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Whether it’s because of global travel restrictions or because you’re just trying to save a bit of money for the future, a staycation at home is a great way to change up your routine and do something fun and exciting from the comfort of your own home. This quick guide is full of handy tips and ideas to help you plan a staycation at home.
You might also like How to Plan the Perfect Staycation.
Decide what kind of home staycation you’re going to have - here are some ideas!
The key to a staycation at home is to do things you wouldn’t normally do at home. Change your routine and do something exciting! Here are some ideas
Have an at home spa weekend - get some DIY nail kits, some face masks and hair masks. If you’re with friends or your partner, how about some at home massages? Perhaps it’s time to get that foot spa out the garage that you’ve had for years?!
Have a movie themed weekend - you can chill out in front of the tv or even buy a cheap movie projector. Set it up and project movies onto a hanging bed sheet. Perhaps you’ll have a Marvel themed weekend with Marvel biscuits and party plates. Build a fort and string up some fairy lights.
Have a romantic weekend with your partner - alternative between cooking a starter, main and dessert which are surprises for the other person. Treat yourself to a nice bottle of wine, your favourite movie and perhaps a foot massage or two!
For a family weekend with the kids set up craft stations - at each craft station set up a challenge or a task. The great thing about this is you can use objects from at home. Paint items in the house, make a collage with old buttons, use pipe cleaners to make a character.
For a more grown-up craft day - get your friends or family together with embroidery kits for you each to cross stitch, add a time limit for a competitive edge! Or perhaps a paint by numbers with wine? You can join painting and wine sessions on Youtube or do your own with a kit which you can buy online.
For a fun adult staycation with friends or family - do a blind cheese and wine tasting/ cheese and beer tasting. Or really mix it up with blind crisps and beer tasting. Any kind of food tasting always gets fun - just check for allergies first!
Decide your staycation budget
This bit might sound boring but budgets are important and you can make it part of the fun. Once you’ve picked what type of staycation you want, decide on your budget. You could incorporate this into the staycation, for example, if you’re going to cook surprise meals for each other, give everyone a $15 limit to buy their ingredients with.
If you’re doing a craft weekend, have a prize for who can create the most creative thing with items from around your house.
If you’re doing a cheese and wine or beer tasting, set everyone a budget that they have to buy one cheese and one alcoholic beverage with.
Include an element of surprise
I’ve already said staycations at home are all about getting out of your normal routine, and what better way to do that than plan a surprise.
You could use a surprise like some of the examples I’ve already given, or create your own:
Blind food or drink tasting
A lucky dip for your movies - write lots of movies on pieces of paper, put them in a jar/cup/hat and do a lucky dip. This is great if you’re having a staycation with friends, get everyone to contribute 5 movies to pick from. Or if you’re a couple, each write 1o movies and put them in your own jar, then take turns picking from the other person’s jar to decide what to watch.
For a romantic staycation, why not make it a complete surprise for your partner? Ask them to keep the time free then cook for them, make a cosy fort to watch some movies you’ve picked out, plan a surprise delivery of flowers or something you know your partner would like.
Surprise your kids with a craft weekend - which kid doesn’t love paint, glitter, cutting and pasting?!
Get Creative
A staycation at home is all about being creative with the space and resources that you already have. But that doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
I’ve already mentioned some ideas like food tastings, spa days and crafting but what about really creating that holiday feeling in your own home?
Pitch a tent in your garden. Even if you don’t have a garden, why not still pitch a tent inside?! Pitching a tent and sleeping in it instantly brings a sense of adventure right to your home garden.
Join an online cooking or art class from home and get competitive with your partner or friends. If you’re having a staycation, that doesn’t mean you can’t interact with the outside world! Joining an online class is a great way to bring some competitiveness into your house and with other people virtually too!
Create your own wellness staycation. Ever fancied going on a yoga retreat? Now is your chance! Create a wellness centre in your own home with a yoga class (there’s plenty on YouTube), some meditation, a relaxing bath or spa session, spend time just reading or painting, enjoying the silence and removal from busy day to day life.
Host a sports night. Tickets too expensive to see your team play? Why not have your friends and family over for a sports themed day or weekend to see your favourite team play, with plenty of food and drink, some sports themed games and lots of laughs.
Hold your own Film Festival - you can do this with your household or over apps like Netflix Party. Everyone selects a film they’ve never seen before. Pick a film out the hat, everyone watches it together then rates and reviews it afterwards. Popcorn is mandatory of course.
Switch off from your normal routine
A staycation should still be treated like a vacation! So no checking emails or just doing that little bit of work! Enjoy the staycation you’ve planned and make it special, that means not doing the things you would usually do in your house and not worrying about the day-to-day things that would usually be on your mind.
It’s a great occasion to be in comfortable surroundings and get creative with your family, friends, partner or children.
Let me know if you try any of these ideas!
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Flights: I use Expedia to find great flights and the best deals all over the world, they have regular sales and offers so I always check their website. I also check CheapOair to find cheap deals on round trip flights.
Car Rental: I love the customer service I've always gotten and the variety of options with Rental Cars. But for short notice rentals, I've been using Expedia for the last year, they always seem to have great one-day rates or last-minute rates from the main rental companies.
Accommodation: I prefer the flexibility of booking accommodation with Booking.com so I can cancel or change my reservation without a fee or only pay on arrival for most properties. For longer or more unique stays I prefer AirBnB because you can get the long stay discount, you can also find more unique properties and book experiences with talented locals and businesses. For my budget trips, I always stay in hostels and book through Hostelworld because they have great guarantees if anything does go wrong. If you arrive and your booking is not at the property, they refund the full deposit AND give you $50 extra credit.
Tours and organised trips Although I don’t use tours that often, I do like to book local experiences or day trips once I reach my destination. For that I use GetYourGuide because it has the biggest selection and variety of tour and experience options.
Travel Insurance: I currently use SafetyWing Nomad Insurance. Which allows me to pay a rolling monthly fee to cover my long term travels.
My camera gear and equipment: I use a Canon 77D with an 18-135mm lens or a 50mm lens. And a DJI Mavic Mini Drone. For all my gear including laptops, tripods and more camera accessories read my travel photography gear guide.
