Anybody who has attempted to cram a week's worth of vacation into a long weekend away knows there are scores of obstacles in the way of our intended relaxation—construction-related highway gridlock, three-hour airport security checkpoints and budget-busting hotel bills, to name a few. To sidestep all that aggravation, Lisa Oppenheimer, a Boston-based travel writer, recommends vacationing right at home. "With a little creativity and planning we can duplicate that feeling of relaxation without ever leaving our hometown," she asserts.

Acquire a tourist state-of-mind
"When we take a real vacation, we don't do the exact same things we do when at home," Oppenheimer says. So when "vacationing" at home, she recommends we take the very same approach. To make your holiday-at-home feel like a bona fide retreat, concentrate on arranging activities you wouldn't ordinarily take advantage of. "You wouldn't spend a whole day in France at a children's museum, so don't do it at home."

Grab a guidebook
Buy a guidebook for your city, like Fodor's, and follow a one-, two- or three-day itinerary. If you research your city the same way you would a city outside your hometown, explains Oppenheimer, not only will you find things that you haven't done before, but you'll probably discover things you didn't even know existed. Another invaluable source, she says, is your local convention and visitor's bureau. In addition to providing information on local attractions, current events and museum exhibits, the CVB typically offers money-saving coupons.

Get a room
You don't have to get off an airplane to stay at a hotel. Head downtown for glamour or the opposite direction for value, but either way, room service is little more than a phone call away. "My kids can bring me breakfast in bed," notes Oppenheimer, "but it's just not the same as being able to pick up the phone and have someone deliver it." If kids are in the picture, make sure you select a hotel with an indoor (or outdoor, weather permitting) pool. "You'll be a hero," she says.

Find your bliss at a spa
A full-service pampering at a day spa is certain to leave you breezy, buoyant and utterly blissed-out. Oppenheimer recommends springing for a full-day package of opulent services, but even as little as a pedicure and a champagne lunch can do wonders for the soul. Partners should consider signing up for a romantic couple's massage followed by a healthy spa dinner.

Hit wine country
Napa Valley doesn't hold a monopoly on wineries; these days, wine is produced in practically every state in the nation. Seek out a couple of nearby wineries and arrange tours and tastings. "It is so rare to go looking for this type of activity at home," says Oppenheimer, "and that makes it an ideal stay-at-home vacation activity." Don't forget to purchase a bottle or two from your favorite winery. No grapes nearby? Plan a tour and beer-tasting at a local microbrewery.

Take a guided city tour
Walking tours, trolley tours and river tours provide home vacationers with a novel point-of-view from which to experience their hometown. Animated tour guides, while often more entertaining than informative, offer a unique take on the area's sights, history and trivia. "I took a trolley tour of Boston, my hometown," says Oppenheimer. "It was one of the kitschiest things I've ever done. But it was so much fun that I'd do it again." Remember to bring along the camera to take snapshots of your favorite sights.

Leave the cooking to the pros
"Cooking while on vacation at home is such a bad idea," states Oppenheimer. "But you also don't want to eat every meal away from home." Instead, consider hiring a personal chef to prepare a vacation's worth of heat-and-eat meals in advance to keep on-hand for mealtime. Better yet, hire that chef to prepare a gourmet candle-lit dinner for two in your own home.

Change your environment
Travel immerses us in a land of unexplored and unexpected vistas. Mimic that feeling by dining in a restaurant you've never been to in a part of town you rarely frequent. When abroad, eating exotic foreign foods is all part of the experience. At home, consider trying that Ethiopian or Moroccan restaurant you read about in the newspaper.

Take public transportation
Away from home, we leave the driving to the conductors, cabbies and captains. Doing so—both home and abroad—not only makes our travels infinitely more relaxed, it fosters the sort of unabashed rubber-necking and finger-pointing that we associate with sightseeing expeditions. Leaving the keys at home has the added benefit of making that second bottle of wine during dinner much less a guilty pleasure.

Scalp tickets to the game
Spontaneity is the fuel that drives a great vacation. In the moments leading up to the start of a professional ballgame, tickets can often be snagged for less than face value. Circle the stadium until you find a seat/price combination you can live with and jump on it. Who cares if the team is already out of the pennant race? The hot dogs are still hot and the cold beer is still cold.

Get help
On vacation, we never have to vacuum the carpet, fold the laundry, mow the lawn or shovel the walk—and we shouldn't have to do these tiresome tasks during our home holiday. "The easiest way to recreate the relaxing feel of vacation is by eliminating as many of our usual chores as possible," Oppenheimer says. Book a maid, send the clothes out to the dry cleaner and pay the neighbor kid to tend to the lawn or walk.

Disconnect
Cell phones, laptops and Blackberries are huge conveniences when it comes to work. But, if you have forgotten, this is vacation; stow those gadgets out of sight so as to not get dragged back into the daily grind of office life. "Ideally, it is great to disconnect from the outside world," Oppenheimer states. "And we aren't obligated to tell the boss where we are vacationing." Likewise, put a hold on the mail and stop the newspaper—nothing sucks the wind out of a sabbatical like a utility bill or depressing headline.

Go camping in the back 40
For some, roughing it in the wilderness is a form of vacation, bless their hale and hearty hearts. Camping in one's own backyard offers the sights and frights of sleeping beneath the stars, but with none of the hassles of loading up the gear and four-wheeling into the mountains. Pitching a tent at home is also a great way to acquaint the little campers with the activity. To make the experience as authentic as possible, make the house off-limits for everything but bathroom breaks.

Do absolutely, positively nothing
When we drift off to sleep and fantasize about vacation, most often we envision a sandy beach, a fruity cocktail and a light-hearted page-turner. What are you going to do on vacation? A friend might ask before your departure. Absolutely nothing, we vow. Oppenheimer's best advice for a blissful home-based break may also be the most straightforward: "Keep it simple," she says. "If it's not fun, don't do it. This is your vacation, after all."