With the ongoing pandemic, traveling just hasn’t been a reality so far in 2020. For those who love to travel and are used to being all over the place, this can be a hard adjustment. However, I’ve found there are so many ways to stay connected to people all over the globe without leaving your home. Some people and experiences you might not even have access to during the normal world. Here are some of my favorite ideas for feeding that wanderlust from the comfort of your house.
A few of my favorite travel vloggers to follow are Top Jaw (two strapping English men who travel across the globe and basically spend the whole time eating) and Messy Nessy Chic (an ex-pat transplanted in Paris). Watching their videos and others remind me what travel was like before this pandemic hit, and it always makes me inspired to travel in the future. There are just so many little things I’ve forgotten about as I’ve spent all this time at home; it’s nice to watch these videos and remember the nuances of traveling. I really love it as a way to feed my wanderlust.
As an avid traveler and someone who has lived abroad twice, this is something I was already doing before the pandemic. I love watching the Instagram stories of people who live in cities I’ve lived in or visited because you can just feel the city’s vibes through the photos and videos. It reminds me of what life is like there and helps me to remember that these places still exist even if I can’t be there right now. By following along on Instagram, I can stay up to date with what’s happening in my favorite places around the world and see them through the eyes of someone else.
Many restaurants and chefs have turned to offer cooking classes online. I love this idea, especially for weekends at home, which is the reality many of us are facing as the weather gets colder. Check with restaurants you’ve visited or places you’ve taken classes from before to see if they’re offering any during this time. Typically you will just buy all the ingredients you need ahead of time, then tune in to make whatever it is you’re learning to make! What a fun way to pass the time and support chefs and restaurants worldwide who have been hit by this pandemic while feeding your own wanderlust for a particular taste or cuisine.
If you didn’t already know this, Airbnb also offers experiences and not just places to stay. I tried an Airbnb experience for a pasta-making class at a small restaurant in Florence. It was so much fun, and we met fellow travelers! Some of these experiences have turned virtual, so you could check those out. There also might be some experiences in your own city that can be done safely at this time. It’d be a great idea to check those out and maybe learn something new about where you live! 2020 is all about rediscovering our own cities.
Another way to feed your wanderlust is by taking a course online. I have taken language classes online during the pandemic and an art class, and several individual lectures on subjects I was interested in. You can find courses for just about anything these days! Think about what interests you when you travel, and find courses based on that. It could be art, culture, language, food…the options are truly endless. Taking a course will only increase your passion and give you an appetite for more, soon to be quenched when borders open again.
We all know how busy life can get after a trip, and usually, we never end up printing photos or making a memory book from the trip like we wanted to. Now is the perfect time to dive into projects like that. I love making photo books filled with the Instagram photos I took on my travels and printing out photos to hang in my room. You could even get creative and make a video with clips from previous travels. I have been doing this during quarantine, and it’s the best way to escape back in time to those places and memories! It not only feeds my wanderlust but makes me hungry for more experiences like that.
I don’t know about you, but I have an ongoing list that I add to every time I hear about or read about a place that sounds interesting. It’s been especially helpful to have one during this time when I’m not really planning any trips. I’ve organized it by country, and if I ever see shops or restaurants in destinations I want to go to, I add those as well! This way, when trips are possible again, I’ll have so many ideas and recommendations just ready to go. I can’t wait!
Books have always inspired my travels. I have walked the streets of the Latin Quarter in Paris like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, tasted the best pizza in Napoli like Elizabeth Gilbert, and strolled New York just like Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Now, the books I read take me to other places. I get to pretend I’m in the story while I’m reading, and I relish taking in new sights and sounds with the characters from the pages of a good book. One of my favorite quarantine reads was the Crazy Rich Asians series, and I can’t wait to go to Singapore one day and experience it all for myself.
The best form of escapism besides reading, I think, is a good movie that transports you to a place. There are so many classics set in world-famous destinations worldwide. It shouldn’t be hard to find something that interests you. Even better if you watch a movie or show in the native language! I recently watched Home for Christmas on Netflix, set in Oslo, Norway. It’s a location I’ve always dreamt of going to, and I loved to be able to experience the culture and the language through watching the show.
One of my favorite things about living in Europe was walking everywhere. So on days when I really miss that, I just recreate it in my own city. I walk to the cafe instead of driving, I get a coffee and a croissant, and I sit outside and watch the world go by. Or I make myself an afternoon espresso with sparkling water as if I were drinking it at the bar in Italy. There are so many small things you can do in a day to pretend you’re somewhere else. Take a pause and have tea, walk, and admire the architecture. Or cook the meal you enjoyed there. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will bring you joy and feed your wanderlust.
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