Any fan of Disney theme parks will know the feeling. Your vacation is over, and you’re facing months, or even years, of Disney deprivation before your next visit. It’s difficult not to feel a little depressed. You can, though, bring someof the magic home with you. Just enough to keep you ticking over until your wallet is fat enough again to allow you to return. And you don’t necessarily need to break the bank to do it – even spending a small amount can allow you to acquire a few things that will remind you of that “first day of a Disney vacation” feeling. Here are a few suggestions for ways that you can transport yourself back to the parks, if only for a few moments.
5. Recreate the smells
We’re all very aware of how Disney uses impressive sights to draw us into the theme park experience. Walt Disney famously pioneered the idea of a “weenie”, placing Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle at the end of Main Street USA in order to draw guests further into the park. One thing we don’t often consider, though, is just how much the Imagineers use our sense of smell to enhance our experience (or, sometimes, to encourage us to spend more money). There are some obvious examples in popular attractions, such as the orange smells in Soarin’ and the “burning” smell in the Rome scene on Spaceship Earth. But the most distinctive smells are often those associated with food – who hasn’t been drawn into the bakery on Main Street by the aroma of fresh cookies baking in the oven? (Disney’s Imagineers have been known to “augment” natural food smells by pumping out tasty fragrances using a device known as a Smellitzer). 
Disney knows how much those food smells remind you of the parks. That’s why, in 2012, it launched a range of special air fresheners that you can buy both at its resorts and online via the Disney store. The various scents available include Turkey Leg, Mickey’s Premium Bar, Candy Apple and Mickey Waffle. Take a deep breath and float back to the parks!
4. Play the soundtrack
As well as sight and smell, our hearing is another sense that the Imagineers play on. You may not always actively notice it, but the music played in every single land of a Disney theme park is appropriate to the theme and setting of the area. Individual attractions also boast their own soundtracks, as do the various parades and shows. Just hearing a few bars from There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow can put you straight back on the Carousel of Progress. Luckily, Disney is more than happy to sell you those songs to take home with you. 
The 2013 versions of the Disneyland and Walt Disney World official albums included tracks such as the The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room, Space Mountain Medley and Journey into Imagination’s One Little Spark.
3. Cook your own Disney meals
Taste is another important sensation that can transport us back to another time and place. And it’s likely that you vividly remember some of the tastiest meals that you’ve eaten at the many restaurants at Disney parks and resorts.
There are a host of Disney cookbooks that will help you recreate your favorite dishes. A host of these can be found at Mickey’s Pantry at Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney, but many can also be found online. Pam Brandon’s Delicious Disney, for example, will help you cook the Adobo Pulled Pork from the Magic Kingdom’s Crystal Palace or the Kona Cafe’s Tonga Toast.
2. Remember the little details
As we pointed out in a recent article, Disney puts an extraordinary amount of effort into theming even the most mundane elements of a theme park. And there’s no reason why you can’t take that approach, too. Take Disney’s trash cans for example. The company goes out of its way to ensure that these not only fit into the theme of an area, but even add to it. The trash can above, located on Hollywood Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is emblazoned with the image of Grauman’s Chinese Theater and implores visitors to the “city” to dispose of their trash properly.
You can sprinkle Disney trash cans around your home, too. The company has turned them into a line of merchandise, with trash can-themed salt and pepper shakers going on sale at Walt Disney World’s Marketplace Co Op in 2014.
1. Install a monorail
Walt Disney World’s monorail system has been operating since 1971, yet somehow it still feels sleek and futuristic. Maybe it’s the fact that monorails haven’t caught on elsewhere as yet, or maybe it’s just the unique design of the trains. Disneyland’s monorail, of course, is even older, having debuted in 1959 as the first daily operating monorail system in the western hemisphere. It still carries thousands of guests every single day.
When you see a monorail, you sense that you must be near a Disney theme park. So why not install one at home? The Disney Store will happily sell you a miniaturized version, complete with 14 feet of track.
