Vacation At Home

Now that the unofficial start of summer is here but typical summer plans are likely on hold, Mike and I have been trying to make being at home feel like a vacation. It doesn’t always go perfectly, but it’s nice to try and it still feels like a nice break. Here’s what we’ve been doing and I’d love to hear your tips, too.

1. It’s a state of mind.

This is kind of self-explanatory, but we pick a day or an evening and commit to ourselves and/or each other that we’re going to treat it like a vacation day. Even just having a day to look forward to helps. Once I decide I’m “on vacation” it doesn’t matter if I’m a million miles away or just the backyard. (I also try to look on the bright side… no need for big treks with airplane delays or long car rides. No need to pack or unpack. No need to spend a ton of money!) I will say you kind of have to engage in a little bit of suspension of disbelief. 😂

2. Treat it like a vacation!

Make sure you won’t have to stop to do work, or if you do, you get it done first thing in the morning so you have the whole day ahead of you. Don’t plan on doing chores. Leave the dishes for tomorrow. Get what you need set up the night before. Download a book you want to read for hours or find digital magazines to read. Pick out an outfit you wish you’d pack. Try to think about what you love most about vacation and recreate to the best of your ability, at home! You may have to get creative, like putting on a sound machine app on your phone with the beach. You’ve got this.

3. Follow your ideal vacation routine!

Vacations are not one size fits all, so you do you. Maybe you’re the kind of girl who wakes up at the crack of dawn to get a run in or you sleep in until noon or you wake up and stay in bed drinking cup after cup of coffee. Do it! Make your go-to breakfast order that you order for room service… like waffles or pancakes or fancy omelets. (A lot of hotels share favorite recipes– like here’s The Gasparilla Inn’s pancakes and here is the Ritz Paris’ waffles recipe!)

Since we have a backyard, we’ve been camping out there like we’re on the beach (just minus the ocean… haha). I have been lathering up the sunscreen and setting up my chair with a book and a needlepoint project by my side. I only go inside to refill my coffee or get another sparkling water or pick out another snack. Even though I’m just in my backyard, I swear it feels like a vacation because I’m treating it like a vacation.

My favorite part of my vacation routine? I also always end up taking a shower after being outside at the beach or lake all day. Nothing, and I mean nothing, feels more like “vacation” to me than staying outside ALL DAY and coming in at 5pm for a super long shower scrubbing off all the sunscreen. Getting out of the shower and putting on comfy clothes for dinner with wet hair and a bare makeup-free face? The best feeling. Obviously this is super specific to me but maybe there’s something that you do every vacation…

Our local ice cream shop is open again and doing curbside takeout… our next vacation day, Mike and I are going to walk to get ice cream cones after dinner and I’m totally going to pretend like it’s Juice Bar.