Creating the Best Staycation
One of the best parts of summer is taking a long trip to someplace unfamiliar and spending the time relaxing and forgetting about all of your normal worries. But sometimes you can do just that without leaving your home! We're talking about a staycation. Creating the optimal staycation is all about bringing those resort luxuries to your own backyard and hushing those reminders of work and responsibility. Whether you are on a budget or not you can create a memorable staycation with a little prep work and a true dedication to the art of relaxation.
Disconnect
The first task in any good staycation is turning off the alarm clock, disabling your calendar reminders and simply just shutting off your phone and putting it somewhere out of reach. With your work emails and messages only a click away it's hard for anyone to get any real time away aside from leaving the country. Once you've disconnected you have time to relax without the constant distraction of dings and pings.
Create a resort-like space
Since you will be spending a lot of time finally enjoying the warm summer weather you have to do a little prep work to create the perfect outdoor space. What are your favorite parts of going on vacation? If you love lounging poolside invest in a quality chaise that you can melt into. If you love spending time reading or napping set up a hammock in a quiet place and surround it with flowers and other accessories that make it feel a little more like an island resort than your backyard. Once you have that space created the only thing left is to use it!
Skip cooking (at least inside)
Put household tasks on the back burner and indulge a little. A great way to do this is by ditching the kitchen. Prep some indulgent meals and desserts for your staycation in advance or simply have them delivered so you don't have to lift a finger! If cooking is something you love simply move the kitchen outside to the grill or outdoor kitchen. Put your diet on hold and think vacation. What would you be eating at a resort? Indulge on delicious seafood and rich desserts. Plan ahead and create some >island cocktails by the pitcher that taste as good with lunch as they do with dinner!
Treat yourself
This is the perfect opportunity to take some time out and focus on you. Find a masseuse that makes house calls and enjoy a massage outside followed by a long dip in the hot tub. Play up that theme by turning your bedroom and bathroom into luxurious spaces with aromatherapy candles, plush overstuffed pillows, terrycloth robes and high thread count sheets. Organize all of your beach favorite books in a shelf by the pool so you don't have to move a muscle. Even better sleep outdoors under the stars! Bring comfy bedding outside and setup a wonderful outdoor bedroom in your backyard in a tent or under the kit pergola.