The New Definition of Staycation

  It used to be that a staycation was something you did when you wanted a quick, cheap getaway without going far from home.   So maybe you stayed within a couple hours drive from home and maybe got a hotel for a night or maybe it was just a day trip.   Now that we cannot really go anywhere, a staycation literally means staying at home but trying to feel like you are taking a mini vacation.  

Let’s go with a beach or cruise theme for this staycation.   Next week  I will post ideas for a Theme Park type of staycation.

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Let’s get your 5 Senses involved – 

1. Sound – check out spotify for sounds of the ocean or if you want more than just the sound tune into the live feed from one of my favorite island stops – Soggy Dollar Bar live.  

2. Sight – If you want to go one step further, bring your beach chair or beach towel into the living room and if you have a smart tv search for something like ocean sounds on you tube and now you have your beachfront view.

3. Scent – Lighting a candle is an easy way to get a beach scent in your house. When I think of what the beach smells like I think coconut but there are quite a few other options for beach scented candles – check out amazon to find your favorite beach smell.  If you don’t have any candles but have a bottle of sunblock handy break that out and put some on even if you are staying inside since that usually has a beach scent or at least makes you think of the beach.
 
4. Taste –  An umbrella drink totally screams vacation so check out this link for some Caribbean Cocktails. (Painkiller is the Soggy Dollar original so if you are tuned into their webcam might as well whip up some of those)
You cannot forget about the food – sorry but in this case you have to be the chef and server – check out this link for the Most Requested Cruise Recipes.  

5. Touch – is a little harder since you cannot really bring sand or the ocean into your living room.   If you have a yard, maybe a pool or sandbox will help.  You might have to settle for pretending a fan is an ocean breeze.


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A few extra touches you could add – 
1. Do your own turndown service – add a little chocolate to the pillow and maybe even figure out how to make a towel animal.   This could be a cute surprise for your spouse or kids.

2. Have a formal night – get all dressed up in your fancy clothes and enjoy a special dinner (maybe order take out from your favorite local restaurant).

3. Unplug!  One of my favorite things about flying and cruising is that you are a bit disconnected from the world even if just for a little bit.   No news, no phone calls, no emails.  Even if you only do it for an hour I think it would really help.  Grab a book or your kindle and find a “lounge chair on deck” (in other words your couch) to read or just take a nap.  

 Vacation is all about taking a break from reality so even though we are stuck at home doesn’t mean we cannot do that for a little bit.

Share your Staycation to win!
Let’s make this even more fun by adding a little contest to it.   Take a photo of your staycation and post it to win a $25 Amazon gift card!  Use #stressfreestaycation.  Post your photos to instagram and tag me @coleentravel or on Facebook tag me @ColeenSwezey or @travelwithnostress.   You can also email me your photo if you don’t want to post it anywhere.  This contest will run through April 30th and I will share the winners in the following week’s newsletter.  I will also offer $50 when you book your next vacation just for participating in this contest.