The Staycation: how to travel when you’re at home

Or just a gratuitous post to share my holiday snaps

I’m writing this whilst sitting on my sofa for what feels like the hundredth hour, my son in my arms with the TV turned to some documentary about TikTok cults. Our boy arrived just over 9 weeks ago and whilst our lives have changed mostly for the better, I have been feeling rather nostalgic for past travels.

The Isle of Lewis, Scotland

But it be a while till we can travel abroad again or even travel locally without needing to plan ahead extensively. So, in the spirit of channelling my inner child, I’ve decided to have a staycation without ever leaving the house.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan / Francis Edwards’ bookshop in Hay on Wye

The art of a home staycation doesn’t have any rules. It could be as simple as turning on a film where you can live vicariously through the characters travels (such as Wild, Little Miss Sunshine, Chef). If you’re so inclined you could make a delicious meal for yourself inspired by your favourite country’s culinary dish. You could even combine both, as one pop up cinema did.

*Jericho Beach with downtown Vancouver in the distance, Canada*

For my staycation, I want to make it a full sensory experience. But I’m not going to constraine myself to the limitations of this world. I plan to travel much more fantastical places.

To create the right ambience set myself up a cosy little nook, complete with comfy seating, warm blankets and burning scented candles. I like to put some sort of atmospheric video from YouTube on my TV, anything from a stormy library to sunny hobbit study (I made a playlist of my favourite here for those interested). Depending on my mood I might make myself a drink, probably a tea or a hot chocolate (my favourite way being by melting dark chocolate, oat milk and a tiny pinch of chilli powder). Once the mood is set, I’ll crack open a really good novel.

Other ideas for how to create a staycation at home could be: