This one's for the homebodies! It’s also for those who prefer not to or cannot travel. You’re not alone if making travel plans is not on the docket for you this year. And whether or not you have the PTO to spare, you can totally implement your version of a staycation this summer using the journaling layout in this blog post.

Would you rather watch and listen than read? Be sure to click the video below!

The Irony!

Hello friends! This is Sian or @perceivegrace, on both Instagram & Youtube! The irony is not lost on me that today’s blog post is showcasing this idea in an Archer & Olive traveler’s size notebook, haha. Yes, the traveler’s size is meant to travel with you but it’s also my go-to notebook size for planning things one day at a time, as opposed to weekly or monthly. 

Supply List

Check out the list below to make sure you have what you need to create these layouts. You can use my code SIAN10 to save 10% with Archer & Olive on the tools you need. 

• Traveler’s size notebook (or your preferred size)
• Stencil/ruler
• Calliographs
• Notepad dot grid paper
• Decorative scrapbook paper
• Adhesive tape if you choose to use scrapbook paper
• Washi tape
• Scissors/paper cutter
• Planner tabs (you can make these with washi tape as well)
• Anything else you want to use!

Set Intentions & Leave Room for Reflection

I thought it was a great idea to start our staycation planning with room to set our intentions for the experience and to reflect after it’s over (...and back to reality). In this way, you’re treating your staycation like an experience separate from everyday life. I really enjoy using scrapbook paper in my journals right now, so I pulled some papers that remind me of summer: strawberries and wildflowers. I used my Archer & Olive calliographs to letter my headers and create dainty flower deco throughout the set-up.You’ll see that I pulled Archer & Olive washi tape and calliographs that truly remind me of summer. 

Intention examples:

• “I want to enjoy every moment; be present in the moment.”
• “I want to maximize the time off that I have.”
• “I want to try as many new things as I am able.”
• “I want to lay aside the heavy things on my mind.”
• “I want to honor my routine during this time.”
• “I want to start and finish one book each day.”
• “I want to declutter my home.”
• “I want to explore my town and see it with a new perspective.”

Staycation Itinerary 

I designated the planner tabs in this set-up to five days of the work week that someone might take PTO (like for a regular vacation) for their staycation, but this could totally be three days or a long weekend, whatever your eligible time frame is. I am using the keeper of bees planner tabs from the Archer & Olive Spring 2024 collection and I love how that look in my journal. I have a cutting machine at home and turned them into stickers but you can totally just print them out on sticker paper and hand-cut them or print them out on printer paper, hand-cut them, and paste them in. 

Categorize it! 

I don’t know about you, but my brain loves to categorize things. I thought about the kind of things I would include in my staycation and what categories those things belong to. I came up with six categories you can use to plan the days of your staycation. I created those categories in each daily layout in the set-up so that I can plan what I would like to do that day. 

Category One: Reset

One of my favorite things to do on a day off is reset something. While I don’t find cleaning relaxing, I do find organizing relaxing. Because this is a staycation, your space is extra involved. Whether it’s decluttering your space, making it extra cozy, or finally getting to that home improvement project you’ve been putting off, resetting some aspect of your home can be a very therapeutic start or end to your day during your staycation. Resetting can also pertain to creating your dream morning or evening routine and trying it out or personal goal setting for things that have been on your mind lately. 

Category Two: Self-Care

For me, I did lump working out with self-care. Honestly one of my favorite things to do on a day off is have an awesome workout, knowing you can take your time exercising at the gym, outside, or at home is such a peaceful feeling. In this case, you might use this section to plan your workouts during your staycation. If that is not your thing or you don’t want to conflate working out with self-care there are other priorities that could fill this space like no-screen time, play a cozy game, sleeping in, fun journaling sessions, or baking, just to name a few. 

Category Three: Reading

Yes, in my life reading deserves a category all on her own. If you’re not a bookworm just change this category to anything else that you would consider your favorite hobby! Otherwise, use this category to create a bookish moment or two for each day of your staycation. 

Refer to this printable below for all my ideas for each category!

Category Four: Adventure

Staycation does not mean you’re confined to your home and can have a little adventure yourself. Enjoying your home includes your environment. There might be a small business you’ve driven by a hundred times and never stopped in but always wanted to. There might be a cool museum in your area you haven’t been to since that grade school field trip you had that one time decades ago. Maybe you have a favorite park and want to designate some time to take a long walk to a podcast or music. Whatever sounds like adventure to you!

Category Five: No-spend activity 

Although planning a vacation usually involves saving money in order to spend it during the vacation, one of the benefits of doing a staycation is the money you save while still partaking in that R&R at home. 

Category Six: Dinner

What’s your favorite meal of the day? Mine is dinner, but you could replace this with another meal time you might want to choose to indulge in throughout your staycation. Whatever can make that meal special for you will pertain to you. Trying a new restaurant, trying a new recipe, having a fun dessert after your meal, ordering takeout, and so on are all vague ways you can highlight a certain meal and make it more fun than normal in a way that works well for you.  

In conclusion

I think we can feel pressure to “get away” at some point in the year but the luxury to do that is not always there! Even if you have the ability for a get-away this year it might still feel like a fun or creative challenge to plan a staycation. 

As people who journal, we love to put our life on paper proactively and retroactively and I think this idea would be fun in a scrapbook format as well with photos, ephemera, doodles from your staycation. 

I hope you found this helpful and give it a try this summer! Don’t forget to check out the corresponding video and printable! The ideas are endless. Happy journaling.