This morning while I was preparing my daughter for school, she said sleepily, “thank God Friday is here.” I won’t even lie, the statement caught me unawares. Not because of its meaning, but because it came from her, a grade three pupil. What business does she have thanking God for Friday? Or maybe, she is just happy for the coming two days where she won’t have to wake up at 6am. Or maybe, even gen Alpha is catching on on friday moods lol.
But how many Fridays have come and gone with you still seated at that coach, bored to hell as you watch others on social media flaunting their travel escapades? The way some of our pockets are wired…..ndege tutaonea viusasa.
Not every weekend comes with a flight ticket or a five-star hotel check-in. And that is okay. We all dream of such scenes or to be in these vicinities, but at some point we really will have to make do with whatever options are available. And that’s okay too. Sometimes, Friday finds you exactly where you’ve been all week. Home. But who says you can’t still get away? All you need is a little imagination to trick your senses into believing you’re sipping cocktails by the beach or wandering through a bustling city square, without ever leaving your living room.
We are, after all, in 2025 – the year of AI and endless possibilities.
The first rule of vacation is setting the mood. You need a mindshift, and to achieve this, you should forget about your work desk and the pile of laundry in the corner. We need to turn your home into your resort, remember. To attain this mood, you will have to change what you see and hear. Put on a tropical playlist or the soothing sound of waves crashing. If you are imagining yourself somewhere in the village or in a cabin somewhere in Nanyuki, put on a “rain” soundtrack. Swap your regular T-shirt for something bright and breezy like a sundress, a Hawaiian shirt and even sandals if you like. Put on those big beautiful shades you bought but have never come around to wearing because you have never left Nairobi or whatever concrete jungle you are in. Light a scented candle, burn incense or spray a little perfume that reminds you of the ocean or a fresh mountain breeze. Heck, use whatever perfume you have at your disposal and suddenly, your home stops feeling like a weekday and starts feeling like a getaway.
Now that the mood is coming along quite nicely, the next step is planning on your food and drinks. Nothing screams vacation like food and drink that takes you out of your usual routine. It is now time to trade your everyday tea or coffee for a fruity cocktail or mocktail. Or if you want to go all the way out (literally), you could try this. Bonus points if you add a tiny umbrella or slice of pineapple on top of your glass. Cook something foreign that you have always wanted to but have never come around to (I have a ton of tiktok recipes saved somewhere). Spanish tapas, Caribbean jerk chicken, Nigerian suya, or even homemade sushi (ehh, is my dream going too far?). One of these days while “vacationing” in my house, I am going to try and make West African Egusi, even though it looks like a really complicated dish. I had a West African neighbour that used to make it a lot and share it with me and I got to fall in love with the dish. Unfortunately, I moved to a different neighbourhood.
If cooking isn’t your thing, you could order takeout from a restaurant you’ve never tried before. Eating with curiosity is half the fun of traveling, and your kitchen (or glovo and uber eats ) can be your passport.
Vacations are as much about what you do as where you are. Today is not the day you watch “Suits” for the umpteenth time. You need to swap your usual evening series for something that transports you. Stream a movie set in the place you wish you were. Think a Parisian romance, an African safari documentary or, (drumroll) a Bollywood musical. Or one of those 18th century themed romance series.Take a virtual tour of the Louvre, the pyramids or your dream city streets on Google Earth. If you’re in the mood for a party, queue up a concert livestream or a local festival playlist. At the end of the day, the goal is to feed your imagination and trick your senses into believing you’re somewhere new.
One of the best parts of being on vacation is the way time slows down. You cannot be on the beach somewhere in Kingston, Jamaica and still replying to emails. No sir/madam, this email does indeed not find me well. Give yourself permission to step away from busy and routine. Turn off your work notifications and set your status to “out of office.” Most importantly, let your phone rest for a while. Stretch out on the couch with a good book. When was the last time you even read a book? In a world where we have millions of great authors, there is an endless pool to choose from. Or you could roll out a picnic blanket on your balcony / backyard.
If you are going after a true resort feel, create a spa moment at home. Think face masks and a bubble bath or a simple foot soak. You could do all these with a glass of wine by your side. Vacation is about allowing yourself to pause.
Finally, do not forget to capture the moment. Ofcourse, you have to capture the moment, it’s 2025, who doesn’t? Plus, what’s a vacation without a few photos, right? Right. Lean into the fun and document your trip. Snap selfies in your bright shirt with a cocktail in hand, or set up a flatlay of your vacation-style meal. Share them with cheeky captions like “Greetings from my living room resort” or “Balcony views never disappoint.” It’s a lighthearted reminder that joy doesn’t have to be expensive. We can derive joy in the simplest of things.
We would all love to travel. Traveling the world is wonderful, but what if our pockets do not allow us to? Sometimes the best escapes don’t require passports or hotel bookings. They just need a little creativity and permission to slow down. So this weekend, give yourself the gift of a “holiday” at home. Simple acts like sipping mocktails, watching a foreign film or lounging like you’ve got nowhere else to be could go a long way. Now, imagine if you had an equally free spirited partner or lover to do this with.
Vacation isn’t a place. It’s a feeling. And the older I get, the more I understand what they meant when they said that happiness is a state of the mind.
