As winter sets in and there’s no hope in sight until March, it seem like the perfect time to take a vacation. But according to a 2007 poll by Monster.ca, only 64% of Canadians use all of their allotted vacation time. Even if your budget doesn’t stretch far enough for airfare and hotel rooms, those vacation days shouldn’t be wasted! Here are ten ways to relax, rejuvenate and refresh your spirit without venturing too far from your own doorstep.

Yoga Retreat
Want to spend a week doing downward dogs and see if you come out the other side looking a little more like Gwyneth Paltrow? Find a yoga studio in your area that offers a one-week all-you-can-yoga pass.

Foreign Exchange
Immerse yourself in a different culture by hitting the multiplex and watching some subtitled cinema. When a foreign film becomes popular enough to show in North America, it’s usually a pretty sure bet.

Culinary Adventure
Are you a Food Network junkie? Well, now’s the time to participate! Learn a new skill and eat some delicious food by taking a weekend or evening cooking class.

Tourist Trap
Every town, city and suburb has some sort of tourist attraction, be it big or small. Pay admission and take the tour — you could learn a little something. Oh, and don’t forget to buy the postcard.

Television Festival
What did we do before television on DVD? Indulge your inner couch potato with a marathon of a show you’ve been dying to see or an old favourite that you can’t get enough of. (Hello! Sex and the City from beginning to end.)

Spa Getaway
Rather than spending just one day being pampered, spread those spa treatments out over the entire week! Get a pedicure one day, a massage the next, and then a haircut later on.

Social Engagements
Coordinating schedules to find time to spend with friends can be downright exhausting. But if you’ve got a whole week free, you can be available when they’re available! Meet one friend for lunch, another for an after-work drink and then a third for the late movie.

Literary Escape
Turn off your phone, shut down your computer and delve into that book that’s been sitting on your bookshelf, waiting to be picked up and devoured in one sitting.

Cultural Affair
Snag some tickets to the symphony or the theatre, get all gussied up, and take yourself out for a night on the town without having to worry about making it in to work the next morning.

Artistic Experience
It seems that we’ll gladly take time to visit museums and galleries during vacations, but can never find the time to see the ones that are in our own backyard. Now’s your chance! Channel your inner critic and appreciate a little art.

Check out our romantic weekend getaway suggestions!