Jessica
The average American receives an average of 13 vacation days a year, but studies have repeatedly shown that Americans leave vacation days on the table. While four out of 10 Americans usually take a week-long vacation at some point during the year, Americans also leave up to three vacation days unused every year.
There are all sorts of fun to be had on the average vacation—relaxation, sightseeing, good food and drink—but you can also have a lot of fun relaxing at home too. More and more, it seems that people are forgoing extensive out-of-town vacations for so-called staycations.
There are plenty of reasons for opting for a staycation. Maybe you have bills to pay off. Maybe you don’t feel like traveling. Maybe travel isn’t an option right now. Nonetheless, you can have plenty of fun staying at home.
Go Outside
One of the easier stay at home vacation ideas is to do something outside. In the outdoors, the possibilities are endless:
You can take a drive to some of your local hiking trails and go for a hike or nature walk. Odds are you have lots of trails in your area and you can find ones that range from short to much longer. If you’re trying to get yourself in shape or exercise more, going for a nature walk is a perfect way to do it.
If you’re looking for something to do with the kids, you can visit a local park. On a bright, sunny day you can have a picnic, fly a kite, toss a Frisbee around, or read a book.
If you love being on the water, you should definitely go boating. Being out on the water, you can fish, you can swim, you can anchor and spend time with friends and family, the possibilities are endless.
If you’ve already got a boat or a JetSki and you need supplies, you local Sea Doo dealer can help you stock up on life jackets, riding gear, and even graphic kits to help you add cool decals to your ride.
Another easy way to spend time outside is to play sports. Even if you’re not the most athletic person in the world, you’d be surprised at how much playing sports can help you. For folks on medical weight loss programs, for example, you can help further promote a healthier lifestyle for yourself by running, swimming, playing tennis, or even walking a track.
Be A Tourist
Believe it or not, some of the best stay at home vacation ideas are closer than you think. What does that mean? It means you can be a tourist in your hometown.
You might scoff at the notion, but stop and really think about it: there’s lots to do in your hometown. Perhaps you’ve seen all the attractions, but when was the last time you ate at the fanciest restaurant in town? When was the last time you checked out the local museum? When was the last time you checked out a historical site in your town?
If it’s been a while since you’ve done any of those things, consider checking them out again with an open mind. You never know what you might discover.
One way to be a tourist in your town is to do a tasting tour. Maybe you’ve always wondered who’s got the best burger in your town or perhaps a there’s a fancier dish you’ve never tried at your favorite restaurant. No matter what you do, you can create a unique culinary experience without breaking the bank.
Watch Movies At Home
If you’re a movie buff and you’re looking for some great stay at home vacation ideas, you can’t go wrong with putting in a home theater. Home theater systems come in all shapes and sizes, but if you’re looking for a simple way to do it, you can use a projector and a white sheet to screen your favorite movies. If you want to do it outdoors, put a sheet up against the garage and have a homemade drive-in movie night.
Freshen Things Up
If you’re staying at home for vacation, that means you’ve got some time to some freshening up around your house. When it comes to stay at home vacation ideas, you can make good use of your time by redoing a room. No one says you have to do major renovations. A room refresh might be as simple as rearranging furniture or throwing up a new coat of paint in a bedroom.
This is a chance to let your creativity shine. Maybe a freshening up means creating a new space in your home. Maybe that’s an art studio or a home office space to work. Any way you go about it you can’t lose.
Do Some Vacation Planning
Do you have a place you’ve always wanted to visit for a dream vacation? Maybe it’s Italy or London or somewhere in the United States. If you have such a place, one of the most enjoyable stay at home vacation ideas involves planning for your dream vacation. Yes, you’re at home, trying to save money, but with some free time you can look into what it might take to plan a dream vacation, from costs to sights to travel.
If you’ve got somewhere big in mind, your dream vacation might not happen for a while; it might even be five or 10 years. But by doing some research and really looking to see what’s out there, your dream vacation doesn’t have to always feel like a dream. With some careful planning, you may be able to take it much sooner than you think.
Get Family Involved
Some of the best stay at home vacation ideas involve the whole family. One of the best family activities you can get involved in as some kind of game tournament. If it’s a nice day, pull out the cornhole boards or ladder ball set. If it’s a rainy day, pull out a deck of cards or everyone’s favorite board games. With plenty of games and plenty of snacks, you can easily have a fun day.
Looking for something else to do with your family? Have an indoor movie marathon, or plant a garden. If you’ve got a property to work with, you can hire a revegetation service to come in and replant and rebuild your soil. Once you’ve got a spot that’s suitable for planting, you can get the whole family involved.
If you’ve got your favorite flowers to plant, you can use natural fertilizer to plant them wherever you wish. If you’ve got younger kids, you can have them get an area ready for planting by laying down potting soil and making sure you have all the flowers you need. The good news is that planting can be relatively inexpensive depending on what you plant and how much you plant.
Do Some Window Shopping
Most stay at home vacation ideas are all about saving money, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dream a little.
Are you a fishing enthusiast? If you are, you know there are a lot of places you can look for fishing boats for sale if you want to get your own rig someday. Even if you’re at home, you can certainly do your research on what kind of boat you might want to get when the time is right. You might want a pontoon so you can take the whole family out on the lake. Or perhaps you might want a bass boat to chase all kinds of fish.
Are you thinking of getting a new car? If you’re in the middle of a staycation, you’re likely not going to be buying a car, but, again, you can do some research. It’s been said that October, November, and December are the best months to buy a car because auto dealerships are trying to meet their sales quotas. So, if your staycation is in August, you can take time to figure out what car you want to buy and then buy it a few months down the road, when you might get a great deal.
The same principle can be applied when it comes to buying a house or buying property. By looking around, looking at different prices, and doing your homework, you might have a new house or more property sooner than you think. It will also give you time to figure out all that you need to do in the house-buying process, especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer. For example, if you’re buying a piece of land to build on, you’re going to need the help of a title and closing company, which will ensure that a piece of property is legitimate and will then give you the insurance for your property.
Heck, you can even window shop for items for your boat. Your staycation is the perfect opportunity to enjoy some time out on the water, but perhaps you’re thinking of doing more with your boat. If you have a fishing boat, you might be thinking of adding power for boats in the form of an outboard motor that can be used for trolling. If you have a yacht, that power for boats may include getting a motor for an inflatable boat you can use for taking a zip around smaller bodies of water.
Get Some Sleep
It may sound like a simple idea, but if you’ve been burning the candle at both ends at work, one of the best stay at home ideas is to catch up on sleep. After all, vacations are all about relaxing and doing whatever you want. If you’re feeling tired, take a nap. If you’re feeling adventurous, set up a hammock and take a nap outside.
Find A New Hobby
When it comes to stay at home vacation ideas, the only limit is your imagination. If you’ve got something fun you’ve been wanting to try, there’s no time like the present. Maybe you’ve got a set of golf clubs that haven’t seen action in a while. Maybe there’s a book series you’ve been wanting to read. Maybe you’ve been wanting to explore your artistic side and do some painting. Whatever your pleasure is, take time to explore your hobby and enjoy it.
Don’t Neglect Your Health
It may not rank high on your list of fun stay at home vacation ideas, but it may not be a bad idea to check up on your health. Think about it, you’ve finally got some time to yourself you can focus on what’s important, like your family and your health.
Focusing on your health can take many different forms. Let’s say you want to try and lose weight. If that’s the case, you can do all kinds of things to stay active including running, going to the gym or even doing yoga. It might mean eating healthier and you can focus on creating a meal plan that will give you all the essential vitamins and minerals you need.
Focusing on your health might also include seeing a doctor. If you’ve got some medical concerns, virtual doctor appointments are a great way to see your doctor without having to make the trip into an office. You can talk to your doctor from the comfort of your own couch and you can be assured that you’ll have plenty of privacy to address whatever concerns you have.
Enjoy Your Time Off
Traveling for vacation can be fun, but a stay at home vacation can be just as exciting. Stay at home vacation ideas enable you to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Whether you want to take the time to take up a new hobby, exercise more, soak up as much family time as possible or have no plans at all and see where the days take you, you can do all of that at home. You can have loads of fun without having to stretch your budget or your resources and when you return to work, odds are good you’ll feel relaxed and refreshed.
