Summer is that time everyone seems to flock out of the city. Whether it’s to their run-down batch, a well-loved campground or just to spend some time with the grandparents, cities begin to resemble ghost towns. The beaches, once covered in brightly coloured towels and umbrellas, are barren and rolling tumbleweed wouldn’t go amiss.

This is the ideal time for you and your family to run amuck in the city that usually fills you with the inevitable traffic and parking anxiety. Plus this means you don’t have to worry about those long car drives or organizing children in early hours and your holiday budget can be stretched much further without accommodation and travel costs. Remember to have fun and relax! Take inspiration from the 1950’s where Americans would wear Hawaiian “Aloha Shirts” to escape suburban lifestyles and break away from the norm of everyday life.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of your “staycation” this summer.

• Explore the area you live in! Head to your local council website to find information on local landmarks, regional parks and bush walks you probably never even knew were there.
• Send the kids to stay with grandparents or friends. This way your kids get a cheap change of scenery and you can spend some quality time with your partner, and re-spark that hopefully not too dormant romance.
• Make a ban on chores and other work while on your holiday. It can be tempting to get those household jobs out of the way while you have spare time, but it’s important you create a stress-free environment in your home so you can truly relax!
• Break up your day to day routine. Sleep in all morning and stay up all night if you wish! Treat this time as you would if you were staying in a hotel and don’t feel obliged to stick to your normal household times as this will take away from the holiday feel. If you feel like an afternoon nap, go for it, and don’t let knowing where all the clocks in your house are stop you from enjoying it.
• Make meal times just as exciting as they would be if you had a restaurant in your hotel/home. Have a Mexican fiesta one night and don’t worry about the mess until the morning, or order delivered food to your door step while you relax in bed. Have your partner bring you breakfast in bed or vice versa but think about it as a fun treat instead of an obligation.
• Hire a cleaner or a cook and really sit back and relax. It may seem like an unnecessary expense but compared to the price of a hotel, it’s a lot cheaper and will be worth it to get your well-deserved break from chores and make sure you really do relax in your time off.
• Do something exciting with your garden! Make a tree-house for your children, or create a water feature with a fish pond. Let your imagination run wild and have fun creating memories to look back on!
• Acquire a new hobby! If you’re anything like me, too much spare time can begin to feel monotonous, so immerse yourself in that hobby you’ve never had time for. Cool ideas are learning to sew, basic yoga sequences, learn a language or even try out a new sport like surfing! Lots of hobbies can be learnt for free online or with a book, so you can spend time not money.
• Pitch a tent in your backyard and pretend you’re camping in the wild. This is a great idea if you have children, give them the experience, minus the stress and inconveniences of no running water etc. Try to make everything as authentic as possible to really create the “wild” illusion.