Today, the coronavirus pandemic has brought nearly every movement on earth to a standstill. Border closures as well as global lockdowns have made us defer our trip plans and instead, we’re stuck at home.
Needless to mention, the wanderlust in us is longing for this phase to end so that we can prepare ourselves for travel to head off on vacation.
It’s only natural to resent being unable to experience diverse cultures and admire nature’s marvels. However, this needn’t be the situation. You can certainly pamper your desire for traveling while being safe at home.
Here’s how to indulge your wanderlust indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Write down travelogues
How about reviving the scent and joy of your past travels? No better way to do it than writing down these travel pieces. While describing your previous journeys, you’re sure to feel the same pleasure that you experienced during these trips.
Combine your untold travel stories with descriptions of your special interests. For instance, you could have a keen interest in architecture, wildlife, or languages that you could portray in your travelogues. What’s more, sharing such interesting travel pieces online will help you build new bonds while still stuck at home due to the pandemic.
If you have a flair for poetry, try writing a poem about your first trek. Sharing such creative pieces on social media will inspire newbies at the adventure to go trekking as soon as the lockdown phase is over.
Enjoy armchair travel
Isn’t it a great idea to beat the lockdown boredom by exploring new places through binge-watching and reading? Yes, relax on your sofa and experience the planet’s breathtaking beauty and world-famous cultural marvels. This way armchair travel will pretty much pacify your heart intensely desiring travel.
Plug into video streaming websites and apps packed with travel-related films as well as documentaries. Munching on delicious popcorn while admiring new sceneries will only add to your joy!
While learning about rare species of wildlife, awe-inspiring structures, and remote cultures worldwide, you can prepare to make better travel choices in the future. Also, you can learn about the impacts of climate change on extremely vulnerable regions worldwide.
For reading buffs, this is the best time to indulge in your hobby. Reading destination-specific books will familiarize you with varied cultures and perceptions. While helping you to visualize travel moments, reading will soothe your heart and eliminate boredom. For instance, you could imagine yourself sitting upright inside a roof top tent amid the Alaskan wilderness!
Making travel reading a habit during the coronavirus pandemic will nourish your brain and improve your thought process. What better way than this to boost mental health during a crisis?
Try out cultural cooking
A significant part of travel is tasting the local cuisine of your destination. So, during this lockdown, try exploring new cultures by mastering different global cuisines at home. You’ll find countless cookbooks as well as Italian recipe videos online to help you do so.
This way you won’t need to book a cooking session in a foreign land during your forthcoming trip. Instead, you’ll be in a position to compare the cuisine there with your own preparation.
For instance, you might have already mastered an authentic Indian Dhokla or traditional Italian pasta well before visiting these countries. Make cultural cooking even more enjoyable by trying a different theme each week. Also, add more authenticity and set the right atmosphere for such cooking by playing background, cultural music.
Learn a new language or two
Utilize this extended time at home to learn one or two foreign languages. Going the extra mile in preparing for your forthcoming vacation will only reward you later. By the time you’ll land in your next vacation destination, you’ll certainly be saying numerous basic phrases of that language.
By learning the lingo of your travel destination, you’re sure to create positive vibes on landing there. You’d make strangers happy by speaking their dialect, thus building great bonds with them. What’s more, you’d also travel more confidently and safely throughout the foreign land.
The very process of learning a new language will give you a feeling of being almost on your way someplace. With modern technology, you can find several free apps to learn new languages at home. You can even listen to podcasts of a foreign language. So, don’t fret over not being able to take classroom courses, given the social distancing norms.
Get creative with your vacation photos
Though the coronavirus pandemic is certainly not the time for making new vacation memories, it’s undoubtedly the perfect time to revisit old ones. The boatloads of travel photographs that you took while on vacation eventually end up getting lost in your computer once you return. Why not organize your travel photos creatively and display them in beautiful ways?
Try presenting the photographs through an online slideshow. You could also turn them into screensaver slideshows for your cell phone. Else, simply use your favorite photographs for wall art to beautify your home.
How about making fun postcards from your travel photos to send to your loved ones? Get even more creative by printing your favorite snaps on a variety of objects. Mugs, blankets, cushions, playing cards, magnets, and the list goes on.
Consider your house as a leisure hotel
Won’t it feel refreshing to declutter and frequently use fresh bed sheets and towels? Try arranging flowers inside your bathroom and using coconut-like scents throughout the house. This way you’ll end up visualizing yourself relaxing in a tropical getaway!
Don’t forget to keep small chocolates in the bedside drawer for occasional treats. Tuck an additional snug blanket into a basket near your bed.
Put soothing background music on and indulge in a facial treatment, or, simply meditate. Enjoy the feeling of luxury in your home-turned-hotel!
Conclusion
So, now you know several ways to satiate your wanderlust at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. These will gear you up for the ensuing trip, instilling a joyful feeling in you. After all, you deserve a bit of a break from all that negativity of the virus!
