With the grim prospect of no foreign travel this summer, we’ve got no choice other than to holiday at home this year.  Forced to use up my precious annual leave on a staycation chez moi, I’m determined to make the best of it.  While these holiday at home ideas won’t compete with two weeks in Santorini, they may help to make holidaying in your own pied-a-terre on the costa-del-home feel that little bit more special.

Rediscover your neighbourhood while you holiday at home

It’s a sad fact that until lockdown, few of us knew our neighbourhood well. Now that our world has shrunk to the confines of our own backyard, it’s time to view our patch with fresh eyes. Our annual leave presents a great opportunity to deviate from the norm. Take a different path.  Climb to the highest point in your neighbourhood. Seek out the perfect patch of greenery for an impromptu picnic. Talk to the locals i.e. your neighbours and find out if there’s a place of interest that you could visit. In my own patch, I’ve discovered a NATO base and the house where the sitcom The Good Life was filmed.

Take up a new holiday at home activity

The joy of holidays are all about new experiences. With the right mind set you can recreate that feeling while at home. If you can’t go swimming at your local pool but live near the sea, why not give paddle-boarding a go?  Love mindfulness?, head to your local woodlands and give forest bathing a spin. The key to a fulfilling holiday at home is inventiveness.  Break out of old habits and routines and experience the world differently. 

Turn your home into a hotel

With the money you’re saving on a foreign jaunt why not splurge a little and turn your home into a hotel. To kick start your break from work, do some de-cluttering to clear the space for the holiday vibe. Focus your attention on the bedroom and bathroom to replicate hotel room luxe.  Invest in some fluffy towels. Snap up some posh toiletries that you would never normally buy. 

The bonus is that you don’t have to faff around with travel size bottles.   For the bedroom, create a posh boudoir vibe with some new bed sheets and cushions.  Add a succulent or two for that polished Instagram look or push the boat out with an elegant parlour palm by your bed.  For that extra special touch, place a Ferrero Rocher chocolate on your new posh pillow. 

Sample new dishes on holiday

Now this one’s a tad trickier but still provides opportunities to break out the norm.  Some local restaurants and cafes are now doing delivery services.  Take the opportunity to sample local eateries that you’ve never visited before.  Savour new delicacies while also knowing that you’re doing your bit to support the local economy.

If the inclination takes you, you can always opt to increase your culinary repertoire by trying new recipes at home.  I’ve recently been experimenting with fermented vegetables – something that I never thought I would do before.

While it’s disappointing not to be jetting off to foreign climes, with a little effort, we can make the best of our holiday at home.  In the words of the famous spiritual guru Wayne Dwyer, if you can change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.  Happy Holidays! 

How are you spending your holiday at home this year?  Please share your ideas below.