73 In-home Staycation Ideas During Lockdown

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many people have had to cancel long-awaited holidays. Unfortunately, now is a time that we can not and should not travel. Therefore, we’ve written these staycation ideas so you can create holiday magic in your own home! This post is about things you can do in your home while in lockdown due to Coronavirus. It is for travellers who feel saddened that they can not travel and for anyone who wants to turn their lockdown experience into a staycation. Keep reading for 73 in-home staycation ideas during lockdown.

Update: July 2022 – We noticed that as travel restrictions eased, many people wanted to get away as soon as possible. Therefore, we created a post for how you can staycation in your own home town.
54 Things To Do On A Staycation in Your Home Town includes many ideas to turn your home town into a fantastic holiday experience. Read it next!

What is a Staycation?

Firstly, a staycation is a holiday in your own country or one where your base is your home, and you usually explore places in your town. This post is actually about taking a vacation in your own home.

A staycation in your home can give you a break from work, from people and even from dressing up. You can stay in your pyjamas all day. And you don’t need to worry about all the planning that goes with going on a holiday. Yet you can still do the type of things you would do on holiday.

Moreover, for those who are working while in lockdown, it is easy to organise a staycation over the weekend. There’s no travel times and no time spent organising travel plans or checking in.

Get Ready to Go On Holiday

We have based our 73 in-home staycation ideas on things we like doing while on holiday. Our holidays typically start with a frantic pack and finishing up last-minute tasks. And then we kick off our holidays with drinks at the airport, movies on the plane and feasts at our destination. Thus, our list of staycation ideas starts with these things.

You can do these staycation activities while you are doing other tasks, e.g. work, teaching school lessons, or planning your survival. But if you want the full vacation experience, you should circle the things on this list of staycation ideas that you like doing on holidays and finish tasks not associated with this staycation. And then allocate a start and end date for your staycation! Boom! Let’s begin with the holiday at home ideas. Here is a list of staycation ideas for in your own home. 

73 In-home Staycation Ideas During Lockdown

• Plan as if you are going on a trip. Just like a real vacation, you can plan ahead for your staycation too! Part of the fun of holidays is planning and the anticipation build-up. So plan away, even if it’s only for a day. Set aside things you will need, make a list of the things you will do, books you will read and shows you will watch, and the staycation ideas you like. Pick up essentials and order any items online that you need to make sure you have a great holiday. And don’t forget, you’re on a staycation! Put the world on hold, no work allowed!
• Drinks.  All the best holidays start with drinks. For those who don’t drink, have a mocktail or snack or something else to mark the occasion. But we are doing sparkling wine to celebrate the start of our staycation. (And there’s no talk about the news permitted.) Further, make it like you are on vacation and have dedicated times for drinks. Perhaps a nightly happy hour. (Note – We’re not promoting binge drinking.)
• Netflix binge. Yes, we do support this binge. We love bingeing on our favorite shows, especially during a stay at home holiday. We often find we don’t have the time. During a staycation, we allocate time to this fun escapism. Join streaming services, and if you don’t have unlimited WiFi, now is the time to upgrade. Further, Amazon Prime is offering a 30-day free trial of its streaming services. It includes some original regional television and is cheaper than Netflix. You can sign up via the above link.
• Have a feast. Prepare a huge feast and splurge. Make it a nightly event and go for different cuisines from all over the world. Put on some international music and pretend you are there.

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For Outdoor Lovers

• Get outside. Lay down some blankets in your backyard or string up hammocks, bring music and spend the day outdoors. 
• Have a picnic. Pack all your favourite snacks and drinks and have a long lunch or dinner. You can enjoy your backyard or even have it in your living room.
• Watch the sunset. For an added atmosphere, add some outdoor lighting and indulge in sunset drinks till nightfall.
• Pitch a tent in your backyard. Or you can even camp out in your lounge room. If permitted in your backyard, light a fire and roast marshmallows. Spend the night listening to the sounds of your suburb. If you have had enough of camping, you can go inside to sleep in your bed. Best of both worlds!
• Go stargazing. Whether you pitch a tent or not, go to your backyard (or even out your window) and watch the stars. Further, you can download an app (such as Skyview), which will tell you the names of the stars.
• Bring the outdoors indoors. So maybe you don’t have a backyard, or it’s too cold or too noisy outside. There are webcams in many national parks around the world that offer virtual outdoor experiences in your living room. Check out the wildlife and outdoors webcams provided by National Park Service. Also, Explore.org’s live nature cams showcase nature from all around the world. And there’s AirPano which lets you take a virtual journey around the world. There are videos and 360-degree photos of castles, historic sites, city streets and more. 

Holiday at Home Ideas For Foodies

• Have a BBQ in your backyard or balcony. Put on some music and enjoy the outdoors while eating your favourite foods.
• Have a wine and cheese night. Treat yourself to a variety of cheeses and imagine you are at an elegant hotel. 
• Learn how to bake bread. It feels so rewarding to see your bread rise. And there is nothing as delicious as eating fresh, hot bread straight out of the oven.
• Make homemade cocktails. This is one of our favorite holiday at home ideas. Do you want that holiday feeling? Drink cocktails! Once you have learned to make your own, you will be the life of the party when you make them for your friends in the future.
• Take an online cooking class. Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura has launched a free Instagram series called “Kitchen Quarantine”. Time to step up your game with these free classes. Or if there’s something, in particular, you want to learn, YouTube will have it.
• Eat dessert. Not just for after dinner; eat dessert any time.
• Have an indulgent dinner. Take the time to cook a meal that you usually only cook on special occasions and treat yourself. Further, if lockdown in your town includes being able to order takeaway dinners, make an order and support your local businesses and treat yourself with a feast.
• Make chilled treats. Experiment with frozen fruit drinks and learn how to make ice cream and yoghurt.
• Learn food preservation. Learn how to pickle vegetables, canning, drying and making fruit conserves.  

For Those Who Like Arts, Music and Culture

• See a show online on Broadway. The next best thing to being there is seeing it online. Broadway HD is offering free 7 day trials to hundreds of shows. It includes popular shows such as Les Miserables and Cats.
• Virtual tours around the world. Speaking of Google Arts and Culture, you could end up spending your whole staycation here. There are virtual tours with street views from all around the world. Fancy seeing street art in London or a tour of Cervantes, Spain? It is impressive that you don’t even have to leave your home. If you have never visited artsandculture.google.com/ we urge you to check out all the extraordinary offerings!
• Make Art. Unleash the artist within and do your own art and craft projects. Make candles, create wall art, crochet, make mosaics, paint Easter eggs, to name a few.
• Watch music concerts online. Austin City Limits (ACL), has opened its music archives for free streaming. The longest-running music series on TV has incredible concerts of many genres. Also, check out Billboards up to date list of all the live streams and virtual concerts to watch during the Coronavirus crisis.
• The Social Distancing Festival features visual arts, dance, theatre, music, and showcases talent from all over the world. There is a calendar showing the dates and times of live streams. We just discovered this brilliant new website yesterday. It is the type of innovation that we need at times like these!
• Visit a museum or gallery online. There are thousands of museums and galleries that offer virtual tours. Check out The Smithsonian Museum, The British Museum, The Vatican Museum & Google Arts & Culture Collections to view art from all around the world. We love that there are no queues to get in and that you can zoom in to see more details. 

Stay at Home Holiday For Those Who Like Learning

While it is not a typical vacation activity, for those who love to learn new things, being in lockdown at home is an excellent opportunity to learn a new skill. You have the time and no pressure to do anything else. Learning something new can give you a sense of accomplishment and help relieve anxiety. Plus, you will be able to take those new skills with you when the lockdown is over.

• Start an online course. Now is an exceptional time with many companies offering free courses due to COVID-19. Ahrefs is offering its ‘Blogging for business’ course for free. Check out Coursera for a list of free courses they are offering. Further, many top universities are offering courses for free to students. Though, check out this post on free Ivy league courses which are available to anyone.
• Learn a new language. There are free apps such as Duolingo, which offer many languages. Or you can check out further options on YouTube.
• Watch online documentaries. Netflix isn’t just about watching movies and TV shows during your stay at home holiday. Learn something about the world by watching documentaries. Do a search on YouTube for any holiday destination and watch a documentary on the area or historic sites of the city.
• Spring Break Staycation Trips. This fantastic resource of staycation ideas shared by Lindsay Helman offers links to many incredible things you can do, all of them learning about our world while having fun. We particularly loved World Traveller Wednesday.

For People Who Like to Stay Active

• Join an online yoga or exercise class. Exercise releases feel-good endorphins. When there is bad news, it is a good idea to get those endorphins up and to get fit during a stay at home holiday. You can find free classes on YouTube. One of the more popular ones is Yoga with Adriene. Further, Yoga International offers a free trial of their yoga courses.
• Have a dance party in your living room. Another way to release endorphins and get fit is to dance. Put on some music and dance the night away. You’re on holiday! Additionally, join an Instagram dance party. Mark Kanemura, Lady Gaga’s former backup dancer hosts regular live dance parties. You can also find other dance parties on hashtag #LiveDanceParty.
• Start a small garden. Herbs, flowers or vegetables, it’s merely about the joy in watching things grow! And if you do get vegetables, it’s a bonus! Make sure you buy seeds when out shopping or even better, get some seedlings from a nursery.
• Play an outdoor sport. Get some tennis or squash racquets and hold a tournament in your backyard. Basketball is also hours of fun.
• A DIY project at home. Maybe you like woodwork, or perhaps there are projects you have meant to do for years. Now is the time to do these DIY dreams. For us, making new storage places is a priority! If you are at a loose end, we googled DIY and came up with thousands of creative ideas. Many of them provided instructions.
• Spring clean. To make way for a bright new future, we had to add this! Even though we realize most people would not see this as a vacation. You have time to do a spring clean, so do it if this is something that will make you feel good afterward! Include a closet clean-out. And make sure to celebrate when finished.
• Room refresh. Besides a spring clean, you may go a step further and decide to refresh your room. It could be painting, adding new curtains or new bedding. Though, bear in mind, you may find the shops you need for materials closed due to lockdown. 

Holiday at Home Ideas For People Who Like Socialising

When we are not travelling, we love staying in our home. But for some people staying in their homes is hard. Especially if forced to do so, it can make you feel trapped, especially if you are an extrovert. For travellers who are extroverts, it is particularly hard to stay in lockdown in their home as they miss the socialising aspect. These staycation ideas are especially important holiday at home ideas for you.

• Dial a friend.
• Stay in touch with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat & Messenger.
• Have a FaceTime lunch with friends.
• Do online cooking classes with your friends. Each day you take turns to teach the others one of your favourite recipes. Note – Make sure everyone has the required ingredients in advance.
• Have a virtual party. Houseparty, FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, all offer video conference for large groups. You can have a playlist, dancing and even themes where you have a potluck dinner. (Obviously, you will eat your own meal and have food envy over everyone else’s meals.)
• Honeymoon. Spend quality time with your partner. Maybe you can have a date night and get dressed up. Perhaps you don’t need to leave your bed for a few days!
• Cuddle with your pets. 
• Write some feel-good emails. Catch up with friends and family who you haven’t spoken to for a while. Or perhaps you would like to write heartfelt emails to loved ones and say the things you usually don’t get to say.
• Join a Twitter chat. There are many Twitter chats for whatever your interests are. If you love to travel, join us every Friday for #FlashbackFridayz where participants showcase their favourite photos. There is a new theme each week. Also, check out our blog post Travel with the Twitter Travel Tribe for our favourite travel chats.

For Those Who Can’t Stop Thinking About Holidays

• Look at photos. If you can’t stop thinking about your cancelled holiday and you live to travel, now is an opportunity to reflect on past trips and enjoy the memories.
• Listen to travel podcasts or watch travel vloggers.
• Read travel blogs. Search on Pinterest to find travel blogs to read. Follow us on Pinterest. We love to share travel and have over 6,000 pins.

For People Who Love Organising, Planning and Lists

• Make a bucket list. One day we will all be travelling again. Now is the best time to write out a bucket list! Make sure you add things to it that you can do straight away! One of the items we added was to grow a herb garden. Today during our essential travel for groceries, we picked up pots of herbs that we will plant into garden beds. TICK! One lesson we have learned from this pandemic is not to wait too long to live your dreams!
• Write a list of goals for the future. Planning for the future is fun and fills you with hope and anticipation. These activities are not usually associated with vacations, but the feel-good vibes and mental clarity associated with them is as good as being on holiday. We made a list of our goals, and we are full of hope and positivity.
• Learn about family members. You can do it in person or over the phone. It is an excellent opportunity to ask about your ancestors. You can even build a family tree.
• Plan trips for the future. Planning trips are almost as fun as the holiday and can give you an endorphin boost. Having time on your hand can allow you to get into details and thoroughly plan where you will go and what you will see. Further, for an immediate trip after lockdown, take the opportunity to explore your local area and perhaps do those things that you said you might one day do. Plan to go to your local restaurants and support local businesses.
• Love Yourself. Make a list of things you love about yourself and your life and a list of improvements for the future.

Lockdown Creative Ideas

• Write that book! Have you dreamed about writing a book one day? That time is now! Make a start.
• Draw or paint. Unleash your creativity. There are many art classes available online. 
• Photography. Get creative and photograph your home and its features. Practice your macro or night shot skills. There are free courses available online. Photographycourse.net courses are always free.
• Write a daily journal. Writing is good for stress release and makes you feel good. You don’t have to write about your day’s events. You can write about your thoughts and ideas, and you can let your writing go wherever you want.
• Start a blog. Do you dream of starting a blog one day? Today is that day! It takes minutes, and this gift to yourself could change your life. Writing a blog is a way to de-stress, reflect on your thoughts and collect your hobbies and passions in one place. It is also a vehicle to help others, and if things go well, an opportunity for you to make extra income.
• Write a poem. Not that serious about writing? Just have some fun and write a poem. Don’t worry about grammar and just write about anything and be as happy or sad as you want. It’s Art, buddy!
• Sing along. Some of our family members love this. If you have a karaoke system even better, if you have no one to join you, you can still sing! Release some happy vibes and creativity!

For those Who Love shopping

• Go shopping online. OK, some people love shopping while on vacation. With online shopping, you don’t need to miss out! Check out Today’s deals at Amazon. Additionally, don’t forget to join Amazon Prime to receive free delivery, as well as free books, movies, TV shows and audio. They currently offer a FREE trial for 30 days.

For People Who Need a Good Rest

If you are on the go all the time, an opportunity to stay home can be a blessing and a time of rejuvenation for you. You don’t need to do anything! In fact, this is possibly the only time in your life that you have this opportunity! Don’t feel guilty about not being productive or busy. Show yourself self-care and look after your mental health.

• Lounge in your garden. Put on your swimmers and make like you are at the beach. Have refreshments on hand.
• Sleep longer or take a nap. Go to sleep early and have a lie-in in the mornings. There’s no need to feel guilty. It’s time to catch up on some well-deserved rest.
• Detox from social media. Use the occasion to have “me-time”.
• Play games. Whether it is online or with people in your home, play board games or card games. Further, you could have a family games night.
• Read books. Dedicate your day to indulging in a good book. Subscribe to Amazon Prime’s free 30-day free trial and enjoy FREE access to Kindle books. (Also includes, music, movies & TV shows.)
• Watch YouTube. Now is the time to indulge your inner self and spend impulsive hours binge-watching. 
• Treat yourself to a pile of magazines. Spend the day reading.
• Meditate. There are many meditations on YouTube. Also, the meditation app Headspace is offering free access to its short ‘Weathering the storm’ meditations.
• Have a spa day. Don’t forget to start by creating a mood with candles and essential oils. Start with a relaxing hot bath. Have a facial, relax with some music, include a body scrub, self-tan and finish with body lotion. If you have someone in your household that wants to have a spa day with you, you can do a massage swap and manicures. Otherwise, you can give yourself a foot massage. 
• Breakfast in bed. Have an indulgent breakfast. And if there is someone to cook and serve it to you, you can take turns.
• Experience dolce far niente. The Italian saying of “The sweet art of doing nothing” works best when you have no expectations to do anything at all except to just relax in pleasant idleness.

For Those Who Want to Make No Plans

• Have no plan. We have given you lots of staycation ideas and links to browse, but you don’t need a plan. Remember, it’s mostly about an attitude of doing the best with what you have and a positive mindset. But do be careful with no plans as you may end up spending your days drowning in the news and too much of that is not a good thing!

We hope you enjoyed these staycation ideas. We wrote these as holiday at home ideas we had for ourselves. They will hopefully inspire you to make your own list of staycation ideas and do the things you know you love or discover new things you love. Let us know what you think, and any other holiday at home ideas you have to make your home a perfect staycation destination.

We wish you peace of mind during this challenging time in our world. May you find some comfort in your home. And we hope you get to go on vacation soon.

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