Vacation might be canceled but vacation sex isn’t—here’s how to have staycation sex

Whether you and your special someone were supposed to be heading to Santorini for your honeymoon, or Miami for a long weekend, or on a quick road trip for a getaway, vacation sex was almost certainly on the agenda. But that was before the coronavirus pandemic laughed in the face of your expertly laid plans. Though your vacation itself has likely been canceled or postponed, though, vacation sex doesn’t have to be. That’s because no matter where you’re sheltering in place, staycation sex can still spice up your pleasure plans.

On a recent episode of the Sex with Emily podcast, sexologist and host Emily Morse, PhD, shared that the feel-good (like, so good) benefits vacation sex provides really just come down to novelty. When you have sex on vacation, your setting is new (or at least outside your norm), you schedule is new, and you feel revitalized, relaxed, and happy—that’s why the act tends to seem so much more charged than your usual roll in the sheets. But with some thoughtfulness, time management, and creativity, you can access those same novel sensations for out-of-this world staycation sex. Below, find Dr. Morse’s top four tips for how to make it happen.

4 ways to have mind-blowing staycation sex, according to a sexologist

1. Wake up 20 minutes earlier for morning sex

Try waking up a little earlier to fit in some not-usual-to-your-routine morning sex. “Maybe before, when you were both rushing off about your day, you actually didn’t have time for morning sex,” says Dr. Morse. “So this is a perfect time.” The new timeframe provides for novelty and excitement that you might be craving in your relationship, and if you’ve never tried morning sex period, that same principle holds true.

2. Take a shower together

Dr. Morse recommends shower sex because it feels like a more common facet of vacation life than real life. Plus, if you and your partner have children or are otherwise not quarantining alone, “you’re also less likely to get interrupted in the bathroom,” Dr. Morse says. With shower sex, you can also bring toys and lube (which you will need) into the equation, really taking things up a notch or two on the novelty meter.

3. Make your bedroom sexier

In your home right now, it might feel as though everything is everywhere—laundry, dishes, work materials. But setting the scene for staycation sex starts with an ambiance that takes you away from your new normal and transports you somewhere decidedly novel. How, though, you may be wondering? Dr. Morse says it starts with simply cleaning up.

“Put the laundry away; put everything away everything that reminds you of work,” says Dr. Morse. “Yourgoal is to have the bedroom for sleeping and sex. Definitely have candles that you like—this is the time to light our candles that we’ve been saving for rainy days.” With the candles, you’ll be able to invoke the senses, which is something you could also achieve with incense or music.

4. Try vacation role play

Just because you can’t literally be on vacation doesn’t mean you can’t let your imagination travel. So go full Bermuda, and throw on a bathing suit and maybe even a fanciful hat.

And when you’re getting your bedroom staycation-sex ready, you could also add a few touches to make it feel more like a hotel. “You could have a fake hotel card for your for your bedroom, just like hanging on the door,” says Dr. Morse “You could have champagne glasses outside on a tray, and fold the bedding like you’d see in a hotel. You’d be surprised how easy it actually is to feel like you’re not in your actual home; spring on those new sheets, buy some new towels—play with it a bit.”

Dr. Morse says this could also be a good opportunity to have fun with a sexy-stranger fantasy. “Make a fake dinner dinner menu, treat your kitchen like a restaurant, get dressed up. Make it fancy, kind of a novelty,” she says. Whatever you do, though, know that the world is still your oyster…even if your world is literally just your home for the time being.