Tips for a Holiday Staycation

I’m just going to say it. Covid. Travel is essentially out this year. We love a good holiday vacation. We’ve gone to Washington DC, Toronto, Montana, Minneapolis, Morocco. The holidays are a great time to travel. But not this year! It’s not something that I really wanted to give up, but global pandemic, right?

I’m still planning on some travel! Just very limited and much closer to home. Here’s how to make even just staying in your own town feel like a million-dollar vacation.

Quick reminder: Your ability to do these things really depends on the situation in your city/town, your personal comfort, and your family’s health preparedness needs. Use an abundance of caution and care for yourself and others. Mask up and avoid being around others.

Splurge on a nice dinner (takeout!)

Most (all) restaurants are closed in our neck of the woods, but there are still a lot of options for a nice dinner. The first option - get good ingredients at the grocery store. You know, that wagyu beef or that fancy cut of fish. You can find a new recipe and really go for it. Option two - takeout. Even a lot of high-end restaurants are doing takeout. Pick somewhere special, or that you’ve been dying to try.

Dress up.

I don’t know about you, but the elastic waistbands have been out for the whole of the pandemic. When we’re on vacation, I like to have a day or two of getting on a nice outfit and taking some pictures. Covid version, just put on an outfit that makes you feel nice and cute (I’m typing this while wearing a three-sizes-too-big hoodie) and take some fun photos. Set up your phone on a self-timer and snap a few. Easy!

Sleepaway from home

This one is really going to depend on where you are. We have found a few local-ish (less than an hour drive) contactless AirBnB options. If you’re going that right, don’t feel bad about grilling the hosts about their cleaning process and what “contactless” means to them. There are some nice glamping cabins near us (think woodfire + giant bathtub) for a nice change of scenery.

Play tourist

A lot of museums and galleries are still closed, but there are a lot of hiking trails and monuments in our own town (or close by) that we’ve never visited. Pick a couple of places that you can go and visit that you haven’t yet!

Rent some winter gear

If you’re in a winter-heavy area, a great socially distanced adventure vacation is something like snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Rental places are still open and it’s a great time to get out and try something new without having a big ski resort holiday.

Happy non-travels. Sometimes all it takes is a little change of scenery!

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