Transform Your Home Isolation into a Staycation

One of travel’s greatest allures is a change of scenery…to surround oneself with sights, people, foods, cultures, and experiences that are totally different to what we are exposed to at home. However, with COVID-19 condemning us not only to our cities but to the insides of our homes, the itch to experience the exotic will simply need to remain unscratched, or will it? With a little ingenuity, online ordering, and a fresh perspective, it doesn’t have to. Why not curate your very own change in scenery – even a little upgrade – at home? You know what they say about that: a change is as good as a holiday!

Here are a few ways you can convert your home isolation into a staycation.

Flip the script

How long has your home been laid out the way it is currently? Years? Well, with no-where to explore but the well-trodden hallways of your home, why not spend some time changing things around? Perhaps push your bed against a different wall and rearrange the rest of the bedroom furniture around it. Do the same with the living room couches, the office, and the kids’ rooms. You could even paint a feature wall, put up jungle patterned wallpaper, or change the room’s theme entirely. Give your eyes and mind a break from the way things have been for ages – the monotony of the same scenery – and switch things up a bit.

Turn your outdoor space into a getaway destination

Being cooped up at home is very likely, by now, showing up the cracks in our relationships and personalities. The cure to cabin fever may seem out of reach but it doesn’t have to be. You can get that fresh air, sunshine, and even a little nature in your life by transforming your outdoor space, whether it’s a large garden, medium-sized patio, or tiny balcony, into a resort-worthy getaway.

For starters, give the space a thorough clean. Mow, crop, and pull out all the dead leaves, weeds, and other garden debris; clean the pool or, if you don’t have one, order an inflatable splash pool online (why not?); throw out any unused, weather-beaten furniture that’s beyond redemption; and sweep and scrub your patio/balcony until it sparkles (the exercise out in the open will likely do you a lot of good).

Then, imagine your yard is the island of Koh Pha Ngan during a full moon party and start decorating. String up fairy lights and paper lanterns, light up a few tiki torches, and throw down some rugs and mats (Takealot, eBay, and Amazon are your friends). You could also hang up canvas or tent material to create a cosy sheltered area and fill it with scatter cushions for that sexy, Bohemian vibe. Go crazy with potted plants, flowers, herbs, and vegetables and if you’re really crafty, you could order in some wooden palettes and make your own garden furniture from scratch.

By using your imagination, a bit of elbow grease, and repurposing odds and ends around the house, you can totally transform your outdoor space into a holiday resort worthy of lounging and sipping cocktails in.

Have a spa day

Spruce your bedroom, bathroom, or lounge up to feel like a professional spa and treat yourself to a few hours or even a whole day of serious pampering. Put on a spa soundtrack (there are lots to choose from on YouTube), burn some scented candles or oils, and take a long luxurious soak in the bath before lathering on those delicious-smelling bath products you got for Christmas but have been saving for a special occasion. That special occasion has arrived by the way and it’s called the apocalypse.

Wear a fluffy bathrobe and slippers all day, slap on a facial mask (the clay kind), give yourself a manicure and a pedicure, and scrub, pluck, and groom yourself flawless – men and women. You could even convince your partner to give you a massage, just make sure that you snore a little during your back rub for that authentic spa experience.

Breathe a little luxury into your home

Since you aren’t going out and spending all that money on the usual dinners, theatres, and holiday, now’s the time to invest in your home, spruce it up a bit, and add a few touches of luxury. How about dressing up your bed in some fresh, Egyptian cotton linen, a new mattress pad, or even a new mattress? How about changing the theme of your bathroom to something a little more luxurious and high end – perhaps a new set of towels, some delicious scented candles, designer soaps and fragrances, and a hanging plant installation to add a flash of colour and life. As for your kitchen: perhaps now is the time to clear out all the clutter you’ve inherited from three or more family members and invest in a sophisticated set of pots, pans, knives, and more.

Eat and drink like you’re on holiday

Now that we all have a little more time on our hands, let that translate into the freedom to experiment with food and drink. Since you can’t physically travel at the moment, allow your senses to explore the world of gastronomy with a themed dinner night in Italy, Mexico, India, Peru, France, Greece, or wherever you desire. You can either order takeout or Google some recipes and learn to cook something exotic, a little further outside of your comfort zone. You can be equally as experimental with your cocktails (here’s hoping you stocked up before lockdown!) And, when the ban on liquor lifts, you can even try wine from different countries, like Spain, Italy, France, South America, and Australia. You are limited only by imagination.

Ideas for the year

Even when lockdown lifts (if it’s not extended), South Africans will likely still need to practice extreme caution in going out again. Travelling overseas for “non-essential” reasons is also very likely many months away from being a reality so these ideas are worth considering over the course of however long it takes society to settle and get back to normal. In the meantime, we wish you all a pleasant, healthy, and even rejuvenating “staycation”.