How to feel like you're on vacation without going on vacation
For those of us without summer Fridays and a generous OOO policy
Travel is part of my job, and I feel very lucky that I get to do it often. Still, there are inevitable stretches (think months at home) when I start craving the feeling of vacation—the thrill of discovery, the soundtrack of a new city, the scent of a new bakery I’ve been meaning to try. And while hopping on a plane is a treat (and definitely a privilege), you don’t need a boarding pass or an expensive trip to summon your own vacation vibes at home, I promise!
Here are ten fun things I do regularly during warm weather to bring the feelings of ✨Euro summer✨ to NYC.
Implement an at home 4PM aperitivo hour
If you can’t physically be in Italy, you can at least pretend! If you’re feeling like drinking something non-alc, Ghia spritzes are a delicious and very fun option (my favorite).
Take some time on the weekend to batch make the Union Square Cafe bar nut recipe so you can nosh while on late afternoon work calls. Bonilla a la Vista olive oil potato chips are top notch and feel fancy. Make microwave popcorn and grate fresh parmesan on top. Olives are an obvious addition. All of this is best enjoyed on a city fire escape or stoop!!
Use your nicest candle or perfume like you’re about to go out in a new city—even if you’re just in your living room
There’s something sacred about the ritual of scent. Lighting that “special” candle you’ve been saving or spritzing your most nostalgic perfume can shift the energy of a space faster than leaving the country can. Andy Warhol (king of turning the mundane into art) once said he wished he could bottle smells from his life and cities he loved, so he could revisit them anytime. For him, that meant New York hot dog carts, his favorite bookstore, and the metallic scent of the train tracks at Grand Central.
So, choose a scent that transports you. Maybe a fig candle that smells like a villa in Provence, or a beachy oil that makes you feel like you just came back from Tulum. Maybe the smell of a summer rainstorm itself. For me, it’s Vacation's perfume, which smells like sunscreen and nostalgia. The goal is to blur the line between your everyday and your elsewhere. Let your apartment become the lobby of a dream hotel, even if just for an hour.
Bring the spa to you
Four Seasons sells their spa robes and slippers online so you can feel like a million bucks at home, without jetting to Sicily. Nothing is better than a summertime everything shower followed by scrolling on social media in bed while enveloped in a spa robe!
Make spa water—infuse your water with tropical fruits and keep it on your desk all day.
Do a sunrise or golden hour walk without your phone (like you’re exploring a new town)
Leave your phone at home (or at least in your pocket on DND) and let your neighborhood reveal itself to you like you’ve never been there before. Watch how the light hits the buildings differently, how early morning shadows stretch long across the sidewalk, how the air smells cooler and cleaner before the city fully wakes up. To me, nothing beats Fort Greene park during golden hour, when everything is softer and honey-colored.
Walk slowly! Be nosy! Peek into windows! Invent stories about the people you pass. Let yourself be enchanted by the ordinary.
Keep a scrapbook journal for your summer adventures… even if you're not going anywhere
Jot down the new things you notice on your walk to the train. Tape in the photo booth strip from that night you stayed out too late. Save the receipt from the best pistachio croissant of your life (from a special bakery you stumbled into and now can't stop thinking about).
Scrapbook journaling is my favorite hobby for a reason. It isn’t about being profound or poetic, it’s about paying attention and romanticizing your surroundings. Making memories out of what might otherwise blur together. The mundane becomes magical when you treat it like something worth documenting! And any summer (anywhere) is worth documenting!
By September, you’ll have a whole capsule of summer—one that smells like sunscreen and pavement after rain… and looks like iced coffee rings, love notes, and train tickets to nowhere. I promise that this is the best adventure souvenir of all, and one you can look back on for years to come.
Wear your "vacation clothes" on regular weekdays
You don’t need a special vacation to wear your fun clothes. We need to stop saving “special” items for “special” occasions (can you tell I feel strongly about this?). You should romanticize life and walk to the bodega for trash bags in your fav sundress or Pucci top!
Book a day pass at a local hotel spa or pool
If you’re NYC based, the very chic Rockaway Hotel offers day passes! For $125, you get access to the rooftop pool and cedar saunas, lounge seating, plush towels and robes, food and bev access (snag a lobster roll), and sometimes DJ sets. Go early, take a stroll down the beach boardwalk, and then migrate here for lunch, sunning, and sunset to cocktails cap it all off!
If you live elsewhere, Resort Pass has a good collection of bookable hotel pools on their website—just read reviews first to make sure you’re booking the vibe that you’re seeking (some hotels definitely have a party atmosphere while some are silent and relaxing).
Set an OOO mindset for an afternoon
Just because you can’t take a week off doesn’t mean you can’t take a half day! Set a no-meetings block on your calendar (bonus if you set a recurring weekly block), take yourself out to your favorite lunch spot, and then end the day with a new book and some park time.
Or even if you have just an hour lunch break, carve out time to take a bath and read with your phone out of sight.
Have themed dinner nights with friends
Pick a country or theme and get cooking— think handmade pasta night, mezze night (this one is super easy and you could even jazz up store-bought dips), or tapas nights… Invite friends over, have them contribute potluck style if you want, and play card games after you clear the dinner table.
Play a soundtrack from a place you wish you were
Nothing changes up a vibe more quickly than the right playlist. I truly believe that music can take you anywhere you want to go with its transportive powers. It’s the auditory version of booking a one a way ticket to the destination of your dreams!
Here are some playlists to get you started:
Bossa Nova if you want to feel like you’re in Rio
Polo & Pan if you want to feel like you’re at a French beach club
This Ibiza playlist if you want to be dancing on Spanish tables with friends
Have your own tips for faking and making your own out of office energy? I’d love to hear them! Drop your rituals and indulgences in the comments. Let’s crowdsource the art of creating a vacation at home!!
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Great tips. Looking forward to the at-home apertivo hour!
Truly uplifting! :)