Image courtesy of Vox.

Covid has made taking vacations a lot harder than they used to be, but it doesn’t have to ruin all of your fun. Even though it’s more difficult to travel abroad, and can even just travel from state to state, you can certainly have a great time hanging out at home and at all the nearby places. A staycation is the perfect idea to make spring break fun even if you aren’t traveling.

Traveling is always great, but is not the only way to ensure that you enjoy your break from classes. As long as you do things that make you happy the whole time, you can remember your staycation just as fondly as you might remember a trip to a different place.

If you think about it, a staycation can spare you a lot of typical travel struggles. While we are always willing to endure the difficult travel process because of how much fun we’ll have once we reach our destination, when you have a staycation, you don’t have to deal with any of it!

There is no stress, no last minute packing, no waiting in long lines and then hopping on long and tiring flights. Everything that you need is right there and can be just as enjoyable! We offer some awesome tips on how to enjoy yourself on a staycation.

Have A Movie Night Every Night

Enjoy some relaxing entertainment on a regular basis.

While on a regular vacation, you normally don’t have anything important to do. If you do have any work to take care of, you’re probably saving it for when your vacation is over. You can take on that same mindset even when you’re on a vacation. Even if it’s tempting to get some work done because you’re at home, it won’t really feel like a vacation if you spend any time working on the same practical things that you normally would. You need to focus on doing fun and frivolous things for the whole week. Make every night into a movie night so you can end each day enjoying mindless entertainment.

Go all out to create a movie theater atmosphere for yourself! Make yourself some high quality movie theater style popcorn or another snack, cover your bed in warm, comfortable blankets, shut off the lights, and put on a movie you love or one you haven’t seen before. This could be a cozy ritual that you look forward to each night of spring break. You can invite a friend or more if you want to! Whatever makes your movie nights most enjoyable is worth doing. There are so many movies available on so many platforms, you will never run out of things to watch.

Have a Home Spa Day

You don’t need to leave your house to have a spa day.

A spa day is always wonderful and relaxing. It’s always great to feel pampered, and there is no reason that you can’t pamper yourself! All you need to have a relaxing home spa day is a few simple items. There are versions of everything you can find at the spa that are available for home use. Some of these items you likely already have. A face mask, bath products, and candles are some of the main things you will need to do this. If you enjoy taking care of your nails, manicure supplies will be a good addition.

Setting the right ambiance will do a lot to make your home feel more like a spa. Use dimmer lights if you can. Try using lamp light instead of harsh overhead lights. Lighting candles can provide the right kind of lighting and an intoxicating smell. Whether you make your room smell like vanilla, sandalwood, or jasmine, the smell will transport you into a more luxurious mental space. An essential oil diffuser is a great way to fill your space with a calming fragrance. You can even walk around in a robe and slippers just to make your place feel even more like a spa. Warm up your hand towels for an even more relaxing experience.

A bath is one of the best ways to pamper yourself. Sitting in warm water for a while relaxes your muscles and can even clear your nasal passages. You normally leave a bath with your skin and your muscles feeling great. You can always enhance that feeling with certain products.

Bath bombs, bath gels, and even rose or lavendar petals will have a big impact on your skin and on your bathroom’s ambiance. If you don’t have a bath tub, a long shower will work just as well. Take a long, hot shower with soft body scrubbing agents like sugar scrubs.

Treat Yourself to Breakfast in Bed

You don’t need a professional chef to pull this off.

When you take a vacation, you likely order yourself some room service or simply go downstairs to catch the hotel’s breakfast. Even if there is no one else cooking for you at home, you can still enjoy a meal that feels extravagant all on your own. One thing you should make sure to have is a breakfast tray table. That way you can comfortably enjoy your breakfast while you sit or lie down in your bed. Make whatever breakfast is your favorite and arrange it nicely on the tray.

Make a breakfast spread the way a hotel staff would do it. Pour yourself a glass of juice, a cup of coffee or tea, and arrange your utensils next to your plate. Your meal should be something that you’ll feel happy to start your day with. You can make pancakes or waffles, eggs and sausage, and toast with various toppings. Make a single component or combine multiple at once. Make some fun and different syrup to top your waffles with, or maybe add ice cream on top! Eat like you are someone who is indulging while on vacation. A cool decorative mug can make your breakfast spread feel even more personalized and enjoyable.

Plan an (Inflatable) Pool Day

A pool day in your backyard? Why not!

You don’t need to have a pool to enjoy a pool day. Not an inground one at least. You can always purchase a really cheap plastic or blow up pool and enjoy a nice day out as if you are going to the beach. Invite some friends over and you can all have a pool party. You might not get to go full on swimming, but a small dip in a body of water while enjoying the nice weather is a great substitute for a pool when you can’t access one.

To pull off this staycation activity, you need to dress up as if you are going to the average pool party. Put on a bathing suit, bring a beach towel, and don’t forget the sunscreen! You can add a lot more to your backyard space to make this pool party as fun as possible. Bring some outdoor games that you and your friends can play. A beach ball or a beach volleyball would work for games involving balls. Playing tennis or badminton will also be fun in an outdoor space.

Make sure to have snacks on hand for everyone. Even if you make this a solo party, having small meals and snacks on hand will make being outdoors for hours a lot more comfortable and convenient. You can make burgers, sliders, or hot dogs before you head outside. You could also choose to lay out a tray of fruit or a charcuterie board. Bowls of chips and dip can also work. Whatever you would enjoy most while you enjoy your mini pool should be brought outside with you!

Camp In Your Backyard

A camping experience can be achieved right in your backyard.

Camping at home is something that can easily be achieved. You will get to experience the outdoors without all the hassle that comes from having to pack your necessities and travel to a campsite. The experience can be just as enjoyable, and you should bring a lot of the same things outside that you would if you were to travel farther to go camping.

Pitch a tent in your yard. It will make the experience comfortable and make it feel authentic. Build a fire if you can. If you have a firepit or a bonfire, make a fire in it and make some smores. You even have the option to make your own firepit. One of the easiest ways to do that is to place several large candles into a metal bucket. You can easily roast some s’mores with that type of DIY contraption.

Although, since you are right next to your home, you can always make s'mores or any other meals inside of your house and then bring them out to eat in your tent. If you have an outdoor grill, that can be even better! You can do just about everything outdoors as if you were actually camping away from home. This is the type of activity that you can do alone or with friends. Sitting around a campfire with people you have fun with is a great way to spend even just one night of your staycation!

Explore Your City

Discover your city as if you were a tourist.

You probably aren’t super enamored by the city you live in simply because you’re used to it. You could live in one of the best cities in the world, but take it for granted just because you’re in it everyday. Even if you live in a smaller town, there is still a lot to explore that you may not be paying much attention to.

Check out what your town has to offer online if you don’t know already. Look up your city as if you are a tourist. You might discover some great things to do that you would have never considered before!

You can discover new outdoor spaces, new restaurants, and new hang out spots just from looking at your town through the lens of an outsider. Even once your staycation is over, you will have learnt of several more things to do during your average week.

Try Out New Restaurants

Branch out from the restaurants you’re used to enjoying.

When you go on a vacation, you get exposed to all types of different foods that you wouldn’t normally have at home. You can have a similar experience during a staycation. You probably have some favorite restaurants that you visit on a regular basis. Once people choose their favorites, many don’t continue to branch out and try different places. This staycation is your chance to branch out when it comes to your restaurant choices. Chase new food experiences just like you would have if you left your city or country!

One way to discover new restaurants is by exploring the streets. You can take a walk around your city and stop into places that you normally wouldn’t choose to enter. Explore the “best of” food lists online. They will expose you to restaurants that you may not have originally paid much attention to.

You can try out new restaurants in person or simply order takeout. When ordering food, looking up less familiar categories can give you that adventurous feel you have when you eat unfamiliar meals in new places. Make eating out or ordering takeout into a regular thing during your staycation. You would probably eat out quite often on a vacation, so why not do it during your staycation as well?

Don’t let covid ruin your spring break. Depending on what you do, you can have as much fun on a staycation as you could have on a vacation!