Holiday Home

We are now into the summer holidays, schools finished last week and loads of people are now flying off on the holidays to somewhere hot and sunny to enjoy some time with their kids and family.

Excellent! However, maybe you aren’t going away. Perhaps you’ve opted to stay home or you can’t afford a trip abroad and you will be spending you holidays at home doing day trips or visiting family or sitting in a park reading a book. All of this sounds great to me. But what can you do to ensure your home holiday isn’t just the usual day to day of washing, making dinners and cleaning? Well why not plan ahead and make your staycation more like a vacation.

Write a list of all the things you love about being on holiday and what you enjoy most then start planning to incorporate it into your days. Your holidays are there for you to rest and recuperate and focus on your own wellbeing as well as that of your family. At the end of your holiday, you want to go back to work feeling super charged and ready to go..

Here are 10 ideas to help you with your holiday at home ensuring you get the best out of your time and feel like you have had a holiday abroad.

1. Create an itinerary. I don’t mean have a plan hour by hour, but plan some activities in, know when you will be at home and when you will be out and about. You could schedule in reading time or yoga or walking etc. Really think about what you want to do and create a stress free week or two. Be flexible as things may change.
2. Batch cook lots of meals so you don’t have to spend your evenings or lunchtimes cooking. The best thing about holidays is not having to cook, so if you are at home, plan your meals in advance and batch cook, freeze and then defrost when you are looking to reheat. So you are still reheating but the time will be minimal and will allow you to get on with your holiday activities as well as not getting pulled into a typical evening of making dinners.
3. Buy or borrow lots books. One of the best things about holidays is getting to read books without interruptions (that might just be me), and being on vacation gives you the space and freedom to read as many books as you want. So go to your library, ask your friends for recommendations and stack those books up and get stuck in when your vacation starts.
4. Build a fort/convert a spare room into a holiday zone. Why let your kids have all the fun! If the weather is great and you can sit outside and enjoy the fresh air, perfect, but if it isn’t have a plan b. If you have a spare room can you put a really comfy seat in it or put a sun lounger in it so it becomes your go to place. Maybe you buy a few things and make it a holiday zone, you could print of previous holiday photos or decorate with plants or bright colours to give it the feel of being away. Make sure you leave any usual day to day things out of the room, once you step into it, you are now on holiday and washing/ironing does not exist.
5. Keep the tv switched off. TV watching on holiday is minimal. You may pop it on as background noise as you get ready to go out for the day or the evening, but keep it to a minimum. You don’t need to know what’s happening in the world all the time. Lose yourself in the activity you are doing or the family member you are talking too and forget about the real world for a period of time.
6. Dress up for dinner. Who doesn’t love getting all dressed up when you are in another country and going out in a beautiful summer dress or smart trousers, not having a care in the world and certainly no need for a jacket! If you have planned to go out to a restaurant or are ordering a takeaway or even if you are reheating something you have cooked previously. Get your glad rags on, set the table, put some candles out and get into the holiday zone of being out for a meal. Why not create mood lighting or put some calming music on or take a selfie so you can look back at these ‘holiday’ memories.
7. Order takeaway/go out for dinner. You are on holiday so why not treat yourself to a few lovely meals out or order takeaway from the restaurant you have been dying to try. Don’t feel guilty about it, be kind to yourself. You likely cook all year round so are allowed to take some time off and eat food someone else has prepared.
8. Only wear your holiday clothes. Look out your usual holiday clothes, So often we have many items we only ever wear when abroad. It doesn’t matter if you are going to a museum or walk along the beach front near where you live. Wear your favourite holiday clothes and imagine you are abroad, plan your outfits and even if the weather is wet, wear them around your home. You might not put your bikini on, but you can certainly wear your summer dress as you lie and read your book on your sun lounger.
9. Put your phone away. When we are on holiday, we don’t tend to use our phones as much. So do the same at home. Put it in a drawer and only check it 2-3 times a day. Let people know you are on your holidays and so may take a bit longer to get back to them. You’ll be amazed at how relaxed and carefree you will feel. No pressure to be available or to know what everyone is doing all of the time. Plus it gives you the opportunity to talk to your partner or kids.
10. Book a massage or have a spa day. There is nothing better than having a massage on your holiday, particularly in the first day or so as you try to shake off work and relax. There are bound to be a lot of places nearby where you can book yourself in and get an aromatherapy massage or facial, helping to ease the tension away and let go of work. Why not book a spa day with a treatment at a hotel. This will allow you to use the facilities before and after your treatment, this can really help you to switch off and get into the holiday mood.

Remember your holidays are about taking care of you and your family and giving yourself the time to relax and let go of your usual day to day. The busyness will soon be back, so make the most of your time off and don’t feel the pressure to do housework when at home. This is your time to unwind. Use it to your advantage and make the time off work for you and your own wellbeing.

Whether you are going abroad or staying at home, have a wonderful time off and don’t forget to put yourself first sometimes and take care of you.

Have a great week, thank you for reading.

Love Emma xx