5 Ways to Bring a Holiday Feel to Your Everyday Life

Image: Pinterest

Ahh, holidays. Is there anything better than days of careless freedom, barefoot wandering along sandy beaches, lazy lunches alongside a bustling harbour or exploring the hidden side streets of a new destination?

Those days seem like an age away from our everyday lives, particularly with current social distancing regulations and travel restrictions.

However - all is not lost! Here are a few ways to incorporate some of that laidback holiday happiness to our day-to-day lives without having to travel any distance at all... 

1. Spend Time Outdoors

Whether we enjoy a beach holiday, a ski trip, camping or a city break, the chances are that when we are away, we spend a lot more time than usual outdoors in the fresh air; we soak up extra Vitamin D, move our bodies more and feel the breeze in our hair and sun on our skin. That feeling at the end of a day which leaves our eyes bright and cheeks rosy is hard to beat.

So get outside as often as you can - for an early morning run or cycle, a potter in the garden if you are lucky enough to have one, or take a different route for your evening stroll and take in the neighbourhood from a different perspective. Exercise and fresh air are great for boosting feelings of wellbeing, increasing energy levels, and can contribute to a better night's sleep, so get yourself out there!

Image: sandandsalt.co.uk

2. Replicate the scent of your holiday

Of all the senses, our sense of smell has the greatest power to transport us back to a particular moment in time. If you have a favourite holiday perfume, or you normally treat yourself to particular toiletries as you head through Duty-Free, spoil yourself anyway, holiday or not. Use up last years sun cream as you relax in your garden, or burn a candle with a fragrance which reminds you of your most memorable vacation spot - you will be surrounded with the aromas of your favourite destination and be transported back, even if only in your mind.

The Maison Margiela Replica Fragrance Memory Box does exactly that - 'Beach Walk' and 'Sailing Day' sound wonderful!

3. Recreate a Holiday Dish

We all tend to eat differently when we are away; lighter, fresher, healthier food always seems more appealing in warmer weather and even more so when someone else is cooking. However, if we can't go out to eat, why not bring the restaurant vibe home and cook up something summery in our own kitchens?

This is one of my favourites at the moment - it's quick, light and fresh and the combination of lemon, mint and parmesan is just delicious. I sometimes add asparagus or fine strips of carrot to change it up a little, or use pasta shapes instead of linguine - have a go and let me know what you think. Perfect for meat-free Mondays with a glass of something cold!

Jamie Oliver's 5 Ingredient Lemony Courgette Linguine

Image: jamieoliver.com

4. Eat outside

A long, balmy evening relaxing over dinner and drinks is a wonderful way to end the day, so why not make a point of eating al fresco at home? Move the table outside and create a beautiful setting - use your favourite crockery and glassware, add candles/tealights or hang strings of outdoor lights, pop a few fragrant garden pickings into a little vase, put some laidback music on in the background and take your meal outdoors. 

Have some cosy throws handy for when the temperature dips, light a firepit if you have one and spend the rest of the evening under the stars; chatting over a glass of wine, playing cards, listening to your favourite tunes - whatever your usual holiday evenings consist of - magical.

Discover our range of beautiful throws here.

Browse our range of hammam towels here - perfect for use as a tablecloth.

5. Frame your holiday photos

In this age of smartphones, most of which have a great camera capability on them, a lot of us have huge numbers of digital photos which, if they don't make it as far as Instagram, stay on our phones indefinitely (currently 9586 in my case!). Spend a little time selecting your favourite holiday images and get them framed. It's a great way to remind yourself of happy times with family or friends.

I can recommend Whitewall.com for amazing quality prints and they can print onto wood, within acrylic glass or mounted in frames too. Or create a gallery wall with a number of smaller images. At Inkifi.com you can create photo books, wall art or prints directly from your Instagram account.

Image: whitewall.com

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