A staycation (a combination of “stay-at-home” and“vacation”) is one of those new media buzzwords that may put some people’s teeth on edge but, in practice, it’s a great way to unwind without the added expense of travelling far and wide. For those who’d rather chill at home on their holidays than deal with airports and tourist traps, here are a few ways you can have yourself a relaxing staycation.

1. Set the Mood
The key to a good staycation is making yourself feel like you aren’t really at home.You can transform your backyard into a resort-style entertainment area by getting a professional patio installer like Altec to customise a backyard setting just for you. A vacation is also the perfect time to decorate it – get a few ferns, a hammock or sun chairs, make the setting feel as much like a luxury resort as you can. Grab yourself a nice set of speakers, throw on a bit of music to help you unwind and you’re on your way.

2. Hire a Cleaner
You’re on holidays, that means you shouldn’t be stuck doing the work. Hire a casual cleaner to come in and tidy up after you. They’ll make the beds, vacuum and mop the floors, keep the dishes orderly and have the place sparkling from top to bottom without you ever having to lift a finger. You’ll probably still have to deal with the laundry yourself but it’s a small price to pay.

3. Dinner Delivery
People who are on holiday shouldn’t be cooking for themselves. Get online and use food and delivery apps on your phone to bring meals from your favourite local restaurants and cafes directly to your door. It doesn’t have to be six nights of pizza or fast food either – most places will work with delivery services to send their food out the door. Just put your order in and they’ll do the rest. Perfection.

4. Get yourself a Hotel Quality Robe
Be honest; you have a long, hard conversation with yourself about stashing one of these in your suitcase every time you go to check out of a hotel, right? It’s fine, everyone does. Here’s the thing though: you can just buy one of these incredibly fluffy, comfortable robes and have it at home. Slip it on when you wake up and flatly refuse to take it off, floating around wrapped in your own personal comfort shroud.

5. Do your Thing
Now it’s over to you. Do whatever you want, it’s your holiday. Want binge movies and TV for two days? Do it. Spend all day messily attempting to bake a masterpiece? Get amongst it. You have the house to yourself and your time is your own. Tackle the stack of unread books next to your bed, paint something, live in the pool – it’s entirely up to you. Nobody knows how to relax you better than you.

These are just a few ways you can have yourself a rewarding, relaxing stay-at-home-vacation. What would you get up to? How would you relax at home? Sound off in the comments below.