Plan a Romantic Staycation for Valentine's Day

If you're like me, you've got plenty of things planned for the year, so you don't particularly have money (or motivation) to plan a Valentine's getaway for you and and your sweetie. That's okay. Instead of a gift they probably don't need or paying way too much for flowers or a dinner out, why not surprise them with a creative staycation?

I love being a tourist in my own city, and I often just throw my camera in my bag and look at things as if I were a visitor. Here are some ways to get romantic for the holiday without breaking your bank:

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Go Glamping

Break out your tent, pitch it in the backyard, stock it with pillows and blankets, string up some battery-powered fairy lights, open a bottle of wine and get your favorite foods delivered. If you have a short table or something that can work as a table if you throw a tablecloth over it, use that and spin some tunes on your phone to create a romantic atmosphere. You don't have to spend the night out there, but you can spend some quality time together and pretend you're not at home...at least until you need to use the restroom, but at that point, you'll be happy that you aren't actually camping.

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Do Dinner and a Movie

Instead of a traditional dinner-movie date, cuddle up in the backyard (or in your car drive-in style) and eat dinner al fresco while watching a movie on a projection screen - or you can put up a sheet if you don't have one. 

Go On a Scavenger Hunt

Buy yourself a city hunt that you play on your phone and put your heads together to follow the clues and learn some new things about where you live. StrayBoots and Urban Adventure Quest are good ones. Bring your camera and take fun pics of the two of you while you're crushing it like the boss couple you are.

Take a City Tour

Pretend you just moved to where you live and you're on a first date and take a cool tour, whether it's a walking tour, a bus tour, a boat tour or a food tour. Do something new and that you've always wanted to try. It's a great chance to snuggle up with your significant other too. 

Try Unique Dining Experiences

Don't do the same old restaurant dining that you usually do. Sure, that Italian place you hit up every couple of weeks is probably good, but it's time to branch out...and save some money. Instead of dressing up and being the same as everyone else, why not bundle up (if it's cold where you are) and check out a new coffee shop for breakfast and then hit up those food trucks you've been meaning to try. 

Our city just got a new food cart pod with outdoor seating, a fire pit and at least a dozen (so far) different food trucks, so there's something for everyone. It also gives us a chance to try several different foods at once.

Take a Hike

If you're an outdoorsy couple, put on your walking shoes and pack some snacks and head to a hiking spot you've been meaning to make it to. If you're planner, put a picnic together too and have a nice secluded meal where you can connect with each other in a whole new way.

How will you make this Valentine's Day special? For more ideas, check out my staycation Pinterest board.

Heart-Shaped Romantic Destinations

Valentine's Day is coming up fast here. Even though I don't celebrate it, I thought you might like to see some naturally heart-shaped places you can actually travel to. Perhaps you can plan a trip to visit one of them in the future or you might just like a little eye candy for the day. 

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Check out these pretty spots:

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Heart Lake, Washington

This naturally-occurring lake can be found in Washington's Olympic National Park. You can hike and even camp next to the lake, for a lovely romantic outdoor date. 

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Makepeace Island, Australia 

This island is owned by Richard Branson and can accommodate 20 guests, so it's probably not cheap to stay on, but it's definitely pretty.

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Tavarua Island, Fiji

If you love surfing (and gorgeous islands), this is known to be one of the best surfing spots in the world and hosts an annual surfing competition. It's also perfect for snorkeling and diving, because it's surrounded by coral reef.

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Coeur de Voh, New Caledonia

This amazing little heart can only be seen properly from above, but this part of the landscape is formed by mangroves and can take on different looks as the vegetation changes. It's difficult to get to, but the area is teeming with fantastic wildlife.

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Valentine Lake, British Columbia, Canada

This lake is for the hard core hiker (or romantic). Plan to camp here, as it's a 4-hour hike from the end of the main road. Just think about what a sweet and well-earned getaway it will be when you get there. Pack a bottle of wine to celebrate the journey.

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Gislachersee Lake, Austria

Located in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria, this lake offers spectacular views of the Alps. It's a 3-hour hike from the popular ski resort of Sölden, but imagine how gorgeous and secluded it must be in the summertime.

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St. Paul's Bay, Greece

There's a popular wedding venue, there's a small church built on this spot to commemorate St. Paul's visit to teach the Rhodian people Christianity. What a stellar place to renew your vows!

There you have it. Some inspiration for your future travels and a little pretty to round out your Valentine's Day. If you don't have money for a trip, stay tuned for great ideas on how to plan a romantic staycation, and if you're solo for the day and need a laugh, check out this blog post on Society6.


Are you taking your sweetie on a romantic getaway for V-Day?

Travel to Beat the Winter Blahs

Living in Portland has a lot of perks, but one of the drawbacks is that winter can be really bleak. It's not usually bothersome to me, but I know a lot of people who have intense SAD (seasonal affective disorder). This month, I think it's finally caught up to me, because we have very short days full of rain and most of them are super cloudy, and then we have 12-13 hours of nighttime. I'm feeling pretty off on everything and want to just hide in my own bubble and ignore people, and I'm sleeping really badly, which is not a problem I normally have. 

If you're also experiencing SAD, or just the feeling blah in general from the craze of the holidays and then the let-down of the new year, let's talk about how we can combat that: 

Plan a trip

You don't actually need to go on a vacation, especially if you just came back from one, but actively planning for something good can really get you out of a funk. It's been proven that even the act of planning trip can lift your mood, almost as much as actually taking the trip itself. 

I have been looking at things to do and places to eat in New Orleans for my short visit in March for the Travel Goods Show. It's giving me joy in the moments of blerg during this month, since I have something to look forward to. I'm also in the act of slowly packing my bag. I'm not taking much, but buying a few new things is also giving me an emotional lift. In the fall I bought some spring shoes on clearance for future trips, so those are going in as well. And yesterday I parsed out my toiletry bag, so I know I'm not taking things I don't need. 

Stay tuned for a packing light post for spring.

Go explore your town

Just get outside. Even if the weather sucks, taking a day trip or just being a tourist in your own town. As much as I just want to stay inside and listen to podcasts or watch movies, it's not really too productive, so I know I should go out and get fresh air and see people. I planned a group brunch this past weekend and, as much as I didn't want to go, I knew seeing and interacting with people would be good for me, and I was right. 

Force yourself out, take some pictures of cool things, play some games, meet some friends. You'll find you feel less depressed, if only for a little while. It's better than nothing and wallowing at home by yourself and/or being cranky with your family.

Throw a party

We throw quite a few parties, and this year we decided to do more themes, but also try to save more money. Because we can't travel all the time, we came up with a happy medium. We threw our first "destination potluck", where we chose a travel destination and asked our guests to bring dishes from that region. I did a bit of decorating, but nothing crazy like I would normally. It gave us all a break from reality and that excitement of trying new foods when you travel. It was enough to give us the incentive to throw more. 

Hit up the salt room

It's been a while since I suggested this. We aren't all close to the beach, and wintertime isn't a great time to visit anyway. The salt room gives you the same benefits, but you won't have to wear 9 layers of clothes and get wet sand in your shoes. In fact, an hour in the salt room is equivalent to 3 days at the beach, plus the salt-ionized air can help keep you healthy, which is also important in this time where it seems like every third person has the flu or some other nasty sickness.

That's what I got for you. Try to survive the gross seasons of winter and sickness. Eat your veggies, get your vitamins, keep your spirits up, and get excited about future vacations.

How do you beat the winter blahs or your SADness?