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“She was an adventurer at heart; but oh how she loved drinking this tea from this mug in this chair.

Oh how she loved to be home.”

— Unknown

How to Have a Luxury Staycation at Home

Well the holidays are officially upon us. And normally, we’d be traveling to see loved ones or setting off on a winter vacation, but in light of current circumstances, many of us are likely opting to stay home this year.

Jordan and I rotate holidays with our families. This year would be Thanksgiving with my family, which usually takes place at my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Houston. But due to COVID, we decided to stay put this year. Which doesn’t mean that we won’t celebrate; we just will have a much smaller celebration with my immediate family, who thankfully lives near us in Dallas. And this will be the first time that we host Thanksgiving for the family, so I’m looking forward to that.

I know this time has been especially hard for my Jet Set Society ladies since we all love travel and adventure so much, so this week, I wanted to offer some suggestions for creating your own luxury staycation at home. It may not be the white beach that you imagined, but all hope’s not lost - there’s still plenty of ways to enjoy a holiday at home.

Try a virtual cooking class.

Virtual cooking classes have become really common right now, and they are a super fun way to try a new recipe that you normally wouldn’t be exposed to. Personally, I like to try cooking classes that are themed around another country’s food so that I can feel like I’m being transported to that destination.

Some virtual cooking classes will send you a package of the food you’ll be cooking for the evening, while others expect you to purchase your own ingredients before the class starts, so make sure you check what type of class you’re opting into.

There’s a ton of options out there that you can discover with a google search, but here are a few options that you can look into:

Sur la Table Online Cooking Classes - starting at $29 per household; pick up ingredients separately
William Sonoma Virtual Events - starting at $10 with special discounts available for Visa cardholders; pick up ingredients separately
Cozymeal Online Cooking Classes - starting at $29 per device; option to add grocery delivery service for additional fee; these classes feature a wide variety of cuisines and dishes from around the world
Chef’s Garden Catering & Events - starting at $135 for a delivered meal for 2 plus the virtual cooking class

There’s usually some sort of cooking class out there for everyone, ranging from beginner’s level to expert.

If you try one of these classes out, I’d love to see your culinary creations, so definitely share with me @thejetsetblonde on Instagram or Facebook!

And maybe you’re not a cook but you love baking - they’ve got classes for that too. Or maybe you’re just interested in cocktails - the resources I listed also even offer mixology classes.

For those of you who don’t want to lift a finger in the kitchen, consider hiring a chef for the evening - you can find one on Angi or HireaChef.com.

2. Hire out house or yard work.

One of the reasons I love spending time in beautiful hotels is because they’re all so neat and tidy and clean. If you don’t regularly have a maid service or landscaping service come to your home, consider scheduling one. Have a cleaning service do a deep clean on your house to tidy up your space and make it feel as clean and new as it was when you first moved in. Or hire a landscaping service to clean up your yard and make an amazing first impression when you drive up.

You may want to get out of the house for when the housekeepers or landscapers are doing what they do best, so consider where you could go for the day to relax and have some fun.

Before I sold my condo a few years ago, I scheduled a deep clean service for it and found an awesome cleaning company through the website Thumbtack.

Select “house cleaning” and put in your zip code to see providers in your area. Similarly, type in “yard cleaners” or “landscaping” with your zip code to find local providers.

3. Dine alfresco or pack a picnic lunch.

When the weather is nice, I love spending time outdoors. Instead of eating a meal in front of your T.V., pack a simple meal up and take it to a local park or nature reserve. Take a stroll around nature then take a rest break for some snacks.

On my first Valentine’s Day with Jordan, I told him that I wanted to have a picnic date. We went to one of my favorite stores, Eatzi’s, and picked up some delicious meats, cheeses, and wine and took it with us to a nature reserve near us. After walking around for a while, we found a pond with some rocks and set up a little picnic. It was easy, peaceful, and romantic. I loved that it was more private and quiet than a crowded, busy restaurant. Not to mention less expensive too!

4. Have an at-home spa day.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some sort of spa day in a luxury staycation round-up. Some people love spa days while for others, it’s not their thing. But for those of you who love to unwind and relax, a spa day is the perfect excuse.

There are so many options for creating your own at-home spa day experience.

The first, and most expensive option, would be to actually have a masseuse come to your house. There are even services where you can have professionals come to your house and provide you with botox, dermal fillers or facial skincare.

But if you’d rather opt for more of a DIY experience, start with a manicure and pedicure. You can get one of those foot spa massagers off of Amazon for a really luxurious experience.

Draw a bath and put in some of your favorite bath salts or bath bombs. Maybe even sprinkle in some flower petals. Before getting in, pour yourself a glass of wine and put on a clay mask. While you soak, read a book, listen to some relaxing music, or just close your eyes and be transported to a heavenly oasis.

5. Take a hiatus from social media and email.

Social media is such a powerful and fun form of communication but it can also become negative and draining when overused. Just like you would travel to a remote island without wifi, consider taking a hiatus from social media for a week or a weekend. Taking periodic breaks from tools that can be draining on our energy is important for our mental health and wellness.

It’s increasingly common for people to deliberately pop off of social media for an extended time in order to tune out and get their creative juices flowing once again. It’s completely normal to let your friends and followers know that you’re taking some time off, and don’t worry, they will be there when you get back.

Same thing goes for your email - set up your auto-response and refrain from checking email for the entire duration of your staycation.

6. Explore your city.

Many of us live in a city famous for certain things, and yet we’ve never explored them as a tourist would. Pretend like you’re a tourist for your staycation and try out new activities that you would be interested in doing, if you were in another destination.

My favorite tool for discovering unique attractions in my destination is TripAdvisor.

I like using it because the activities are ranked based on thousands of tourist reviews. It’s the ultimate crowd-source selection tool for discovering unique activities in your city.

Another thing I like to do is to google “what’s happening this weekend in” and then I put my hometown. This is a way that I find out about small, local festivals and concerts that I may not have otherwise heard about.

Here’s a bullet list of some quick ideas for exploring your city:

Visit a museum.
Hike or bike at a park or natural reserve.
Go to a local concert or musical performance.
Check out a themed festival.
Try a drive-in movie.
Visit a local farmer’s market.
Go thrift or antique shopping to find some hidden gems.
Try canoeing, kayaking, or swimming in a nearby lake or river.
Spend a day at the aquarium, zoo, or botanical garden.
Try a new type of workout class (e.g. belly dancing, goat yoga, pole dancing, bungee fitness, aerial yoga or aerial silks)
Walk around historic downtown.
Visit some art galleries.
Hire a local tour guide to help you learn about all the history and gems in your hometown.

7. Try a new hobby or at-home activity.

If you’re wanting to truly stay at home for your staycation, try some new hobbies or activities from the comfort of your own home.

Here’s a bullet list of some quick ideas for activities at home:

Get cultured with a virtual museum tour.
Create your own backyard drive-in movie theater.
Practice yoga in the backyard - there tons of YouTube videos or virtual classes available if you need help getting started!
Make some art (e.g. throw clay, paint a picture, create some jewelry, learn how to knit, etc.)
Throw a dance party in your living room with your favorite music.
Break out some puzzles or a board game.
Finish that book you’ve been wanting to read, but haven’t had the time.
Get in a cozy robe and binge-watch an awesome T.V. series - my favorite right now is The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix.

8. Style your environment at home.

I recently recorded a whole podcast episode about styling your environment. Little upgrades around your house can make a huge difference both for the aesthetics of your home but also for your mental health. Try little things to spruce up your home, like burning a candle or bringing a bouquet of flowers home.

For a full overview of how to style your environment, you can read my blog post here:

>> How to Style Your Environment <<

9. Escape to your backyard.

As y’all know, I love being outdoors when the weather is nice, so adding small elements to elevate your backyard can make a staycation all the more luxurious. The first spring that we were in our house, Jordan and I put up string lights on our patio. The warm glow from the lights instantly created a luxurious vibe.

Another way to update your backyard is to get some patio furniture or a bright outdoor rug to add some color. Personally, I’d love to get a hammock or swing chair at some point for swaying in the breeze.

Privacy panels can also make quite a statement for your upgraded backyard setup. They provide a creative and attractive way to section off sitting areas. Installing privacy panels is quick and easy to implement and instantly elevates your backyard seating, without the need for completely overhauling your outdoor design.

This season, we finally got a fire pit, which I’ve been dying to get. I love fires crackling so, we got an inexpensive firepit that we can now enjoy outside on cool evenings. Pair this with some Cabernet, s’mores, and some star gazing, and you’ve got the perfect evening.

Another addition to your backyard may be a water feature. A pool is probably the most high luxury water feature you could add to your backyard, but maybe just consider a little fountain or something that adds the sound of trickling water to your backyard experience. The sound is very calming and pleasant.

Final Words

Not everyone has the same definition of what a luxury vacation looks like, so determine what first what luxury looks like to you. Is your perfect vacation a day of doing nothing by the pool or is it jam-packed with activity. Is it all about the culinary experiences or the cultural sights?

Determine first what matters to you in a luxury holiday, then shape your staycation around it.

Living luxuriously is a state of mind. Luxury is not actually defined by the things surrounding us, but it’s about the feeling that it brings. Don’t wait for that promotion or that vacation to start living in luxury today. You can start to appreciate the beauty and luxury all around you in your here and now. And if you need help doing that, check out my post on jet set living on a budget here:

>> How to Live a Jet Set Life on a Budget <<

The definition of luxury is the state of great comfort and extravagant living. You choose what great comfort and extravagant living looks like for you. Just remember to set luxury within your reach, seek out quality and appreciate it.

Cheers,