Are you one of the many thousands of people who haven’t booked their summer vacation this year because of travel restrictions?
As the coronavirus pandemic still wreaks havoc across the world, it looks like a family staycation is going to be the best option for everyone right now, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a second-best option!
Your Staycation Starts Here
There are so many reasons to do a staycation, from environmental to financial, but right now,it’s probably safer not to do too much traveling around the world, so here are eight great staycation activity ideas for you to try at home with your family this year.
The best part? They’re really cheap too!
Enjoy An Outdoor Movie Night
Once the weather gets a little warmer, an outdoor movie night is exactly what the doctor ordered! Grab your snacks and grab your bean bags for a night of romcoms, comedies, Disney classics, and maybe the odd horror movie when the kids have gone to bed!
Setting up your outdoor movie night doesn’t have to be expensive, projectors have come down a lot in price recently, and a light-colored bed sheet makes the perfect screen. If you’re looking for a cheaper giant bean bag to keep everyone comfy, there is a huge range of Lovesac alternatives on the market now!
Hold A Family Olympics
There’s still concern over whether or not the Tokyo 2021 Olympics will go ahead this year after being postponed, and it’s not looking like it will do.
You can create your own Olympic games in your garden or in your house with the kids. Grab a few footballs, mini bean bags, hula hoops, rings, and other toys, and create your own games as a family.
This is a great way to get kids active and outside, as well as getting them interested in sports and exercise. As a bonus, this offers parents the perfect opportunity to teach children about fair play and teamwork too.
Have An At-Home Date Night
For couples who have been in lockdown together for months, the very idea of spending ANOTHER night together might just push them over the edge, but keeping the romance alive in a relationship is essential, so why not try an at-home date night?
Cook a fancy meal and go all out with flowers, soft lighting, romantic music, and make sure you dress up nicely. You might have got away with doing Zoom calls in a shirt and pajama bottoms, but making an effort for date night is a sure-fire way to win over your significant other.
Watch Travel Documentaries
Are you missing being able to jump on a plane and jet off to an exotic location? Don’t let the lack of travel ability stop you from experiencing the wonders that the world has to offer, pull up the travel documentary section of Netflix or any other streaming service and immerse yourself in different cultures and different countries.
If you really want to take a virtual travel experience to the extreme, why not get a few VR headsets for the family (they can even be made cheaply using Google’s Cardboard templates and your smartphones) and take a trip to exotic locations.
By playing music and investing in some incense at the same time, it’s almost like you’re there in reality. Almost!
Cook Up A Cultured Storm
Food is the one thing that brings the whole world together. Every culture and every country has its own food and its own signature dish, and going out for local meals is usually something that most families love about going on foreign holidays.
While that might not be possible this year, there’s no reason why you can’t try some of the recipes at home yourselves.
Pull up Pinterest and search for recipes for different countries. Try a German Bratwurst, a Spanish Paella, a Thai Curry, an Indian Curry, or even a nice Italian Lasagne for dinner. You could even push the boat out and give making your own Japanese Sushi a go!
Camp In Your Back Garden
Camping in your back garden is a brilliant way to get the kids outdoors and enjoying nature whilst not risking transmission by socializing with others.
If it’s your first time camping, you’ll want to try it in your back garden first of all anyway, that way you can head indoors if it starts raining or gets too cold!
Don’t forget the fire pit and the s’mores to bake either!
Explore A New Part Of Your Loca Area
When was the last time you went out in your local area but to somewhere new? Even if you’ve lived in the same area for years, there’s always something and somewhere new to explore.
This is a great cheap way to get the kids out and get them interested in local history, natural history (looking for bugs and insects), as well as working on your teamwork as a family.
Pull up Google Maps and have a look to see if there’s an area you haven’t visited, and head off for the day. Don’t forget the sandwiches!
Shoot A Home Movie
For anyone who has looked back ad their own home movies from when they were children, you’ll know that it’s a very special experience, and it can bring up lovely memories of friends and family who may have passed away in the intervening years.
Share that special bond with your kids by creating your own home movies, but this time make it something you’ll want to watch over and over.
Modern smartphones can shoot amazing videos, and there are plenty of free apps to let you edit your video into something watchable, so get the kids involved in scripting and costuming and shoot your very own home movie!
If you wanted to, you could even put it on YouTube for the world to see and become a star, or keep it as unlisted and share it with close friends and family only. It’s your family and your choice.
