When life has stressed us out beyond belief, the only thing we want to do is escape. When you are married, you just want a little down time with that person you love. However, taking the time off of work is not possible all of the time and can lead you down the dark road of feeling down, caged in. So remedy your situation with a compromise and create your own romantic getaway at home.

Just like any vacation, you need to plan the days you will be escaping from life. If you work, it may have to be Friday night through Sunday night. Arrange for the kids to be elsewhere so you have the house to yourself. Then, you get to work on planning!

The Invite
I’m not the most romantic person sometimes, but I am creative and I want to be romantic so I work at it. To introduce the idea to your spouse, leave an envelope with something that resembles a plane ticket in it. It should include when you will “depart” for the fun and where your “destination” is. You can print these types of things out with your printer on card stock. Browse for templates online, they are out there. Crafting stores may have pre-printed options that you just fill in. Tell them to pack a suitcase for the weekend and leave it by the front door.

The First Night
Think in terms of relaxing. Order dinner in and decorate the patio table or just your dining table to reflect how you feel. Doesn’t really have to be fancy. A tablecloth, a vase of roses or favorite flowers, pull out the china, chill a bottle of wine or sparkling juice, a candle, manage a nice place setting (look it up if you don’t know how), maybe a mint like Ande’s on the napkin for after dinner, and put your take out in serving dishes. Play some nostalgic music and ask your partner to dance with you for a moment. Then, enjoy your meal. Of course, this all helps the atmosphere, but cleaning up the house beforehand makes it feel a little more commercial.

Once you have eaten, cuddle up with a fire in the fireplace and watch an action flick. Romance movies tend to make women cry and feel a little deflated. Guys just can’t live up to those movie characters and their stories! Ha! It is a proven fact that watching something that gets the heart pounding and the adrenaline going will keep you both from feeling sluggish afterward.

Take the time to pour a warm bath with a lot of bubbles. Play music and light small tealight candles around the edge. Just be careful not to get too close or catch a towel in the flames. Have your bedroom decorated to simulate a hotel. Swap out your current comforter for an older one in the closet to make it different. Use white sheets and pillowcases and pull them tight over your bed. (That is one of the greatest things about sleeping in a hotel!) Turn on the bedside lamps to a low glow and have your suitcases on the floor. Bring a television in, if you don’t already have one and spray a clean scent around the room.

Photo Credit: Hotel Book

Use removable wallpaper along a bare wall or one that could be cleared. You can get this printed with a photo of your choice, so pick a photo of your honeymoon or find a database shot of a place you both want to visit. This has a sticky back like unto a Post-It note and can be put up and taken down for future use. Lay out traveling pamphlets over the dresser and just unplug the phone! There is no need for wake up calls in the morning. Lay out fluffy towels for bath use and even little soaps and shampoos, if you feel like making that extra effort. Search a place you want to visit for photos to recreate the same sort of look.

The First Day
Get up. Don’t allow yourself to sleep all day. Make breakfast together and enjoy a mug of cocoa or coffee. Turn on the fireplace and talk about anything for an hour while you eat. Then, enjoy a shower and get ready for the day. Have a place in mind that you can drive to, that won’t take all day, and get out of your…er…hotel. Try to make it a new place you have never experienced before. That is how it would be if you were on a real vacation.

Take a picnic lunch with you and share that while doing your excursion. Then, come home and refresh and take your special someone out to dinner at the place you met or had your first date. Try to even sit at the same table you had shared. Even more fun is to role play. Secure a reserved table but one of you sit at the bar. Come up and offer to buy them a drink. End up eating dinner at your table and pretend you are meeting for the first time. Afterwards, go for a stroll through downtown or in a park.

The Last Day
Leaving your vacation spot is always difficult. Filling the suitcase to head for home can be a little depressing. However, spend the day unpacking your suitcases and doing some laundry. Just a nice quiet day together is the great way to end your vacation. If it is possible, go have a massage together. Just be ready to face the work week with recharged batteries.

By setting your scene and playing the game you can really enjoy yourself for little money out of your pocket. Having a vacation a few times a year is good for the mind and the relationship. Set your decorations aside and use them again next time. That way subsequent trips cost you less! No matter how you relax, do it together and enjoy life!

Written by Maddy Olsen