10 Staycation Ideas to Try During the Pandemic

As fear over the coronavirus pandemic continues to build, people around the world are beginning to question whether they should travel, with many canceling or re-arranging their holiday plans altogether. If you’re looking for a safer and easier option to enjoy time away from work, then you might consider planning a Staycation. 

When you go on a Staycation, you visit places and enjoy fun activities in your country or near your home. It’s a great idea for people that do not want to give up their holiday altogether and you might actually enjoy an exciting adventure that becomes a new family tradition. 

Here are 10 Staycation ideas you might consider planning: 

1. Take a Day Trip

An easy way to make a new adventure is to take a day trip. With a day trip, you can pack the family into a car or even take a train to a nearby town or tourist destination. Visit a museum or try an outdoor café. You can even find fun adventures in an unfamiliar suburb in your city. Don’t forget to make the perfect playlist for the trip.

2. Pitch a Tent and Camp

Whether in the wilderness or your backyard, you can create your camping trip. Your backyard can offer a unique camping experience. Pitch a tent in the yard, build a campfire and roast marshmallows for smores (or use a microwave or toaster oven). You can even tell spooky stories with a flashlight before sleeping under the stars.

3. Get Outside

An outdoor excursion is a perfect way to clear up any indoor boredom that may exist after spending months inside. Even as the mercury climbs, playing outside can offer an escape from the monotonous quarantine life we have gotten used to. Fly a kite, take a walk, go for a bike ride, lace up those roller skates, or take a hike. Many state and national parks offer plenty of breathing room in addition to multiple trials for hiking, walking, and biking. If there are no state or national parks nearby, maybe visit the beach and play in the sand, visit a nearby neighborhood park, or buy a kiddie pool or sprinkler and soak in the summer sun as the kids play in the water. If it’s winter, try to find an ice-skating rink, build a snowman or have a snowball fight. Getting outside is the cheapest and most accessible staycation available, offering plenty to do to remove those quarantine blues.

4. Visit a Park

Parks are a perfect way to spend some time outside with family. Offering playground equipment (jungle gyms), trails for walking and biking, and plenty of green space, parks can offer a quick escape from indoor life. You can play frisbee, throw around a ball, fly a kite, people-watch, or just enjoy the sun and breeze while lying on the grass. Whatever you choose to do, visiting a park will let you enjoy it all.

5. Have a Picnic

Pack up a basket filled with sandwiches, lemonade, and cookies and find the perfect spot. Lay down a picnic blanket and unpack the basket. There’s nothing better or more whimsical than a perfect weather picnic day. Whether you bring a classier spread of cheeses, meats, jams, and crackers or the more family-friendly PB & J sandwiches and cookies, a picnic is a perfect way to spend a day. Bring a book to read, a coloring book to color, or do some knitting and crochet.

6. Movie Marathon

Pop the popcorn and buy some sweets for a movie marathon in your own home! Whether you watch movies on streaming services like Netflix or Disney+ or watch (or rent) classic DVDs in a DVD player, settle in with your snacks under a blanket in pajamas for a movie marathon. You can even set up a projector and a white sheet outside to bring the fun outdoors. 

7. Host a Cooking Competition Night

With so many cooking shows for all ages on TV and Netflix, it can be both inspiring and enticing to try your own. Whether you do kids vs. adults or parent vs. parent with kid judges, a cooking competition night can be a fun way to do something different. Try creating a challenge already in your home (you could have the judges choose what food items you must cook with) or run to the store and pick some exciting ingredients. However you choose to do it, a cooking competition is a great way to spend a night.

8. Go Paddle Boarding, Canoeing, or Kayaking

If there are any bodies of water nearby, like a lake, ocean, or river, there will most likely be a water sports rental facility nearby as well. Usually, the facilities will offer paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, or paddle boats. These can all be fun and exciting ways to try something different in the water. You could even challenge yourself by trying surfing!

9. Tackle a Family Project

Have you been promising to build a treehouse when you had time, or the kids have been inspired by social media and want to redecorate their rooms? There is no time like the present! Spend some time with family bonding while you build, paint, or redecorate. Whatever family project you choose to tackle, doing it together will make the result even better.

10. Relax and Enjoy!

Although there are many obligations that did not disappear when the pandemic hit, the key to achieving the perfect staycation is committing time for fun and relaxation with your family. No matter what you choose to do, doing it together will make many great memories, even with a pandemic going on. Watching movies, taking a walk, or hosting a cooking show all offer plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy time with your family. 

Have you tried any of these Staycation ideas? How was the experience? Do you have any other suggestions? Share your ideas in the comments below.