Perfectly Romantic Staycation Ideas for Couples

Who doesn’t love romantic trips? But every now and again we face circumstances that mean we can’t travel or even get away for a just weekend. What you need are the best romantic staycation ideas for couples.

Whether financial reasons or other circumstances beyond our control intervene to prevent travel, that doesn’t mean we lose our desire or need to get away from the stresses and pressures of everyday life. 

What can you do when you need a romantic getaway but either financially or physically can’t get away from home? 

Enter the staycation. Read on to discover some great romantic staycation ideas at home.

What is a staycation? 

“Staycation” is simply a mashup of the words “stay” and “vacation.” You’re taking a vacation without actually leaving your hometown…or maybe even your home. 

It’s a great option for those who need a romantic vacation but can’t get away. 

Different kinds of staycations 

There are many variations on the “staycation.” 

• You could try a local hotel staycation and book a boutique hotel, inn, bed & breakfast, or vacation home rental (Airbnb or Vrbo) in or near your hometown.
• You could stay in your own home but make day trip excursions in or around your hometown (e.g., local hikes, a local museum, beaches, historic sites, food tours exploring local restaurants, etc.)
• Staycation at home where your activities are completely centered around what you can do in your own home and backyard. Your very own home could be the perfect destination for your “vacation.” 

Staycation tips to make your staycation feel like a vacation

If you’ve ever tried a staycation before and thought it was kind of *womp womp* it may be because you didn’t treat it like a real vacation.

It’s completely normal that if you’re staying at home that you would fall into normal home routines.

Don’t! Commit to treating your staycation like an actual vacation.

Here are a few tips to help make that easier for you.

• No work. Tell your boss you are on vacation. If you are the boss, trust that your employees can handle your being unreachable for a few days or that the work will be there waiting for you after you emerge from your staycation. 
• No household chores like laundry, yard work, or errands. 
• Commit to a vacation mindset as much as possible. This means setting aside your usual home routines. (Regular mealtimes? What are those?) 

Prepare for your staycation  

As much as possible do some advanced planning for this like you would any other vacations or weekend getaways. Commit to making this a real break from the everyday.

You don’t want just another weekend at home. You want it to be special. 

Here are some ideas: 

• To make it a true couple’s staycation, do at least a little of the planning together.
  • What activities do you both want to do, what foods do you want to eat, etc.?
  • Try some active brainstorming together.
  • If you get stuck, check out the great ideas below for fun and romantic staycation activities.
• Commit to “unplugging” and being truly in vacation mode. For me this often means disabling work email notifications on my phone and removing the email app from my home screen so that I’m blissfully unaware of what is going on at work. I do make sure to tell my boss and co-workers that I am not checking email at all so they know not to expect anything more than an out-of-the-office autoreply.
• Make your house feel like a resort.
  • Get out those candles you’ve got stashed away.
  • Stock up on your favorite foods. And when I say favorite, I mean FAVORITE. You know, those things you just love to eat when you splurge at a restaurant or a hotel stay but never think to buy for yourself when you do your regular cooking or food shopping.
  • Break out those extra fluffy guest towels or even leftover hotel toiletry amenities.
  • Treat yourself to some new bath and body products and turn your bathroom into a mini-spa.
  • Get more ideas in my full post about how to create a resort at home.

Fun staycation ideas for couples 

Try brainstorming with your spouse to come up with some activities for your staycation that you’d both enjoy. If you get stuck here are some great ideas for fun things to do: 

Cuddle up in front of a fire 

Perfect for cold weather staycations, you can create a cozy and romantic night at home. 

Is there a more romantic experience than curling up on the couch and cuddling under a blanket for some quality time with your boo while you watch the firelight flicker and dance? I don’t think so. 

If you’re planning your staycation for summer (when you might not want to build a fire indoors) or just want a change of scenery you could do the same outdoors if you have a firepit. (Practice good fire safety, people!) 

Build a campfire and make s’mores 

Staycations are a great excuse to build a fire and enjoy some s’mores in your own backyard.

Or even try cooking your dinner out over an open fire. (Maybe have a backup dinner option in case this doesn’t go well.) Obviously only do this if your town allows outdoor fires and you have a safe firepit. 

Come to think of it…there’s no reason you couldn’t do s’mores indoors. 

Camp out by the fire 

Spend an entire night camping out in your living room by your fire…or if you’re really adventurous (and the weather is agreeable) you could camp out in the backyard. 

Unplug and have a real conversation 

You know? Like you did when you were first dating and were learning everything about each other.

If you need to, try out these conversation starters:

• What was your favorite thing to do when you were a child? 
• Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do or be that you’ve never shared with me? 
• What’s the one thing you wish that I really understood about you? 

Read a book together 

Choose a book to read aloud to each other maybe just one chapter at a time. It doesn’t have to be particularly lofty or literary. It could even be a book that was special to either or both of you as a child.

I happen to think The Chronicles of Narnia particularly lend themselves to being read aloud in this way. 

Play a board game or card game together 

Put out some snacks or fancy charcuterie board and commit to that marathon game of Monopoly or a full game of Phase 10 (boy that game can go long!).

And if your relationship is strong enough to handle a full game of Phase 10, I tip my hat to you.  

Movie night: watch each other’s favorite movies (without complaint) 

And don’t choose something you’ve both watched together over and over already.

Choose something you really love and think your spouse would appreciate (or should appreciate).

Maybe even take a few minutes to explain to your spouse why you love the movie so much. 

Enjoy coffee and breakfast in bed 

It’s room service for your staycation. Have fun. Use trays. Put the coffee in a carafe. Put a single rose in a bud vase. 

And make it a really great breakfast. Break out that waffle iron you never use or pick up some really great pastries from a local bakery you’ve been meaning to try. 

What would you want if you were to order room service breakfast at a great resort or your favorite inn? Make it happen. 

Go for a relaxing walk together 

You don’t have to go anywhere in particular. Just enjoy the fresh air, some beautiful scenery and being together.

If your immediate neighborhood isn’t a good walking neighborhood, visit a local park or even a college campus. 

Romantic dinner: order your favorite restaurant meal for pick up or to be delivered 

Is there a restaurant in your area that delivers or offers takeout that has a particularly special meaning for you? Try an at-home dinner date!  

You could even enjoy your staycation date night dinner in front of that fire you built. 

For a budget staycation option, prepare a few of your favorite meals ahead of time to reheat so that you don’t have to do any cooking on your staycation if you don’t want to. No routines, remember? 

But if you enjoy cooking and don’t want to give it up perhaps you could… 

Cook a meal together 

Break out that wedding china and enjoy a dinner you’ve cooked together. In fact, you could plan the meal and do the shopping for ingredients together.

Sometimes just walking the aisles of the grocery store can bring inspiration and feel kind of like a date. 

Bonus points if you try new recipes rather than an old standby. 

Take a nap together 

Snuggle up under a blanket together like a couple of bunnies and enjoy the simple pleasure of napping.  

So often when we travel, we’re so focused on getting the most out of time at our destination that we can run ourselves ragged.

When you’re staycationing you’ve already seen everything there is to see in your home so there’s no fear of missing out! 

Reminisce over photos from past events and travels 

A romantic staycation is the perfect time to get out your wedding photos or the old family photo album and remember the good times. (Do people still have photo albums?) Sharing memories with your spouse is a great way to spark good conversation and learn even more about him or her.  

And looking at your old travel photos can provide great inspiration for future travels.

You might even set aside a little of your staycation time to brainstorm ideas for the next time you can travel further afield.

Benefits of a couples staycation

• It’s a great opportunity to focus on yourselves as a couple and remember why you’re together.
• You’ll get some (no doubt) much-needed rest from your everyday routines.
• It’s more affordable than a romantic getaway at a luxury hotel.

Final thoughts on the best staycation ideas for couples

Just because you can’t travel right now doesn’t mean that you can’t have (or don’t deserve) the kind of break from the everyday that a vacation offers.

You can staycation at a local hotel or inn, take each day to explore a different spot in your town or just curl up at home and stay in for a long weekend.

A staycation can have as many possibilities as any other kind of “travel” destination.

And with a little imagination, there’s literally no limit to all the fun and romantic staycation ideas you could come up with.  

More articles to help you plan your staycation

• Create a resort at home
• Marvelous staycation date ideas
• How to plan a staycation on a budget

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