Planning A Writer's Retreat: Staycation Edition

This time of year, many people are gearing up for a summer getaway. Whether it's a cruise, a hiking trip and camping in the woods, visiting family in your hometown, or lounging at the beach, it's a time to explore and recharge. And for some lucky creative souls, they might be packing up for a writing retreat.

Writing retreats offer a chance to rekindle your love of storytelling, find inspiration, and connect. However, depending on the location, they may not be as feasible for some.

That's why I'm suggesting an alternative: the writer's staycation.

As a fan of staycations, a term used for a "vacation" taken where you live and exploring destinations in your area, I'm kind of surprised it took me this long to write this post. Staycations are great for adventurous souls on a budget.

In this post, I'm sharing a few ways to make your staycation feel a little more fun and writerly, as well as a few things to consider adding to your itinerary!

First Things First

When planning a writing retreat, no matter where it's taking place, it's a good idea to know what you most want to get out of the experience. What is your main goal?

Some retreats prioritize connecting with fellow writers or networking with industry pros. Others may offer a schedule jam-packed with talks from experts sharing their tips and know-how. It's also common to have other activities planned like guided meditations, nature walks, or crafting built into the day to encourage your creativity in other ways or allow for a mental reset.

And, of course, there's abundant time for writing!

The beauty of designing your own writing retreat is having the ability to plan your itinerary around what you most want to focus on, whether that's finding inspiration for a new project, completing a first draft, hunkering down in a distraction-free environment to edit, working on your querying materials, or reconnecting with your love of storytelling and rekindling your creative spark.

Give yourself what you need.

The Write Mindset

When getting ready for a staycation, it can be fun to get in the mindset of a visitor on vacation in your town.

There are so many small ways to achieve this. For example, you may dress like a tourist; you don't have to go as far as getting a custom T-Shirt with [Town Name] WRITING STAYCATION 2025 emblazoned on it—fun as that would be—but maybe you decide to wear a souvenir T-Shirt from a popular attraction in your area or pick up a baseball cap for a team on the other side of the country.

In terms of your "home-tel" (in other words, your permanent residence while you're on staycation), you might want to give it a more intense cleaning ahead of your at-home retreat so there's less to worry about. You could also get new sheets for your bed or a room spray in a scent that's different from what you typically go for.

And for a little extra fun, you could get some mini toiletries for your shower.

It's all about finding ways to pretend you're on vacation somewhere else.

I'll be sharing a few additional staycation mindset tips as we go so stick around!

Author's note: for more writing mindset tips, be sure to give this post a read.

Now that we've got you in the right mindset, what are you doing on your writerly staycation? Here are a few things you may be able to do where you are or without having to go too far.

Get Cozy In A Cafe

What better place to start a morning on your writing staycation than a trip to a local coffee shop? They're already regarded as a writerly sanctum of sorts, so why not pull up a chair, grab a drink and a pastry, and crack open your notebook?

A change of scenery often sparks my creativity, and coffee shops in particular can be especially great for brainstorming sessions. To add to the staycation spirit, I recommend visiting a cafe you've never been to or don't get to often or ordering something that isn't your go-to drink.

Sink Into A Soundscape

This goes back to what I was saying about finding small ways to make your home feel more like a hotel during your staycation.

Many writers find it easier to immerse themselves in their work when they have music or ambient noise playing in the background, which can include soundscapes that are reminiscent of their story's setting.

When you're in staycation mode, it could be fun to find a soundscape that brings the sounds of a far-off destination from your bucket list to your headphones. You might imagine that you're writing in a French cafe, on a beach in the Bahamas, or at an Italian villa, even though you're just sitting at your computer in your bedroom. It's just another way to feel like you've gotten away from it all.

Virtually Speaking

Many writing retreats invite industry pros or other keynote speakers to give a presentation or run a workshop with attendees. But when you're planning a staycation retreat, you don't need anything but a solid internet connection to get this kind of intel!

As you likely already know, YouTube boasts a plethora of writerly how-to videos with authors sharing tips and tricks. You can also look for interviews or talks given at colleges, conventions, and, of course, writing retreats. This not only allows you to hear from any author of your choosing, but you have the ability to choose the exact topics you want to learn about—plus you don't have to worry about deciding between two workshops happening at the same time and having to miss out on one to attend the other!

Night (Or Day) At The Museum

Another fun outing for your staycation itinerary is checking out some exhibits at a local museum.

This is not only a chance to see something new or learn something cool. It can also be a fantastic source of writing inspiration. Perhaps a portrait's subject radiates main character energy and ends up being the basis for your next protagonist. They may wield a weapon like one on display or be scholarly in their own right and send you diving into the rabbit holes of researching something that sparks your curiosity during your museum trip.

You never know what you'll see, so stay on the lookout for new exhibitions in your region.

Making A House Call

Similarly, you may be able to visit the home of notable authors in your area in museum form.

If you're in Amherst, MA, you can go to Emily Dickinson's home or Edgar Allan Poe's home if you're near Richmond, VA.

The specifics of what you'll find will depend on where you go, but you may be able to see some of the residing author's sentimental belongings, hear interesting tidbits about their life and stories, first editions or even early drafts of their works and explore the place they were written.

Though not at her home and not on a staycation by any means, being able to see Jane Austen's writing up close when I was in London (as well as the portrait done by Cassandra) was such a special moment for me. Seeing that she squeezed notes and revisions into the margins between the lines as I do inspired me deeply and made me feel even more connected to the craft of writing.

Spending time in another author's home is a lovely way to feel more connected to the craft and find inspiration in the stories told before your own.

And speaking of storytelling, some of these sites may sometimes host conferences, workshops, and guest speakers to give talks centered around writing, so it's worth looking into.

Get Lost In An Escape Room

Listen. I might be a little biased since I work as an escape room game master but hear me out.

For anyone unfamiliar, escape rooms are essentially a giant interactive puzzle game. You're brought into a themed room and given a set amount of time to complete all of the challenges (typically an hour) to eventually find the exit and win.

Escape rooms are a fun way to reinvigorate your creativity. They often require a bit of creative problem-solving and thinking outside of the box to solve the puzzles. Writing can sometimes have you feeling like you've fallen into a rut, so having something to reawaken your mind can help get you unstuck.

With escape rooms rising in popularity, there's a good chance you can find one in your region and put your wits to the test! And who knows? Maybe I'll even be the one running your game...

Friendly Get-Togethers

One aspect of writing retreats that many attendees enjoy is being able to meet new writing buddies. Having writer friends is vital for oh so many reasons, and these retreats offer a chance to connect with other like-minded souls.

But what about a staycation writing retreat?

If your writing friends are local, you may consider planning an in-person meet-up at someone's home or out at a coffee shop or the library for instance. You could also plan a Zoom call if they're long-distance.

This can be a great time for writing sprints and workshopping, or just chatting about the writing process.

Writing can feel like a solitary activity, but it doesn't need to be.

And if you don't have many writing friends, a staycation retreat could be a time to look for writing groups and events happening in your neck of the woods.

Self-Care Sesh

Like vacations, staycations are widely considered to be a time for recharging and relaxation. We all need to unwind every now and again.

Adding to this, many writing retreats include a yoga and meditation block or mindful journaling exercises in the schedule.

Self-care sessions are a nice way to end a day of your writing staycation. What this consists of will depend on the writer. It could be as simple as a quick power nap or listening to an audiobook while taking in some aromatherapy or as elaborate as a trip to the spa.

It's all up to what leaves you feeling most at peace.

Write On

This is a writing retreat, is it not? So, naturally, the main activity on the itinerary ought to be writing.

It's worthwhile to get out and find inspiration in the world around you or challenge your brain to work in different ways (and rest!), but it's also important to prioritize your writing during your retreat.

No matter the setup you prefer or which phase you're at with your project, take this opportunity to focus on your writing and make progress towards your goals—because it's sure to fly by!

As writers, we're often having to take breaks from our WIPs, on the rare occasion you're able to instead take a break from everything else and dedicate your time solely to writing, making the most of it while you're fueling your creativity is key.

Writing retreats can help facilitate this, but depending on budget, location, and other restrictions, they're not always feasible.

That's what makes a writing staycation such a fantastic alternative! Not only are they easier to plan because you don't have to find lodging or spend much on travel costs, you're able to cater it to your specific desires no matter if you're plotting or gearing up to publish.

What would you include on a writerly staycation itinerary? Let me know in the comments!