I love travel. Everything about it is amazing.
I love seeing new places, learning about other cultures, trying unique foods - all of it!
Travel is exhilarating, but it’s also exhausting.
Even though I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting to explore the world, sometimes I need a break from all the moving around.
When I stay home, though, I quickly get bored of my surroundings. After experiencing this ennui several times after coming home from trips, I realized something.
I make every effort to make vacations and trips exciting, but I never do that with my own home. And why not?
There’s nothing stopping me from making my home a stimulating, fun place to be, just like I do with my traveling. So, I set out to make my home the ultimate staycation paradise.
And while it still doesn’t quite measure up to being out on the road, it does make me enjoy being at home more and helps keep the travel bug at bay for just a little longer. After some trial and error, I found a few things that worked for me, so I wanted to share them with you.
Here are the four major things that made my home into somewhere I wanted to staycation.
Take Cues from Places You’ve Been
One way I made my home more interesting was by including some of my favorite elements from my favorite travel destinations. When I was Italy, for example, I fell in love with the shutters on the windows.
It might seem like a small thing, but it really makes me think of Italy when I open them every morning. Plus, they block out light and help me sleep better.
When I was in Europe, I also became accustomed to not having a dryer. When I came home, I still air-dried my clothes.
I stuck with this habit for so long that I eventually got rid out of the dryer all together, which I ended up saving me a bit of money on my electric bill.
I also like to keep foods from places I visited in the kitchen. To get them, I shop the international aisle, check out small grocery stores and markets and even throw some things in my suitcase before I head home.
Create an Inspiring Outdoor Space
One of my favorite things about travel is how much time I spend outside. I wanted to recreate that at my house, so I set about to make the perfect outdoor space.
I created an outdoor patio paradise complete with comfortable furniture, outdoor plants, lighting and a grill.
I also installed a fireplace in the backyard for relaxing on cool summer’s night. And I made sure there was plenty of room for stargazing, one of my favorite things about being outside.
My patio has an awning for sun, or even rain, protection during the day. I got a retractable one, though, so that I could put it away on nice nights to create an unobstructed view of the stars. I even bought I telescope that I keep inside right by the patio.
Max Out on Relaxing
When you’re on vacation, you can relax. When you’re at home, relaxing time is often more rare - but, why not set up your home so that you can get the most out of your downtime?
To help me do this, I took my living room and made it into the most relaxing place I possibly could.
I put in the most comfortable couch and beanbag chairs I could find and set up my TV for the perfect viewing experience. Chances are I’ll be watching some movies about travel on there in the near future.
I also themed my living room around the most relaxing place on earth – the beach. Pictures from the beach, beach-themed directions and even a beach chair in the corner make it feel like I’m soaking up the sun in my own home, even though it’s really just the glow of the TV.
Display Mementos From Your Travels
My beach-themed living room brings me to my next point.
Displaying souvenirs from your travels will remind you of them and keep you excited about the places you’ve been and the places you still plan to go. I know I smile every time I look at a picture of me and my sister in Peru or the photo my friend and I took in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Not only do I display memories from trips I’ve taken, I only decorate the walls with reminders of the places I want to go. One of my favorite displays is the map of the world in my bedroom.
I stick a red pin in every place I’ve been, a green one in the places I want to try next, and frequently sit beneath it and plan my next adventure.
Traveling is awesome, but staying at home can be too. You just have to make the most of it, and making your home into the ultimate staycation paradise will certainly help you get there.
