13 Simple Summer Staycation Ideas You Can Do At Home

Dreaming about travelling again? I’m with you!
Discovering new places, experiencing new cultures, trying out new food, or simply taking in all the sun and relaxing under a palm tree…Trust me, I miss that too!

Unfortunately…let me just state the obvious: travelling isn’t an option at the moment. And it probably won’t be for some time. Sucks, I know!
But it doesn’t mean, that we have to give up on all the leisure activities! Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, whining to your partner that everything in the world is against you (totally my style) and staring at the map, dreaming of visiting places we can’t reach now, you can organize yourself a perfect summer staycation at home.

If you’re not familiar with the concept, let me, well, let Wikipedia explain it to you.
Staycation (or holistay) is a period in which an individual or a few individuals stay home and participate in leisure activities within driving distance of their home and it does not require overnight accommodations.

Unfortunately, this definition isn’t that applicable to our situation, since we can’t (we shouldn’t really) drive anywhere for leisure of even leave the house. So I should really call it:

home-cation. Or home staycation.

Either way, here I present:

13 simple summer staycation ideas you can do at home to put yourself in a vacation mode.

Or maybe you still have the power and feel the enthusiasm to do something productive during lockdown? In that case check out my previous blog post: 29 coolest and productive things to do at home in 2020.

If not..,first things first!

How to get ready for a summer staycation at home?

In order a have an epic vacation at home, you have to put yourself in the right mindset. You won’t feel truly chilled if you’re thinking about those dirty socks you have to wash or dustballs under the sofa. If you’re the kind of person who thinks about stuff like that… So, just like before a real vacation, put all your errands and worries aside. Finish all your household chores, pay all the bills you have to pay, buy everything you need to buy. We don’t normally do errands on vacation and we shouldn’t do them on our summer staycation either.

The next step is setting aside time for your relaxing staycation and planning it properly. I know, excessive planning doesn’t really seems very relaxing, but we all normally plan or at least schedule time for our real vacation, don’t we? Dedicate a day or two for your summer staycation at home, so you can truly enjoy them.

One of the best ways to disconnect and be in the moment is not having any digital distractions. So, put your phone away, switch off your laptop, unplug Alexa, Siri or the Google Assistant (just in case you say those magic words by accident) and appreciate the silence.

Last but not least, pack your bags! Well, maybe not literally, but it might a good idea to plan and prepare your outfits. You don’t want to waste time on thinking what to wear before your big… no, you’ll have to wait for it.
Don’t forget about your camera! You might want to capture those relaxing moments on…nah, you’ll really have to wait for it.

Ok then, when you’re all right and ready, let’s start the:

13 summer staycation ideas you can do at home.

1. Have breakfast in bed.
There is no relaxing vacation nor staycation without breakfast in bed, am I right? If you feel adventurous enough and have a bathtub, maybe you can even try to have a Bali floating breakfast experience. But pancakes with fresh fruits, an acai bowl or an English breakfast eaten in bed sound great too. Even better if they’re served by someone else.

2. Hold a yoga retreat.
If you’ve ever been on a yoga retreat you know how relaxed and rejuvenated you feel after. Well, I haven’t, but can imagine it could be a life changing experience. Still, there’s no reason why you can’t hold your own yoga retreat at home. Arrange and decorate some space, prepare a special cleansing drink or just warm water with ginger, lemon and turmeric and start practicing yoga. If you have your own yoga flow, just go for it. If you need guidance, try Boho Beautiful or any other yoga You Tube channel. You can even make a whole weekend yoga retreat out of it with morning and evening practice, some meditation and yoga inspired diet.

Or you know, Savasana also counts as yoga.

3. Have a picnic.
Even if you’re locked down at home, you can still connect with nature. If you have a garden, problem solved, but there’s no reason why you can’t organise a picnic in your own apartment. Set the scene by spreading a blanket and pillows and adding a green accent in the form of fresh flowers or home plants. You can even put on a slide show on your TV with the pictures of nature and play forest sounds in the background. Now the only thing that is missing is the food. Prepare little sandwiches, a cheese plate, a bowl of fresh fruits, buy some rosé and there you go…

home picnic is ready!

4. Go to the beach.
I know what you might think…is she crazy? Beach day at home? But beaching all day within your 4 walls and getting into an “Aruba Jamaica” mood is totally possible. Put on tropical music, make a batch of margaritas or any other drink you like sipping on a beach and spend the day doing what you’d normally do at the beach. Read a book or silly a magazine, have a nap or talk to your friends, well virtually. If you have a garden or a balcony you can even order an inflatable swimming pool and dip your toes.

5. Visit a museum.
If you’re a culture freak, and I don’t mean here beer or football culture, visiting a museum or even attending an opera during your holiday is something you never miss. Home-cation offers an endless array of opportunities to explore our rich cultural heritage as well. From the comfort of your sofa you can easily visit the most popular museums in the world: Vatican Museum, The Louvre, The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and many more: they all offer virtual tours. Or you can just download Google Arts and Culture app and have access to even more cultural adventures.

Fancy an opera night?

Where better than in the most famous opera in the world: The Metropolitan Opera. Through the Met Opera streaming system you can watch the best performances of some of its most famed shows for free.

6. Camp in your garden.
Even if you’re not a 9-year old girl, you can still enjoy camping in your backyard. It will be a cool change of the scenery and can temporarily satisfy your need for an adventure. Pitch your tent, roast marshmallows or even have a BBQ and feel connected to nature again.

You don’t have a garden?

No-one forbids you from constructing your own homemade tent or building a fort from blankets, pillows and fairy lights. Let’s feel like children again! Why not? Adulthood will catch up with us tomorrow.

7. Spot some wildlife.
Even from my little not-a-balcony (in a few shots here) I can spot a few magpies trying to steal everything shiny, pigeons trying to steal…everything really and a few other birds I have no idea what they are, but they sing super lovely. I’m sure you can have some wildlife in your area as well. Take a few moments to observe what kind of animals live in your neighbourhood and how they behave when there are no humans interrupting them. Plus, listening to the birds tweeting can be so relaxing and peaceful…oh man, I think I’m getting old.

8. Rock at the concert.
I know, this year was the year you were finally meant to go to Coachella. Well, tough life. Maybe in the future. Meanwhile you can arrange a little concert or a music festival on your own. Buy expensive, but cheap testing beer, braid your hair, put on crazy makeup and start head banging, moshing and pogoing to the loud music of your choice. I’m sure your neighbours won’t mind those 2 hours of noise. And if you love JT (who doesn’t?) you can watch his concert on Netflix. The same with Taylor Swift’s, Beyonce’s…but I’m sure you already know it.

9. Eat at your favourite restaurant.
Even if we can’t go to a restaurant at the moment, the restaurant can come to you. Take a day off from cooking and order you favourite food. Not only will you feel treated, but you’ll also help a local business in a moment of struggle.

Don’t forget to set a table, light a candle and pop up a bottle of wine or prosecco.

10. Have a drink in a rooftop bar.
Who doesn’t love rooftop bars? I know I do! In every place we visit, going to a rooftop bar is a must. Sipping a Mojito, Caipi or an Aperol Spritz with the sun soaking into your skin and at the same time admiring nice views is the best thing! If you only have a garden or a balcony or at least a windowsill you can easily arrange some space for you own rooftop bar. Put out some flowers, candles or fairy lights, play chilled music, prepare your favourite cocktails, throw some snacks into a bowl and there it is: your private bar! Don’t forget to dress up and you might even be invited to the VIP lounge.

11. Finish the day with a massage.
If you’re someone who loves a good pamper day during your holiday, you can easily replicate the experience during your summer staycation at home. Make your own sugar scrub or a hair mask, pop some slices of lemon and cucumber into cold water, light a scented candle and relax away. How good does a sensual soak in the bath sound right now? With salts and essential oils while reading your favourite book…I wish I had a bathtub.
Even if you don’t own a bathtub and you have a partner wandering around, maybe you can convince him/her to give you a Thai massage. Or just any massage will do.

Check out easy home spa treatments.

12. Have a cinema night with popcorn.
Popcorn is the key here. How can you go to the cinema and not have popcorn? Even if you eat it before the movie starts. In order to replicate the cinema experience, prepare your favourite kind of popcorn (no wait, there’s only one kind…salty!) together with some drinks, dim the lights, make yourself comfortable and put on a movie.

If you need inspiration, check out the list of 100 greatest movies.

13. Make a travel movie of your staycation at home.
There’s no holiday without almost livestreaming everything you do, eat or drink. Ohh, there is? So it’s only me? No matter if you’re Instagram obsessed, just like taking pictures or none of the above, documenting your home-cation can be a fun thing to do. Take a few shots, record a few videos, who knows, maybe beaching in your living room will go viral on Tik Tok. And if instead of your camera, you have to use your phone to do that…ok, I’ll allow it this time.

Ta daa!

As you see, there are plenty of fun and relaxing summer staycation ideas you can try at home. The only thing you need is a bit of enthusiasm and creativity. Just remember, whatever you choose to do, get in the mood and treat it as a real vacation. I’m sure you’ll feel relaxed and refreshed.
Happy home-cation!

And if you’re all chilled and ready to do some work, check out my ideas on how to be productive during lockdown.

Or hit me up on Instagram.

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Hi, it’s Aga, the author of this blog. If you found this blog post interesting, entertaining or useful, please think of buying me a virtual coffee to support the site’s running costs. But if you know me, I might actually spend it on coffee 🙂 Thanks!

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