Organize a Family Cooking Session 

Tasting cultural cuisines is one of the best things about travel. Bring one of your bucket-list destinations to your dining room table with the signature flavours of its most famous dishes. If possible, every member of the family should play a role in preparing and cooking the meal, and once the dishes are done, keep the mood going with a movie set in your chosen destination.

Wake Up For a Sunrise Adventure 

To really create that vacay vibe, try shaking up your usual routine. Rouse the family at daybreak and head out for a morning excursion – ideally something set in nature. There’s nothing like the feeling of summiting a mountain or reaching a viewpoint just as sunrise bathes the wilderness in golden light. Don’t forget to snap a selfie.

Book One Night at a Hotel 

Take your family to a nearby hotel for one or two nights, where you can enjoy splashing in the pool all day, and have a slumber party at night. Put on your hotel robes and pile onto the bed to do mini spa treatments, like shoulder rubs and facemasks, while watching a movie. 

Throw a (Socially Distanced) Distanced Backyard Party

Needless to say, the guestlist should be restricted to your quarantine bubble – a small, exclusive circle of trusted friends and family – but a backyard party is a great way to have some distanced summer fun. Take it in turns to play Spotify DJ while drinking and scoring homemade cocktails provided by each attendee (this refreshing Sparkling Campari Orange looks like a winner to us). To get the kids and designated drivers involved too, try these delicious summer mocktail ideas.

Organize a Scavenger Hunt 

Team up with another family and head out on a scavenger hunt. You could use a platform like Goosechase, which helps teams organize and run scavenger hunts, or make up your own challenges. Here are a handful to get you started: 

1. Take a photo of your group in front of some street art
2. Collect a bird feather  
3. Take a photo of the youngest member of your group in front of a historic landmark 
4. Get a picture with a friendly dog (that isn’t your own)

Screen an Outdoor Movie 

There’s something extra lovely about watching a movie outside, and once you’ve invested in the right equipment, you can make it a weekly traditional all summer long. First, check you’ve got a plain exterior wall or a spot to hang a flat, white bed sheet. Then purchase a wireless, bluetooth enabled projector, and some throw pillows and blankets. Stock up on movie theatre candy and popcorn, invite some friends over, and roll the film. Or, check out some of the fun drive-in theatres popping up across the country. 

Be a Hometown Tourist For the Day

You know the landmark you haven’t visited in years, or that restaurant with rave reviews, which always has an absurdly long wait time? Well now is the moment to go. Make a list of fun things to eat, see, and do around your town and check them off, one by one. Try to experience everything with fresh eyes, as if you were visitors passing through. End the day by each saying one thing you’re grateful for.

Go Camping at Home

Pitch a tent in your backyard and pretend like you’re camping in the wilderness. Gather round a fire pit for a relaxed evening of card games, storytelling, and, of course, gooey s’mores. Don’t have enough outdoor space? Erect the tent in your living room and play campfire sounds on Youtube to recreate the experience.