The end of summer countdown has begun. Two more weeks if you have kids in school. Five more weeks if you’re counting until the first day of fall.

Either way, time is winding down for taking a few vacation days to take advantage of summer weather.

And that proves challenging during the current pandemic.

So more folks are looking at vacationing at home and wondering how they can create that mindset when they’ve been sheltering-in-place for so long.

For the doubters, let me pass along some words of wisdom from career and personal adviser Marty Nemko who says that “staycations provide a much better pleasure to pain ratio than a regular vacation.” Think about it! You don’t have to worry about the cost, missing your plane, losing your luggage, or getting rained out when you’ve planned a beach vacation!

Here are a few suggestions for squeezing some summer vacation vibes out of the time you have left while still at home in Lake Oswego.

1. Plan a theme day or two. Wishing you were in Italy? Create a playlist of Italian songs, schedule an Italian film viewing (couple recommendations: Life is Beautiful, Roman Holiday), prepare an Italian meal finished off with some gelato or order takeout from one of Lake Oswego’s popular Italian restaurants like Nicoletta’s Table or Riccardo’s, and pick up a bottle of Italian wine at Baldwin’s Market and Parlor.
2. Walk in a different direction. Since the shelter-in-place order first went into effect, we Lake Oswegans have been very grateful that the place where we have to shelter has so many places to walk. But now, six months in, some of the thrill may be gone. There’s no reason you can’t introduce the sense of adventure you carry with you when you travel away from home. Find a different route. A couple weeks ago, my wife and I were on the Iron Mountain trail that runs behind the Hunt Club, and instead of following it from the Hunt Club entrance to the Oswego Country Club entrance, we took the switchback at the top that empties out on Glen Eagles Road. Along the way we discovered the Prosser Iron Mine Interpretive Center and the Iron Mountain Overlook Platform. And we wound our way back home on an entirely new route we hadn’t traveled before. Discovery—you don’t have to leave home to enjoy it!
3. Spa Day. A spa day may be a luxury you feel you can’t afford when on vacation, but it is a luxury you can afford on a staycation. Set the tone by lighting the candles and telling Alexa to play spa music. Take turns giving each other manicures and/or pedicures, have fun with a DIY facial peel, give each other the pleasure of a massage and then finish it off with a long soak in a warm bubble bath.
4. Try a hybrid staycation that Nemko has coined a “projation,” or project vacation. Tackle something new—maybe it’s a recipe you’ve been meaning to try or a free course you can enroll in through the Lake Oswego Library’s online resources. Or making it’s just getting something off your To-Do list that has been nagging at you and will feel so good when it’s done.
5. If you can’t get to Disneyland, bring Disneyland to you. While a trip to the theme park may not be in the cards for this year, there are still ways for you to enjoy the happiest place in the world at home. Gather everyone together for a virtual ride on some of the park’s most popular attractions on YouTube. Or get creative like this family who created “Yo ho Yo ho a quarantine’s life for me” ride in their own home. Best part? There’s no waiting in line!

I’m here if your end of summer plans include buying or selling your home. Give me a call at 503.939.9801 and/or check out my website. I’d love to put my 30+ years’ experience as a Realtor to work for you!