The annual summer vacation is a treasured family tradition that ensures family fun and relaxation. These days, the restrictions and cautionary practices due to the pandemic may limit travel and vacation planning. Not to mention, the cost of a family get-away can seem high due to the expenses for entertainment and accommodations.
However, you can avoid the fuss of travel by making the most of the home you have created for your family. By prepping your home, you can create a fun, vacation-like atmosphere that is relaxing and enjoyable for you and your family.
Staycations also allow you to vacation with your pets in a place that is familiar and comforting for them, reducing stress on your furry friends and the entire family.
Try these steps when planning for your next staycation:
1. Clean and organize your living space. A great deal of the enjoyment from staying in a hotel or resort is the clean, comfortable atmosphere surrounding you.
Clean your house for tidiness and sanitation. Knowing you’re in an extremely clean environment will free your mind of worries that plague you during normal days at home.
Completely catch up on your laundry. After all, even on a vacation outside of your home you would need clean laundry for the week. The goal of having clean laundry is to match the atmosphere and comfort level that you would experience at a place away from home.
If you would prefer not cleaning your home yourself, hire some help, or enlist responsibilities from all members of your family.
2. Plan activities to do in your home or surrounding area. A staycation should still be active.
Staying at home the entire week of vacation is impractical and can cause friction after a few days. Survey and utilize your surroundings to plan fun activities for the entire family.
Do some research in the weeks beforehand and have a game plan in place.
Look into low-cost or free local attractions to visit during the day. Depending on the interests of your family, these may include a museum, butterfly garden, aquarium, or a picnic at the local park. Many local education-related venues allow kids in for free.
Not every activity has to be outside of the home. Plan activities that your children enjoy doing, such as arts and crafts. If your children are older, play sports or set up a slip and slide in the backyard.
3. Turn off the electronics. In order to create a relaxing atmosphere it’s important to disconnect from everyday life.
Turn off your cell phone and shut down your computer. Make arrangements with work beforehand and communicate that you’ll be out of touch for the entire duration of your vacation.
On your work email account, you can set an automatic response that will reply to senders to let them know that you’re out of the office. This way, you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that your responsibilities at work will be handled.
Having a staycation is a positive, cost-effective way to take a break from your everyday life. Taking a short break from life’s responsibilities will allow you become inspired to do better in other aspects of your everyday life.
Your mind, body, and soul deserve a break, even if an extravagant vacation is not financially viable at the moment. With a little creativity and some extra effort in planning, you and your family can experience a relaxing and rejuvenating vacation – right in your own home.
