Staying in your familiar location (or even country) might make you feel like you’re not really having a holiday! So if you’re staying close to home this year, make sure you completely alter your normal routine and step a little outside your home comfort zone.
Create a Themed Staycation
Just because you’re staying at home doesn’t mean you have to do the same things or follow the same routines. In fact, it should be a rule to avoid normal household activities so you get a break, just like you would by going away. Having a theme can help you come up with ideas.
Foreign travel theme – if you’ve had to cancel a trip abroad, why not recreate a few exotic experiences at home? Take a virtual tour of a tourist attraction, learn a few phrases and speak the language to each other (even if it’s just please, thank you or hello), tune in to a radio or TV station in that language, cook a traditional recipe for dinner, or have a go at a traditional craft activity.
Camping at home – set up your tent in the garden and sleep in it overnight. You could ban yourselves from going indoors for anything except the bathroom, and have a real camping experience – even if it rains! Maybe even set up a ‘clubhouse’ in the garage with a little drinks and snack bar.
Crafting themes – is there something you’ve always fancied learning but never had time for? A staycation is the perfect excuse to delve into something new and immerse yourself in it without guilt. Buy the materials you need in advance, book yourself a crafting day, and go for it. Choose an activity all the family can learn together, or let family members choose their own. You can have a lot of laughs and fun together even if you’re all working on different projects. Then mix it up by swapping around and trying each other’s chosen crafts.
If you need to clear some space to set up a staycation theme at home, did you know you can rent a self storage unit for as little as a week? For example you could clear the spare bedroom to set up a craft room, or remove tools and equipment from the garage to make way for your bar.
There is plenty of self storage in Tunbridge Wells and everywhere else in the country. And you never know, you might like the new space at home and decide to keep things in storage for longer.
Take Day Trips
Make a daily outings itinerary for each day of your staycation. Include things you normally wouldn’t do, such as hiking, learning to sail, or visiting a museum – whatever would be something different for your family, depending on children’s ages and how energetic you feel.
Keep each activity within reach of a day’s travel (say within 50 miles) so you can return home to sleep, but plan to spend most of the day away, just as if you were on holiday. Research the travel times for your day trips and factor in a bit extra in case of traffic jams or other delays. Pack plenty of in-car entertainment, snacks and drinks if you’re travelling with young children.
Take picnics or plan your eating venues, checking for the busiest times if you want to avoid the crowds. This summer you’re likely to need to need to pre-book a table or a slot at your chosen destination.
Travel Further for Overnight Trips
There’s so much to see and do in the UK, and a huge variety of landscape and attractions, but because we’re here all the time we tend to miss a lot of it. A staycation is the perfect excuse to catch up on all you’ve been missing right here within our own borders.
Going away to a new place for even just a night or two can feel like you’ve had a longer holiday. You could have an outdoor adventure in a forest or one of the National Parks, or explore canals, historic towns, or sites and cities you’ve always meant to visit but have never found time for.
You will feel refreshed by the break, and the journey home is so much quicker, with no airport queues or temperature changes to get used to!
