This year has been tough. We've all had to deal with our fair share of cancelled plans and difficult situations. We've been cooped up at home, trying to maintain a balance between our work and home life, with limited ways to spend our free time and zero chance of booking a holiday. As lockdown starts to lift many of us are looking for ways to take a break away from home.
There have been major changes to cancellation polices and travel insurance due to COVID-19 so I'm sticking close to home and seeking out ways to enjoy some time off without the stress or hassle of travel. Staycations have always been a great option for those of us who want to reduce the impact of our travel plans, and now it might be the only option a lot of us have - we might as well make it a good one!
The most important part of a staycation is changing your usual routine. Travelling far from home typically forces you to break your habits by throwing you into a new routine. When you take staycation, particularly one where you're physically still at home, it's very easy to just do what you always do; wake up at the same time and do the same things. You might find yourself getting caught up with the boring parts of life and, even worse, continuing to work when you should be enjoying your time off.
These are my favourite ways to enjoy a no travel staycation with slow living activities that gets you out of your weekly routine and makes you feel like you're on a "proper" holiday.
Be A Tourist
When you live somewhere it's easy to take it for granted. You walk the same route every day because it's the quickest and visit the same places because you believe they're the best. It took me two years of living in Birmingham to visit the museum that's right at the end of my street - and it's amazing! We often don't visit the tourist spots were we live because they're so accessible to us; we could visit any time we want but we never do. A staycation is the perfect opportunity for a tourist day out, visiting the museums and art galleries, outdoor spaces and local attractions. Don't take your usual route to them either, explore the streets just to see what's down them.
Themed Weeks
This sounds incredibly cheesy and it kind of is but I love it. Choose a country you want to visit and center your activities around it. Learn about the culture if it's somewhere you've never been, cook recipes from the authentic cuisine, listen to local music and watch movies filmed there, and take virtual tours of the streets, monuments, museums, and galleries. It won't quite hit the same as physically travelling there in person but if it's all you've got, it's not a bad option!
Wild Swimming
As a landlocked city dweller that loves being in water, wild swimming is a beautiful dream that can be tricky to make a reality. The wild swimming community is fantastic and incredibly helpful in finding places that are accessible to you, from the best spots to how to get there. Searching online is how I've found wonderful locations for taking a swim in the river. The Wild Swimming website has lots of useful information from safety precautions to regional guides. I've put together a wild swimming packing list with all the essentials worth taking with you.
Geocaching / Randonautica
A kind of choose your own adventure activity with the possibility of finding something interesting at the end of it. Geocaching isn't a hobby I've tried before but I'm tempted to! Randonautica intrigues me. The idea is to provide app users with random coordinates of somewhere for them to visit, encouraging people to explore their surroundings. Geocaching is very similar with an emphasis on 'treasure hunting'. You use both apps to navigate to a location and either find a geocache left by someone else or simply explore the area. Both are great options for a staycation, steering you away from your daily routine and getting you outside doing something new.
