You know how you feel when you're on vacation? Like you're floating on a cloud, excited for the adventures or relaxation, not a care in the world except what to choose off the menu. That feeling of loving life and living it to the fullest. It's such an incredible feeling! That's why we usually are sad when our vacation ends and we have to get back to our normal lives. What if we could take that feeling with us back into our regular day-to-day experiences?
Here are a few ways to bring that vacation feeling home with you, or to take memories of a favorite past vacation and add it to your daily life now:
1. Recreate your favorite meals in your kitchen!
Food is so special when it comes to traveling. Whether you are experiencing a different culture or a different part of your own country, the food is usually created in a unique way. Tasting different dishes, special seasonings, or new cooking techniques can feel so nice. If you eat something especially delicious, it may be something that sticks out to you in your memories of that trip. Why not try to recreate it at home? It may not be exactly the way you had it, but you can usually google the name of a dish and find a recipe that you can create at home to remind you of the delicious food you had on vacation. Sometimes you can even search the name of the dish and the name of the restaurant to find a "copy-cat" recipe. Plus, it's always fun to try to make new things!
2. Bring the sounds home with you
Sometimes we forget about what we hear while on vacation, but the sounds we hear can add a lot to the overall ambiance and mood. Think about your vacation and what you heard. Were there a lot of birds chirping? Did you stay at a themed resort that played music from a certain culture? Think about how nice it would be to come home after work and open your front door and hear a lovely soundtrack that puts you in the mind-space of vacation. After getting home from our recent trip to Hawaii, I downloaded a Hawaiian music station on Pandora to play when I get home from work. I pretend like it's the music I heard on the islands, and it instantly relaxes me. Try searching for music you heard in your favorite place. If you love hiking in the woods, search for a forest sounds station. If your favorite vacation was camping on the ocean, search for ocean waves music. If you went to Africa, search for music in the country that you stayed. This tip is so simple that it's easily overlooked.
3. Add plants to your property (or indoors) that you saw on your favorite vacation
For example, if you loved a tropical vacation, think about adding some plants to your property that give you tropical vibes. If you live in an area with a similar climate, you can plant them right into the ground. If you live in a cooler climate you can add to pots and take them indoors during the wintertime. If you live in an apartment, look for indoor tropical plants. Whether it was a tropical vacation or not, do some research online to see what kinds of plants can be found wherever your favorite destination is and try to recreate that at home. Even if it isn't the exact same plants, you can add colors or flowers that remind you of the smells of vacation. Seeing these plants will automatically take you back to your vacation mood!
4. Plan mini vacation nights
We all want vacation to go on forever, but it usually isn't financially possible. Instead of being upset that you next vacation isn't until x number of months/years away, create miniature vacation nights throughout the year. To do this, think of some of the activities you love about vacation. It could be trying a new restaurant, going to a bar, swimming in pools, hiking, going to a museum, etc. Try to schedule something fun like this at once a month. Once you leave your house to do one of these activities, think of it as your mini vacation and get in that vacation mindset! Forget about stress of work, don't waste time on social media, and try to soak in that vacation feeling.
5. Put away the screens
The main reason I love vacation is because it means spending quality time with loved ones and less time being distracted by our phones. We eat meals without watching tv, we talk more about what we loved about xyz, we slow down and enjoy the moment together. Experiencing life together is one of the main reasons to take a vacation from work life. You can easily recreate this at home by designating certain nights as screen-free. That means no phones after a certain time (maybe from the moment you get home until bedtime, or maybe just for dinner) or keeping the tv off for that evening. Instead, talk during dinner, play board games at night, or go through photos of old vacations together to relive those moments. If it's nice outside, take a beverage outside and just enjoy the fresh air together. Quality time with loved ones is something that is invaluable. We can never get that back, so make it a priority to schedule this into your month. You don't need to be on vacation at an exotic destination to be able to enjoy the simple things in life!
Vacations are incredible experiences to have, but they can be hard to schedule and expensive. Remember that you aren't working hard and going through life just to get to the next vacation. You can (and should) think about what makes vacations so special and try to recreate that on a smaller scale at home on a regular basis. After all, you shouldn't need a vacation to get away from your normal life. You should want a vacation to add to the amazingness that life can be. Vacations are garnishes to your main entree. They add to it but aren't necessary to enjoy the entree. I hope these ideas have helped show you how to bring that vacation feeling home with you!
Comments