Creative Ways to Take a Vacation at Home

Congratulations! You have worked so hard throughout the year, now time to enjoy a well-deserved vacation. Hurray! You can hardly contain your excitement in anticipation of This Very Special Time of the Year. You usually want to disconnect completely from work by booking an all-inclusive retreat under the bright yellow sun surrounded by a turquoise ocean sipping colorful cocktails. This time around, the world has changed. The vacation will take place at home. But no reason to pout! You have the opportunity to make your home a vacation! Whether taking time off happens elsewhere or at home, you will still reap the benefits of a vacation: improved energy, happiness, relationships, creativity, stress level, productivity, well-being, physical and mental health. Find below creative and fun ways to spend time off without leaving.

How to begin Vacationing at Home?

Start by switching your mindset to vacation mode. Then, let that vacation mode manifest itself out to the physical world, aka your home. It helps to put yourself in the mood for vacation. Depending on personal preferences, a vacation mode might have to fill various characteristics to guarantee a great time. Maybe you see vacation as a time for rest and regain all the hours of sleep you have missed. You might wish to seek relaxation and serenity. You would also like to have fun. A touch of escapism for extra. Explore the adventurous side of life. And most likely, a combination of all of these. To figure out what to do, ask the following questions:

What activities could I do at home to make me feel relaxed, peaceful, and restored?

What do I enjoy doing that I typically don’t do because of my hectic and busy work schedule?

Or in contrast, what stressful things do I constantly do that I should take a break doing?

What games do I like to play that I typically don’t because of my daily routine?

What unfinished hobbies tucked away under accumulating layers of dust should I go back to?

How do I completely immerse myself and lose track of time?

Anything new I could learn or try?

What or who inspires me?

Your answers will eventually begin to take shape. Suggestions abound. Here we go:

Go social.

We often get so caught up in our own lives that we neglect our local friends and family. Capitalize on vacation time to lift your spirits in a company. If doable, pay them a visit. If not, spend hours on the landline phone with meaningful conversations and harmless gossip and belly laughter like in the good old days. Have an online shopping session on Facetime with your best friend. Volunteer to non-profit organizations from your community or some neighbors. Commit to a full day of board games and Legos and puzzles and playing cards. Have a romantic dinner every evening of your vacation. Host a casino night in full gowns and tuxedos. Dance your night away.

Go the creative route.

Print an old T-shirt homemade style (meaning, use a brush to paint on it). Write a poem, or new lyrics to a favorite song, or a new tune with your acoustic guitar. Create a new sport. Design a fun mini-golf course inside or around the house. How about devising a Rube Goldberg machine? Invent a new typeface. Introduce yourself to a new language. Master the art of karaoke and hand-made soap. Create a funky choreography or a stage for muppets or a pop-up book. Redesign the living room or an arts and crafts station. Graffiti a bedroom wall. Make collages and scrapbooks and quilts. Paint a landscape at the park. Visit virtual art galleries. Or wander around spiritual and architectural sites. Learn origami and papercutting and the art of flower arrangements. Start a YouTube channel. Go to the grocery store and only pick weird-shaped produce never tasted before, like dragon fruit, mangosteen, durian, rambutan, Romanesco, or kumquats. Get ready for a pleasant surprise.

Get your hands dirty.

Something about the contact with dirt feels quite therapeutic. Find satisfaction in getting things done during vacation. Fix that bike. Learn to change tires. Repair that wobbling chair. Garden. Weed out the lawn. Try that recipe from scratch with those machines that have been bought ‘as seen on TV’ but not even used once. Shine your shoes. Patch your favorite ripped jeans with buttons and ribbons. Clean the bathtub. Assemble an Ikea furniture and polish it. Go fishing. Sketch with charcoal. Roll around on the grass with pets and teach them new tricks. Try a dish to eat with your hands. Help out a friend moving out or in. Build a sand castle with your children. Or a gingerbread house. Or a Jell-o tower. Fire up the grill and BBQ. Sweat it out with a new exercise routine like incorporating kangaroo shoes and hula hoops. For example, can you handle a boot camp workout? How to get in shape with a frisbee? Or a wall? What if you installed a trampoline and jump on it like a twelve-year-old?

Get your hands clean.

Pamper yourself to free your mind. Have a warm bath. Splurge in body care products and cosmetics. Experiment with different hairdos and hairstyles. Do your own pedicure and manicure. Practice mindful meditation. Yoga. Purchase scents and scented candles to liven the living area. Turn off gadgets and social media alerts. Create a unique flavor of the smoothie. Take three-hour naps. Spruce up your living space. Unclutter storage space. Get rid of mail and bills and envelopes and catalogs and newspapers that have been stored since 1995. This also applies to personal emails and computer files. Organize your pictures. Donate or regift clothes and accessories that haven’t been worn in years. Put on a playlist in which you only hear sounds from a forest, like exotic birds and rustling tree leaves and waterfalls. Go a few days of detox without any addictive substance, including sugar. Breathe in some fresh air. Take a stroll on a mountain. Smell the roses.

Shirley Tran

Shirley is a Vacation Tracker occasional contributor. She’s held a few positions in communications, marketing and copywriting. When she’s not at her laptop, you can find her daydreaming about her laptop and chasing the sun while people watching.