It’s January, and like many we’re feeling a little worn down by the freezing temperatures, lack of available funds and propensity for interesting places to be closed for refurbishment. However, we’ve got some great plans for summer lining up already, as well as a few weekend distractions, so we thought we’d share with you some of our favourite ideas and tips to break up your week.

1. Booking tickets – a long way in advance

I was clearly feeling uncharacteristically organised in October, so I put the day that the Royal Opera House winter season opened in my diary, and when that day came I logged on at 9am and speedily booked some opera and ballet tickets for January. At £17 each, they didn’t break the bank, but were a welcome treat on the first day back after the Christmas break and then again in mid-January once we were feeling very fed up. Not only were they a spend we couldn’t have justified in January, but all but the most pricey tickets sell out pretty much the same day at the ROH. [You could also check out the Friday Rush at 1pm every Friday, where the ROH sell last-minute tickets for a variety of prices.]

2. Borrow a doggy

This isn’t a sponsored post, but we’re feeling a lot of love for BorrowMyDoggy… You do have to pay to sign up (£10 for borrowers), but you get matched with dogs in your area who might need occasional walking or looking after. Win – you get to hang out with a dog and you’re helping out someone in your community! Disclaimer: we haven’t tried it out ourselves yet, but have friends who love it.

3. Movie nights

We both struggle to keep weeknight evenings free to catch up with friends, so we’ve each scheduled recurring appointments every couple of weeks with different groups of friends. Sounds obvious, but an ‘opt-in’ system becomes ‘opt-out’ and you suddenly realise how glad you are to be seeing some good mates on a dreary Wednesday. One of us goes for dinner, drinks and a lot of chat, while the other has film nights at a different house each week, with the bonus of being able to try a different local takeaway’s cuisine each time.

4. Hygge it up

We know, we know – stop stealing the Scandinavians’ word for stuff when we don’t even quite know what it means. All I know is that it feels pretty great to get home in the pitch black (even if it’s only 6pm), take your shoes off and get cosy. Preferably involving wine, a box set and/or some good old fashioned tidying [hah!]. Maybe it’s because we’re hurtling towards 30, but this month we’re particularly enjoying some home comforts.

5. Camping – or glamping!

If that doesn’t appeal, start thinking about the months ahead! If you’ve been to Cornwall or Devon before, you’ll know how busy they get – so book your pitch now to ensure availability for the summer months. I’d also highly recommend a canvas bell tent from a company like http://www.tipirent.com/, though there are many. Depending on what you go for you can ‘glamp’, with real mattresses, sheepskin rugs and throws and a tea-making station, all delivered to your pitch at whichever campsite you choose.

On a related note, our friends at A Wilder Life live in Cornwall all year round, and share fantastic tips for things to do there. In fact, we can vouch that they’re local because we literally bumped into them on a beach a couple of summers ago. Check their blog out nearer the summer for some great local advice (or if you fancy pimping your van or boat…).

If you have any other ideas, we’d love to hear them! Share them with us in the comments below 🙂