Who told you that a great vacation is hundreds of miles away? Who told you that a good time gotta cost a lot of money? Who told you that you can’t have a luxurious vacation without booking a flight, securing hotel reservations, getting a car rental, or packing up a suitcase? Because that’s all lies! You can do it! The magic word? STAYCATION!
But, what is a staycation, anyway?
Umm… I’m so glad you asked, Mr. Bear! Because, boy have I got some honey for you!
A staycation is simply a home vacation! That’s right! Instead of taking the girl to the country, we’re gonna bring the country to the girl! Right in the living room too!
Don’t you know that the possibilities are truly endless!
You can go camping, right in the living room! We can sleep in the woods, right from the back bedroom! We can even make the entire sun disappear by covering every single window and door crack up with dark bags and tape! We can sit around a makeshift fire in our little campsite (using a ceramic heater) and enjoy marshmallow smores!
Or, we can turn the house into a luxury vacation home! We can hang fancy drapes up around the house, and breakout our finest dish wear! Let’s get fancy! Cover the table with a nice-looking tablecloth and get some accent candles to match it!
We can literally go anywhere in the world simply by dressing the house up accordingly! We only need a little bit of creativity.
The key to a great staycation is being in the spirit and having the right type of focus in place. We gotta make up our minds that we are going to play by the rules, and we are going to commit to having a good old time!
Get the furniture out of the way. If we’re going for an outdoor thing, then we want to get rid of as much furniture as possible. But, where would we put everything?
Well, if you have an extra room, we can move everything to that one single room and then close it off. We should disassemble things like the end tables and the furniture that comes apart easily. We don’t need to disassemble the entertainment center, but we can just drape a thick cloth over it instead.
We want to have as much open space as we can.
It’s best to create a schedule to follow, because without this, then we will be tempted to get back into our regular home routine. We should consider closing off the kitchen too. We want the house to feel different and out of the normal setting.
If we are going for an upscale staycation, then we would instead work to fancy the house up a bit.
We should consider moving a few pieces around too. Because, this would add to the change of feeling in the house.
Be sure to turn off and unplug all TV’s if we’re going the outdoor thing. But, if we’re doing upscale, then why not bring the bigger speakers out?
If we are doing a staycation with the kids, we only gotta be a bit creative.
Kids will generally follow your lead, so as long as you remain in the mood, they will play along.
Unplug your phone and turn off your cell phone for privacy and peace.
If you have the bigger room, then consider switching things up with the kids! That’s right! Give them the bigger room, and let them have your bed too! You can just turn the mattress over for them.
The idea is to truly change things up a bit so the house again, feels different.
Make sure you get some scented oils for the tub. Aroma therapy will greatly enhance the atmosphere of the home and the fresh earthly or fruity scents will linger on and on.
Consider changing up the meal agenda. Try preparing something that you don’t do too often.
If you’re going outdoor, then go for non-meat. Or, fish if that. If you’re doing upscale, then go for the high-quality plates and silver wear. The heavier feel will make the meal taste even better!
Ignore the doors and the neighbors. But, before you go on your staycation, just tell your neighbors and everyone else that you’re going on a staycation! So, while you might seem like you’re home, you’re not! Explain this to them, and then stick to your guns!
Try going out at times that you don’t generally leave the house. You want to make sure that things are not business as usual.
Get some board games for the kids, and a few good books to read. This is the perfect time to sit down as a family unit and do some reading or getting reacquainted with each other.
Also, if the house needs anything new and major, this might be the perfect time to take full advantage! For example, if you wanted to paint the living room.
Anything is totally possible! You don’t need to spend countless dollars to go on a great vacation, because you can do it all from the comfort and convenience