Banish post-holiday blues by bringing your vacation home

It’s the time of year when post-holiday blues tend to set in.

After looking forward to a summer trip for months on end, all of a sudden it’s over – and the future promises dark mornings and chilly nights (and maybe the remnants of that weird liqueur you bought on the last day of your trip). But while trips away from home will always be a special treat, you might be surprised at how many aspects of a holiday you can recreate in your day to day life – without packing or airport queues!

Spend quality time together

Often, our most precious memories of a holiday aren’t of the exotic locale, but of the time spent with loved ones. At home, the hustle and bustle of commitments can mean there is little time left to simply enjoy one another’s company the way we can when we’re lying around by the pool. Make the effort to carve out one evening or weekend afternoon a week to simply spend time together – whether it’s a date night, family games tournament or a no-TV-or-phones dinner, make quality time a year-round commitment.

Take in some culture

There is nothing more thrilling than exploring the old town of a faraway destination or getting up close and personal with a world-famous landmark, but you might be surprised at the treasures to be found closer to home. Turn that tourist curiosity on your own home town or county – there may well be local museums, stately homes, theatres or music venues you have walked past a hundred times without noticing.

Have adventure for dinner

One of the great pleasures of international travel is getting out of your food rut and sampling all sorts of extraordinary cuisine. With a glorious variety of restaurants to be found in most parts of the UK, however, there’s no reason not to bring that adventurous spirit home. Or if you live in a stubbornly pub-grub area, why not pick up a cookbook or two and give it a bash yourself? Your efforts might not quite reach the standards of the locals – and maybe think twice before flinging pizza dough around your kitchen like an expert Italian – but you’ll certainly have fun trying.

Aaaanndd relax

Of course for most of us, the best part of the holiday is simply being on holiday! Switching off from work, getting to finally read that book, go for a walk for no reason or listen to the podcast everyone was going on about months ago. While it’s always going to be trickier at home to carve out an hour for yourself here and there, it’s far from impossible – and you will reap the benefits.

See Full Bio