At home with the kids or grandkids?

If we can’t travel to a favorite hotel, resort, restaurant or ranch, we can always pretend.

Here are five ways to create a virtual vacation in your own home. 

Go Camping.  

Whether you set up a tent in the backyard or the bedroom, with a little imagination you can enjoy all the fun of a real camping trip without spending travel time! Create a campfire using flashlights under a towel or thin blanket. Listen to the sounds of your own backyard or create an alternate sound track featuring birds, waterfalls, streams or trees rustling via a music or meditation app. Tell stories around your campfire, sample s’mores, sing songs and plan for your next adventure. 

Pro Tip: REI offers advice for introducing kids to the outdoors through camping in your own yard and beyond. 

Enjoy a Spa Day. (Or Week)

Channel the services of a famous resort spa and pamper yourselves at home.  Give family members the chance to reserve a manicure, masque, foot or head massage, a salt or sugar scrub, a relaxing soak or whichever services your creative minds concoct. Craft a soothing play list via your favorite music app, gather candles and supplies from your own beauty stash, your kitchen and you’re good to go!  

Pro tips: 

The Arawak Spa, at Belmond Cap Juluca on the Caribbean island of Anguilla recommends a detoxifying soak to ease the tension of these stressful times. 

Arawak Salt Soak.  

Ingredients: 

• · 1/2 cup Salts (Epsom, Pink Himalayan, Sea Salts)
• · 1 cup baking soda (softens water)
• · Essential oils if available in home (5-10 drops)
• · Loose Tea Leaves

To make: 

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl. If possible, crush or grind the tea leaves to open up natural oils in the plant and allow it to mix well with the salts. Once combined, run a hot bath and add 3 tablespoons of the mixture to the water. Soak in the tub for 15 minutes.

Suggested blends:  

• ·      Invigorating:peppermint or citrus oil /or tea leaves
• ·      Calming: Chamomile tea or oil, Green tea loose leaves
• ·      Detoxifying: Rosemary Anise or Ginger /oil or tea leaves

The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe suggests this post-winter scrub which makes use of pine needles reported to be both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory.

Alpine Mountain Scrub Recipe: 

• · 1 cup white sugar
• · 1/2 cup coconut oil
• · 1/4 cup olive oil
• · 2 tablespoons freshly chopped pine needles (optional)
• · 12 drops of essential oil* (optional)

Play Restaurant. 

Take turns playing Executive Chef and encourage every member of the family to play a role. Plan for various theme nights that might include an island luau, a ranch cook-out, mountain meadow picnic fare, a safari sundowner or a Mexican fiesta. Encourage the kids to make their own menus, placemats and other décor. Choose music to suit the “destination”.

Pro Tip: &BEYOND’s Wildchild Hub offers recipes, reading and activities to bring Africa home to your children.

4. Host a Happy Hour. 

Don’t let social distancing requirements keep you from staying in touch (virtually) with family and friends. Plan a “happy hour” video call and encourage the group to join you in a toast to future family travels. 

Pro tip:  Serve a kid-friendly mocktail like the one offered by restaurant  ZuZu in Scottsdale, AZ’s Hotel Valley Ho. 

Tranquil Tonic  

Ingredients

4 oz. blood orange juice

6 fresh raspberries

1/2 oz. simple syrup

3 oz. LaCroix grapefruit sparkling water

Instructions

Combine the blood orange juice (regular orange juice also works well with this recipe if blood oranges are not available), simple syrup, and raspberries in a shaker, then muddle. Strain and pour into a glass; top with LaCroix and garnish with an orange slice and a raspberry.   

The Morning Dew Mocktail

Fill rocks glass with ice and stir. Add cranberry juice and mint and basil simple syrup into a cocktail mixer. Shake and strain into the rocks glass. Top with soda water, and add mint leaf and cranberries to garnish.

5. Your Fitness Center 

Take turns leading a yoga or Pilates class. Choose from a wide variety of exercise classes available online.  Venture out for a fitness walk.  

Consider taking the kids on a “bear hunt”, by walking through your neighborhood in search of teddy bears placed in the windows of neighboring homes. The idea of creating window-based scenes using teddy bears and rainbows, is spreading around the world. If it hasn’t reached your area, perhaps you and your family can help expand the trend. #BearHunt.

Pro Tip: Tara Cruz, Senior Spa Director at Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown  recommends starting each day with simple stretches, breathing exercises and positive thoughts to stay healthy during challenging times.