Meghan Markles Staycation Advice Is Especially Relevant This Year

Now that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have stepped down from their duties as senior royals — something which, unbelievably, happened earlier this year — they’re able to pursue the kind of projects they couldn’t before. Their deals with Netflix and Spotify  indicate they have ambitions beyond what they were able to do when they were restrained by royal responsibilities.

But we’re really hoping Meghan goes back to blogging. In the spring of 2014, when she was a TV actress living in Toronto, she launched her lifestyle brand The Tig . She had to shut it down  before her engagement to Prince Harry , as blogging about winter wellness tips, cocktail recipes and hosting Oscars parties is apparently incompatible with royal life.

Luckily for us, parts of The Tig have been preserved by internet archive The Wayback Machine. And one such entry, an August 2016 post called “Staycation 101 ,” feels incredibly well-suited for Christmas 2020.

“Sometimes jumping on a plane, train or automobile isn’t in the cards,” Meghan wrote, correctly. But staying doesn’t have to be boring, she said: “if done right, it can be more restful than the rigamarole of planning a trip that takes you far and wide.”

Here are Meghan’s tips for a satisfying “staycation.”

Unplug

A real vacation is one where you’re not glued to your phone. “Without the distractions of texting, Snapping, and reading endless emails, your brain will get the mental detox it so deeply deserves,” Meghan wrote.

We’d like to provide a 2020 update: if you can, consider turning off Twitter and push alerts from news services, too. In the duchess’s words, “turn those phones and laptops off and truly vacate.”

Make a great playlist

Music has great power over your mood, Meghan said, linking to a “Weekend Vibes” playlist she had recently put together for the blog that features Maggie Rogers, Sofi Tukker and Christine and the Queens. Another suggestion: make a playlist around a theme you want to embody.

Indulge yourself

Figure out what makes you feel really good and go for it, Meghan suggests. One of her suggestions — an at-home spa service — is sadly out of the question this year, but the others are very 2020-friendly: a luxurious bath or delivery from your favourite restaurant. “Whatever your pleasure, give yourself all the creature comforts you would indulge in while on vacation,” she wrote.

In pictures: Meghan Markle’s best fall outfits. Story continues below slideshow.

Have a movie marathon

What feels more indulgent than letting yourself watch the entire “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, or the year’s best horror movies that you missed, or your favourite Greta Gerwig vehicles? Whatever your film taste is, “pop some popcorn and make it feel like an event,” Meghan says — “in your cozies , of course.”

Give yourself hotel perks

One of the best parts of staying at a hotel, she said, is the little perks: water with sliced cucumbers, super-cosy bathrobes  and slippers, and crisp ironed sheets. Figure out what you love about being away from home, and replicate it as best you can.

WATCH: Meghan Markle gets Oprah to promote her new lattes: