, which include marker pens and other accessories, to create your personal memory book. I use my phone to take all my photos so I use either Snapfish app, and get 50 free prints a month (you only pay for the postage) or the Freeprints app, which gives you 45 free prints a month or a free canvas 8 x 8 photo tile, using any of the photos on your phone. Both apps are free to download and also offer a range of photo gifts, at very reasonable prices. Here is an example of a lovely journal, created by my sister, Sophie, for her husband, Mark’s 50th birthday:

If you’d rather keep your photos virtual, the Amazon Photo app enables you to organise and see your photos on your Fire TV . You’ll be able to sit back on your living room sofa, and flip through your personal photos and videos on the biggest screen in your home. To see your photos via with the Fire TV Amazon Photos app, first add the Amazon Photos app to your phone, tablet or computer, and then upload your photos to the app on those devices. In minutes, you’ll see them appear in your Fire TV Amazon Photos app. You can also set a Fire TV screensaver or play a slideshow of your photos. The app is free to download

Amazon Photo App

I hope you enjoy your Staycation at home. I’m definitely going to have at least 2 of these a year from now on – 1 in summer & 1 in winter!

One Comment

  • Hannah Forbes

    October 19, 2020 at 12:02 pm Reply

    Love the outdoor cinema idea! Maybe we can trial it with xmas movies soon 🙂
    Another great post full of practical ideas! xxx

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