With cross-border restrictions and social distancing measures in place, travelling isn’t an option for most right now. If you’re like me, missing the adventure of travel — seeing new scenes and getting excited about experiences — there are ways we can recreate a similar feeling from home. It will take some creativity and a hint of imagination.
Below are three of my favourite ways to get your travel fix that you could use.
1. Revisit Photos from Previous Trips
A very simple and easy way that lifts my spirit is looking through photos of trips that I have already taken.
For example, after a great trip to Europe last year, I found it fun to create a slideshow of photos that now plays on my TV in the background as I cook and do work. This way, I am always reminded of the positive memories I had while travelling. I found that using Google Photos has been helpful when creating slideshows as it’s simple to use, free, and easy to connect with different devices.
Similarly, you can also look through photos that you’re fond of on your phone and create a physical album out of them. Bookmark all of your favorite pictures and you can take them somewhere to get printed or print them at home. Personally, I usually visit a Kodak Picture Kiosk which has adapters for you to connect your phone and print them straight off of your device.
2. Take a Tour…Virtually
From the list, this is probably the most interesting alternative to travelling. Instead of hopping on a plane, take a virtual travelling tour instead! Using your phone, tablet, or computer, you can virtually transport yourself to attractions across the world.
Here are a few popular destinations that offer online tours:
- The British Museum in London
- The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
- Yellowstone National Park
- The Statue of Liberty
- The Louvre in Paris
I started you off with five examples, but a simple search for ‘virtual travel tours’ and you will be able to find many more all over the world. These have become more popular as of recently in the tourism industry and can vary in complexity where some simulate a virtual walking tour while others are presented as documentaries.
As long as you have an internet connection, your travels don’t have to come to an end. There’s no need to limit yourself to your own home and city streets.
3. Start Planning Your Next Vacation
If you could be anywhere right now, where would you go?
It may not be safe to travel just yet, but researching and planning for what your next trip might look like is another way to get your travel fix. A study by Nawijn, Marchand, and Veenhoven, found that vacationers experienced high levels of happiness before taking the trip itself. Planning a trip is something that can create excitement for when you can safely travel (just keep the dates flexible).
Websites like Kayak, Expedia, or Hotwire are great starting points when it comes to finding transportation and accommodations. Airbnb is another useful tool for finding experiences within the city you are planning to visit. For example, you can find experiences such as food tours, markets, and “Instagram Photoshoots.”
It may not be the best idea to be booking tickets and reservations, but there is no reason why you can’t look into accommodations, flights, tours, and attractions that you’d like to experience. This is the perfect way to give you a feel for different prices from various companies and providers.
Tripit is a great tool you can use to plan out your trip which you can use on both your computer and phone. There is a paid version of the application, but I have found the free account to be enough.
We might not be able to travel freely and comfortably just yet. Planning a trip is an engaging task giving us a sense of control when our world is filled with unpredictability. It’s possible you don’t end up taking your trip for some time but if travelling is something you enjoy, it’s time well spent.