Planning a Holiday in Quarantine

How to Enliven a Stay-at-home Vacation

IN OUR PRE-PANDEMIC LIVES, what would we have given for two weeks to ourselves? And if we were spending those precious fourteen days traveling, we’d have planned every detail from accommodations to dining to activities. Why don’t we do the same for a two-week quarantine period at home? We know in advance that we’ll have to quarantine, and we can plan an at-home holiday built around a travel theme. No need to pack a suitcase, but why not move your vacation clothes to the front of the closet? Or, just for fun, you could pack a suitcase! Turn up the thermostat, grab your bathing suits and flipflops, and channel those beachy vibes. Or turn down the thermostat, plug in a Star Light Galaxy Projector from Amazon, pitch a tent, lay out your sleeping bags and get cozy under the stars. Now’s the time to make the most of all those streaming services we pay for and find movies set in great destinations. We could watch our favourite beach movie and cook up some burgers, shrimp skewers and pina coladas. Remember the scene in Goodfellas when they were cooking dinner in prison, and each inmate relished their own contribution to their feast? When Paulie used a razor blade to cut thin slices of garlic for the pasta sauce, it made us want to get our own group of inmates together to do the same. We can Google the very same recipes or order-in what we’re watching in our chosen films. While watching Under the Tuscan Sun, prepare a charcuterie board and a fabulous selection of Italian cheese and Italian wine. Dive into some warm naan bread and curry while weeping through Eat, Pray, Love. The Food Dudes are offering Experience Boxes curated to your at-home sojourn. One-of-a-kind dining adventures designed for a variety of special at-home occasions include Movie Night (complete with vintage popcorn boxes and candy salad), Breakfast in Bed (complete with mimosas, fresh baked goods and the weekend newspaper), Date

Night (complete with florals, candles and a custom playlist), and Family Time (complete with DIY pizza, and Food Dudes aprons), sending you everything you need for an unforgettable night in. Feeling daring? Watch the Panic Room, connect with your friends via zoom, and immerse yourselves in your own Escape Room online. The internet is our portal for virtual travel. Each destination has museums and galleries that provide virtual tours. Travel to Paris via the Musée d’orsay. Indulge in a Grand French Coffee with Grand Marnier and whipped cream, some Pain au Chocolat and, since we’re on holiday, hide the scale and add an assortment of macarons and madeleines. 3D Virtual Tours are available of the Eiffel Tower, The Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and even the surface of Mars. Many of the world’s finest galleries are offering online options. View more than 6,000 years-worth of art treasures at the JP Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Enjoy a 360° virtual tour of the Vatican. Explore the Guggenheim Bilbao, or even join a Live Virtual Tour of Bilbao, Spain. Follow this tour from the comfort of your couch while pairing Rioja wine and traditional pintxos. While you’re at it, sign up for an online language course through a site like fluenz.com.

FOR MUSIC ENTHUSIASTS, virtual concerts on Billboard.com are updated weekly for livestreaming from Miley Cyrus to the New York Metropolitan Opera. What better time to pick up a new instrument than in quarantine? Learn to play guitar at guitartricks.com, or allow your music and your windows to inspire your inner Georgia O’keeffe through a watercolour painting course. All you need is paint, a brush, a canvas and to set your imagination free. Welcome to the jungle! We could spend an afternoon viewing lions and leopards on a live safari with Wildearth. tv. This virtual immersion might inspire your next real trip. What was it that you loved so much about the last resort you visited? The turquoise colour of the ocean, the soft white sand, the sweet hibiscus blossoms? Plan ahead! In your countdown to lockdown, take your favourite vacation photos to the paint store and have them match the shade you love, so you’ll have the paint ready to give your boring bathroom a boost. While you’re painting, listen to travel podcasts like the Armchair Explorer and The Trail Less Traveled. A podcast can inspire your mind, while leaving your eyes and hands free for painting. Who doesn’t love a do-it-yourself spa day? Gently apply a DIY face masque (mix a touch of water with oatmeal, two tablespoons of honey, two tablespoons of yogurt and one small egg white.) Give yourself a luxurious pedicure and manicure. Add a few drops of citrus or coconut essential oil in your diffuser, or in your bath, and book a massage appointment from your partner. Vegas baby! Cut a deck of cards, roll the dice, layer a gourmet sandwich and pair a bottle of wine. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Two weeks of self-isolation can be a self-indulgent extravaganza of travel-themed food, entertainment and learning. Best of all, no line ups. Just close your eyes and drift off to the beach.