Stimulated by the need for harmony and artistic expression in everyday life, and the belief that for each one of us, young, old or infirmed, the garden returns us to our fundamental relationship with peace in nature, I purchased my ‘retreat’ in Topanga. Over the years I have planted a myriad of roses, wild lilac, wisteria and herbal greenery, watching as the seasons brought tiny sparrows nesting in the spring jasmine, and coal black ravens chasing red-tailed hawks away from the eggs they had nested high up in some oak that was twisting its way to the sun. I’ve watched hundreds of tiny green worms grow into larger ‘fuzzied-crawlers’ and morph into hundreds of butterflies, and sat near baby raccoons learning to hunt in the moonlight, close enough to touch. Every time that I have set spade to soil or served breakfast on garden linens, I have been ‘on vacation.’ Today, amongst roses, lavender, various herbs and wild winter mushrooms, I sit under a canopy of giant oaks, in any one of the multiple meditation areas I have personally created, take my tea by the bubbling creek, and ……I am on there…in quietude, in harmony…..on vacation.

Patio furniture and a new fence. Every weekend is a vacation.

My husband & I are fortunate to live in upstate NY in the Fingerlakes Wine Region. During the off season we go to local wineries for tastings and special events on the weekends. It's great especially when we know that people are spending lots of money to get here and stay here and it's a short drive for us (literally only minutes)to the local wineries.

I live in New Orleans. While we are still recovering from Katrina. There is still so much to see and our museums, French Quarter and Garden District seem untouched. We have come a long way and have a long way to go. Even with so much destruction we live in a city with so much character. We also have a lot of "Characters" living here. When I want a vacation at home I take my family to the zoo, aquarium or visit one of our many museums or old homes. Not to mention our choise of great places to eat!

We bought an old farmhouse in a suburb of St. Paul, MN that has views of a wildlife preserve. The best part is that we have an uninterrupted view of the sunset, which makes me feel like I am on vacation!

Whenever I have housework to do, I try to make it fun by playing special music (fairly loud). I find that I work faster and enjoy the tasks much more. Some of my favorites are "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack and the "Best of Roy Orbison". Sometimes I find myself doing a mini cartwheel over the kitchen counter (once the dishes are cleared not before). Remember Mrs. Doubtfire dancing with the vacuum cleaner? That's me!

One of the many things I love about living in California is how I can take a day trip and see different scenery just a few hours away. I live in Santa Barbara, but love to drive 45 minutes to the wine country to walk through the lavender field or pick apples at a local orchard. The farmer's market on Saturday's is a mini vacation for me too.

Living in a small town on Cape Cod and going to work every day I don't appreciate the day to day beauty of home. Recently my sister visited unexpectly so I took the afternoon off. We had a leisurly lunch at my favorite restaurant and then walked along Main Street, looking into all of the shops, bookstores, etc. For three hours I was on vacation and loved every minute of it. I even discovered a new shop which is truly a gem.
Cape Cod is vacation at home.

I would suggest making a "happy" list. Take the time to list everything you can possibly think of that brings you happiness and then fit as many things on that list as you can into any given day.

Bee Higly wrote a comment below about surrounding yourself with your vacation pictures. I have got to second that thought. I just recently put some vacation pictures around my office and am amazed at what 30 seconds of staring at them when I am stressed will do for my mental state! Seeing my pictures of the Notre Dame or the canals of Amsterdam take me back instantly and provides just the jolt that the stressed mind needs.

I own an antique store and import from France. On my buying trips, I soak up all the details of the French culture and re-create those moments for my clients, and myself.
Commencez le jour by sipping coffee from a vintage cafe au lait bowl and feel the warmth on your hands. Share your buttery croissant, with your puppy and feel her silky coat caress your leg, and by all means, use that crispy monogrammed linen serviette, as it only becomes softer by laundering.
I try to learn something new, share it with someone, relish in the details, and VOILA,
Life is a vacation.

Every day I do one small thing that would otherwise take up more time on a real vacation. For instance, I'll spend two minutes looking up at the buildings in my city -- they can sometimes be architectural prizes! -- just as if I might do when taking in a new city while traveling. Or I might eat an ice cream cone, which I might've done every day at the beach in the summer. Maybe I'll take 5 extra minutes to try a new piece of exercise equipment at the gym, as if I were trying a new sports activity on vacation. It may only take 10 minutes of my day, but each of these activities will remind me of a longer vacation.

I love to take in the local attractions when friends come for a visit. This way, my friends are entertained and I get to have the tourist experience right along with my favorite people. It's the perfect time to take in even the cheese-est of tourist traps.

About once a month my wife and I join two other couples and the six of us rent a limo -- we did a stretch hummer once -- and just hit the town. Nobody has to worry about parking or driving and we can enjoy conversation and it just feels like you're nowhere near your normal life.

It's not too expensive either when you split it three ways. It's like a call back to the prom!

Personally, I'm on vacation right now even though I'm at my desk in my office. What I do is make sure to surround my workspace with photos, both from vacations I've been on and from places I like to go to. It relaxes the environment a bit.

Another thing that's cool to do is to have a masseuse come to the house. For basically the same amount of money it costs to go to a spa and get a massage, they will come to your house and this way you can just stay in that state of peace and mellow relaxation -- you don't have to hop in a car or in a cab to get home... you can just hit the hay!