Your Guide to a Successful Staycation

After a few weeks abroad or when you begin to feel comfortable and established in your home country, you may feel an itch to start planning trips to other countries or regions. This may be because you caught a travel bug, or because your friends are talking about it and getting excited. Travelling to other countries is exciting and I highly recommend it if you’re able to. It can be easy to get swept up in plans of traveling to other places, that you might be able to forget about the amazing country you’re already in. Because of this, I have listed out the perfect itinerary for a “staycation” in your host country for when you want to feel like a tourist and stop pretending to be some mysterious local.

Tourist Attractions

You can start your day by heading out to some tourist attractions you haven’t gotten the chance to see yet. There are generally fewer people at attractions in the mornings, so this is the perfect time to stop by. I enjoyed walking around Westminster Abbey, exploring the Tower of London, and taking a short cruise on the River Thames.

Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and also happens to be my favorite. Find a cute cafe or brunch spot you’ve never been to before. My roommate really wanted to try breakfast from this place called “Café de Cript” in London, where you can have brunch in a real crypt. This was super cool, not my style but is a unique experience that I enjoyed.

Walking Around

In London, I spent so much time on the tube because of the convenience. During the days that I declared “Staycation Days,” I enjoyed walking from one place to the next rather than tubing. Because London is such a huge city, I would usually pick a starting point to tube to and then revolve the rest of my activities around that general area.

Spend Time Enjoying the Little Things

It can be easy to get lost in all of the big and exciting things in a new place. While having a staycation, you can take the time to focus on the small things like checking out a new local bookstore, shopping at an iconic location, or stopping by some smaller less touristy attractions. Some examples from London include checking out Daunt Books, the only street in London where people drive on the right side of the road, and walking around SOHO.

Try a New Restaurant for Dinner

After a long day of being out and about, it’s always nice to eat out rather than cook something at home. Before you leave, make some dinner reservations at a new place, so you’re guaranteed a spot. Try out a new local creative restaurant; you never know, you might find that it’s your newest favorite place. If you want to see some of my favorite restaurant recommendations for London, check out my Instagram post.