Staycation Ideas That are Better and Cheaper Than Going Away

Vacations are always exciting – sandy beaches, stunning cities, exposure to new cultures, time away from work. They can also be expensive and super hectic, packed from sun-up to sundown with activities. Staycations secure just as much time off without excessive planning or spending tons of money. Think of them as a super extended lazy weekend instead of a big, exciting week or two of travel. The possibilities of what you can do during a staycation are limitless, and the below staycation ideas are just the start.

12 staycation ideas

Ready for an extended period at home free of video calls and emails? Kick-start your vacation at home with the below staycation ideas:

1. Spa day

Spend the day in your bath with warm water, bath bombs, face masks, and other self-care essentials. Better yet, make yourself feel like you’re in a fancy hotel relaxing after a day on the town (but before ordering room service) with aurora lights. A Velarus near your bath provides northern lights and intergalactic sights as immersive and calming as the water all around you. They transform your space to soothe your soul, and they truly make your staycation feel like you’re anywhere but your home.

Velarus Aurora Light

$34.99

Vibrant aurora lighting with app control.

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2. Take a food tour of your city

Surely, when you’ve traveled in the past, you’ve been excited to experience the food wherever you’re going. You can also enjoy plenty of delicious food wherever you live. Use Google Maps and Yelp to plan a food tour of your city with stops at restaurants, pizzerias, bakeries, breweries, wineries, ice cream shops, and all kinds of other food establishments.

You can enjoy your food tour alone, but inviting a few friends to join you makes for an out-of-the-box bonding experience. Your food tour is also a great opportunity for exciting Instagram content that will make your friends and followers a teensy bit jealous. Even if you’re not planning to post, take pictures anyway – this is a staycation idea you don’t want to forget.

3. Have friends over for a cooking night

Who doesn’t love home-cooked comfort food? Have some friends over to prepare mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies, and meatloaf to relax and enjoy delicious food without spending at local restaurants. Enjoy your food in your dining room or living room under the starry skies of BlissBulbs for an especially astonishing, transcendent staycation experience. The calm and wonder these lights provide when placed inside your floor lamps, table lamps, and ceiling fixtures can help you and your friends relax and de-stress without any travel.

4. Camp in your backyard

You can recreate a camping trip without actually going anywhere with just a tent and a backyard. Pitch your tent in your backyard, invite a friend or romantic partner to spend the night with you, and gaze up at the gorgeous sky above you. Use a BlissLights Oblivia to complement the experience with gorgeous nebulas. This outdoor light holds up no matter how hot, cold, dry, or rainy it gets during your backyard camping trip. That means you’ll get a light show that elevates your experience amid the beauty of fresh air no matter the weather.

Oblivia

$39.99

Add eye-catching beauty to your outdoor space!

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5. Camp indoors

Maybe it’s too cold for outdoor camping, or maybe light pollution in your area makes your nighttime skies appear underwhelming. In that case, move your tent indoors, create your own starry sky with the Sky Lite Evolve projector, then look up at the beautiful sights. This staycation idea is one you truly have to see to believe, so invite someone over to share in the wow and wonder. You’ll both be mentally transported to a national park without moving an inch.

Sky Lite Evolve: Smart Galaxy Projector

$49.99$39.99

The latest evolution in smart galaxy lighting.

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6. Host an indoor picnic

Another way to enjoy the outdoors but indoors: Lay down a picnic blanket in your living room and set up some snacks. Invite a few friends over to indulge with you in cheese plates, crackers, grapes, and other picnic delights you might normally enjoy at a local park. Don’t forget to sweep and vacuum after to keep your staycation space clean as a whistle and continue enjoying your home getaway.

7. Host a film festival

Let’s say you’re taking a week off from work but want to save money and not travel while still enjoying the event of a lifetime. In that case, turning your TV and living room furniture into a pop-up movie theater for a mini film festival is a great staycation idea. You can choose family-friendly selections if you’re hoping to invite your friends who have kids, or you can host a horror night for the older crowd. Follow some key at-home theater tips so that you and your crew can be mentally transported to the movies without having to pay for expensive tix.

8. Cook a themed movie night dinner

If a whole film festival sounds like too much for you, keep things simple with a single movie night that you couple with a themed dinner. If you’re watching a classic Italian gangster flick, go heavy on the lasagna and meatballs. For horror night, put lots of ketchup on everything to resemble blood. As long as you’re having fun preparing your meals and you’re enjoying the movie, you’re doing themed movie night dinner – and your staycation – right.

9. Host a talent show

Turn part of your home into a little stage and invite some friends over for a fun, not-at-all-serious talent show. Anything can be a talent – doing terrible karaoke, telling an engaging story, wearing a cool outfit. Whatever talents are part of the night, they’ll all look better under LED lights or laser lights, which are ideal for stages. They provide ample illumination while emitting minimal heat, so you and your friends won’t deal with those annoying stage sweats. And you’ll all look great while showing off your talents!

10. Enjoy game night or craft night

During your staycation, keep the daytime hours all to yourself for some solo relaxation, then invite friends over at night for board games or arts and crafts. Few things are better at transporting you out of the everyday and into a clearer headspace than a long game of Catan or an evening of origami. If you’re going the craft route, the blues and greens of an Ark Ambient Aurora Light can help you unlock your innermost creativity and come up with some unforgettable designs.

ARK Aurora Light

$29.99

Transcend reality with a moving abstract aurora.

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11. Swap homes with a friend

Your home getaway can always occur in someone else’s home. Figure out which of your friends you trust the most and vice versa, then arrange for a day or two living in each other’s houses. You’ll feel like you’re staying somewhere else, but you’ll know the terrain from all your previous visits. It’s like a weekend getaway without the faraway travels, and any questions that arise give you an excuse to chat with someone you care about deeply.

12. Just enjoy some lights and music

Think about your favorite clubs and music venues. Are you seeing interesting lights and hearing your favorite tunes? You can create this always-exciting multi-sensory experience at home too. Pull up your favorite album or playlist, connect your computer or phone to your speakers, press play, then turn on your favorite lights or laser projectors and relax.

As laser lighting goes, the StarPort Laser USB makes for an especially convenient at-home lights-and-music event. It plugs right into your laptop so you can put on an astonishing laser light show from the same device playing your music. Or if you’re playing music from your phone, the Sky Lite 2.0 is app-controlled, so you can change its brightness, colors, and more from your phone. With BlissLights and music, you can transform your home and be mentally transported to your favorite music space without going anywhere at all.

StarPort USB Light

$14.99

One tiny light. Thousands of stars!

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BlissLights are staycation essentials

Staying at home on vacation is rejuvenating in an entirely different way than getting on a plane or taking that bucket-list road trip. The best staycation ideas can impact you much more powerfully when you use BlissLights to help immerse yourself in the experience. Whether you’re camping indoors, enjoying a spa day, or falling deep into your favorite music, BlissLights take you wherever you want to go without you moving an inch. Browse our indoor laser lighting collection to find staycation lighting that makes your days off as relaxing as could be.