5 Ways to Bring the Beach to You

With temperatures dipping as low as 10 degrees the last two days here in IndependentTraveler.com’s neck of the woods, we’re thinking about ways we can pretend we’re someplace warmer — without emptying our wallets or burning vacation time so early in the year. The result is a list of tongue-in-cheek ideas for how to bring the sun and sand to us. Read on for a five-step plan to travel without leaving home.

Step 1: “Pack” for a week’s worth of beachy fun by bringing all those summer clothes to the front of your closet. Put together the most crazy, touristy outfit you can find — Hawaiian shirts, board shorts, white athletic socks, hats, sunglasses, lanyards and even some zinc oxide for your nose.

Step 2: Create a menu of tropical drinks and mix ’em up. Then set up beach chairs in your living room, and invite several friends to lounge and sip with you. You get bonus points for playing ocean sounds on your iPod or scenes of beaches and palm trees on your television.

Step 3: Dig the kiddie pool out of the basement, fill it with sand — colorful play sand is always fun — and pick up a bucket-and-shovel set to make yourself some sandcastles.

Step 4: Crank the heat up to 85 degrees, put on your tiniest bikini or Speedo, and set up a “beach” volleyball tournament in your dining room. (Use a beach ball so as not to break anything.)

Step 5: Soak your feet in a warm foot bath to get that ocean sensation while applying self-tanner. (Keep your swimsuit on while you do it, as tan lines add to the authenticity.)

Living room party just not enough? Plan a real getaway with our slideshow of 8 Warm Weather Winter Vacations.

— written by Ashley Kosciolek