Ah, the staycation. Who would have known that this would be the summer 2020 trend? For those that don’t know what it means, a staycation is when you holiday in your country or close to home. For many of us in Cyprus, that meant long weekends in Protaras, excursions to Paphos or even just chilling at home, as I found myself doing towards the end of the season and surprisingly it was something I was in dire need of.

This summer, we finally became tourists in our own county; something I’ve been somewhat urging many local residents to try. I believe it’s such a great way to discover more of a place we think we know too well and be grateful and proud to call a beautiful place like Cyprus, home. If you want to dig into this topic deeper, feel free to reach out to me or read more of my thoughts in an article I wrote for The Travelettes called When being a total tourist is encouraged.

Back in May, I had posted on my Instagram that I didn’t miss travelling and that I would spend this summer in Cyprus. And so I did. After the rollercoaster of the lockdown and the pandemic, hopping on a flight wasn’t at the top of my list. Peace of mind was, as the lockdown brought about some anxiety for the first time and I didn’t want to have to worry about the new travel norms. What I really wanted to do was hang out with my friends, go on road trips and lounge at the beach. And that’s exactly what I did. After all, summer in Cyprus is a pretty fun time. Except now, when the first week of September is a heatwave.

I spent the first few weeks of June working remotely from Protaras, slowing transitioning back into being allowed outside and around people. What a strange sentence that was to write, alas that was our reality at the time. What a bizarre, little thing life is. When my social needs resurfaced, I returned to Nicosia and finally started hanging out with friends. That’s when the fun began.

I went for cocktails, spent a weekend wild camping by a dam I didn’t know existed, joined workshops, had dinners out and life was normal again. In August, I had a whole week off to spend in Cyprus, something that’s never happened before. Not after university ended anyway. Usually, I’ll take a few days off and go on a trip abroad. I don’t think I’ve ever deliberately taken days off to holiday in Cyprus. This year was all about that.

With my sister back from the UK for a while – thank you covid – my family decided to holiday in Paphos exploring its villages. We booked accommodation in a small village I hadn’t heard of and every day we visited more tiny villages I didn’t know existed. Lasa, where we stayed, is truly tiny with only 30 residents and not much to do. Yet it’s a great base to explore the surrounding area. In just five days we visited Panayia, Kallepia, Polemi, Letymbou, Miliou, Giolou, Simou, Latsi and Argaka. Alright, half of these villages I did know but the rest, I probably wouldn’t have visited if I didn’t have this holiday in Cyprus. Being a tourist at home felt great!

The scenery around the villages was a vast empty landscape and its fields reminded me so much of Tuscany. Down in Argaka the sea was bright blue with contrasting dry mountains in the background. It was sights like these and chats with old villagers who reminded me of the pure and kind-hearted Cypriot hospitality that made me feel truly proud to call Cyprus my home. What a rich place this is when you make the most of it. And that goes with any location and situation in life, doesn’t it?

Now, having reached the end of the summer I don’t know how to sum it up. Calm, nothing particularly special but still, good enough. Different for sure, slow too because of some physical issues that flared up and anxiety peaking in every now and again, yet still adventurous and with a great deal of relaxation and self-care. Come to think of it, that’s what I needed this year and there’s no other place I would have done it than at home.