With the news that your summer holiday abroad is now off the cards for the foreseeable, to say this is disappointing is an understatement. Though you may still be holding out hope, now is the time to think about how you can enjoy a beach-themed summer staycation right at home–and here’s how to bring the beach to you!
Making your house smell like salty sea air with beach candles, unfolding the deck chairs and ending the night with a beach-themed movie and cocktail is a wonderful way to enjoy a summer holiday (or even a sunny day during the Easter holiday if we’re lucky!) and bring the beach to you and the comfort of your own home!
Invite in Summer Scents
Studies have proven smells can trigger memories, transporting you to a far-off destination or taking you back to a period of time in your earlier years. So why not use scents to transport you to a summer vacation? To make your home smell like summer holiday, bring in a few scented candles or reed diffusers. Whether your family typically hangs out at a charming coastal cottage in a beachside town or a posh seaside resort with Hawaiian candles, you can create the smells that come along with it. From tropical island flowers like plumeria and hibiscus to earthy scents like sandalwood and tonka bean, what transports you back to your usual place?
Set Up a Make-Believe Beach
When a summer holiday gets cancelled, you might miss putting your feet in the sand or dipping your toes in the rejuvenating cool water. But you can achieve at least one of these and bring the beach to you! (Both if you’re desperate enough to hire a truck to dump loads of sand in your driveway.)
For starters, pick yourself up a small paddling pool. Choose something allowing a few adults or kids to take a dip, or at least a shallow baby pool to dip your toes. Once you have your water element, add to it a few folding beach chairs, along with a soft beach towel where you can spread out and work on a tan. Just don’t forget to still protect yourself from the sun’s rays with sunblock, a hat and a little cabana-style umbrella for some shade.
Break Out the Summer Games
To bring the beach to you along with some good old summer fun, break out the volleyball and net for a little sans-beach volleyball. While you might not have a sandy court to dive bomb, you can still pitch up the net and make a few well-played spikes. If you don’t have much space in your backyard, you can also play summer holiday games like paddleball or cornhole.
Fire Up the BBQ
When your summer holiday was canceled, so were your restaurant reservations. While you might have been looking forward to that surf and turf at the fancy seaside restaurant, don’t let it leave a sour taste in your mouth! Instead, make a meal plan with the same types of dishes you might expect to enjoy on vacation.
Seafood is always a winner, so concoct a seafood buffet, complete with peel-and-eat shrimp, coconut shrimp, crab legs, swordfish steaks and fresh oysters. Make it casual and do a shrimp boil, spreading the feast across a plastic table (for easy clean-up), put out the wet wipes and go to town! You don’t have to put your feet in the sand to have a seafood smorgasbord. Of course, if seafood isn’t your thing, think of your meal plan as a burger shack or taco food truck. And don’t forget desserts like key lime pie and ice cream–yum!
Create a Tiki Bar for Tropical Cocktails
To truly bring the beach to you, create a tiki bar so you can serve up frozen tropical cocktails or shake up a tart margarita. Use a pop-up table or outdoor bar cart, covering it with a seagrass apron to really give it that cabana vibe. String up some lights around it or even some tiki torches!
To dress your tiki bar up even more, collect a few unbreakable plastic tumblers and Daiquiri glasses (along with those cute little umbrellas!) to transport you away to paradise.
Create a Summer Holiday Music Mix
Whether you’re a Parrothead, Beach Boys fan or just love the sound of a Reggae steel drum, create a summer holiday music mix to bring the beach to you. Collect your favorite beach tunes and invite the whole family to add theirs, too! From Bob Marley to Brian Wilson, music can take you back!
Once you create a playlist, stream it throughout the home. Make sure it can reach the outdoor patio, too, for those summer al fresco meals and barbecues.
Plan a Beach Boardwalk
Take one afternoon to stroll around your neighborhood like it’s a beachside boardwalk. Sure, you may not have a towering Ferris wheel in the background, but you can still make the most of it by strapping on some sandals and sunglasses! Even treat yourself to an ice cream cone, root beer float or an Arnold Palmer lemonade as you amble up and down the street, getting some fresh air and taking in the sunset. Don’t feel like walking? No problem! Hop on a bike or strap on some skates.
Watch Summer Beach-Themed Movies
End the night on a summer-inspired beach-themed movie. Whether you watch the Amity Island sheriff hunt down a bloodthirsty shark with Jaws or laugh along to a Hawaii-set romantic comedy like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, you’ll feel like you’re right there at the beach. (Hopefully, not a shark-infested one.)
Decorate with Past Summer Vacay Memories
Since summer holidays abroad are on hold, , it might mean skipping a year from a time-honoured family tradition. But instead of being glum about it, take a moment to look back on all the memories. Pick a few photos taken from past summer holodayss and hang them on the wall in beach-inspired frames made of driftwood, rattan or wicker.
If you want to go the extra mile, swap out your living room decor with pastel and nautical-themed items. If you have collected seashells each year, put those front and center on the coffee table. Overall, bring your beach to you! Reminiscing is a lovely way to make you forget why your summer holidaywas cancelled to begin with.
Photos by Constantinos Panagopoulos on Unsplash, Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels, Charlotte May from Pexels
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