As a travel-obsessed blogger, it’s inevitable that there are periods of time where I want to travel and can’t travel.
Whether that’s for budget reasons, illness, work or something else, there are always periods of time where I wish I was somewhere else, but can’t be.
And with current world events, there are suddenly many more of us at home with our travel plans canceled for an unknown period of time.
So if this sounds like you – you want to be out in the world traveling, but you can’t, this blog post is for you.
Instead of sobbing into your pillow at night over canceled plans, here are some travel-inspired activities you can do while you’re on your forced travel break:
1. Watch travel-inspired TV shows + YouTube Videos
This is my favorite way to fulfill my travel wanderlust while I’m stuck at home.
While I’m not huge on TV (I actually do not have a TV at this point in time) I’m obsessed with finding travel YouTube channels with incredibly produced content.
There are some great channels out there with a TV-quality-level of production.
Some of my favorite Travel YouTube channels:
- Jits into the sunset: A British and Irish couple undertake van life in some of Europes most beautiful places (my favorite episode is their Isle of Skye road trip!)
- Beau Miles: Beau is an Australian outdoor adventurer who takes on extreme feats. My favorite video of his is when he kayaked 2,000 km around the southern tip Africa.
- CupofTJ: if you’re more of a city traveler, TJ is a food travel blogger who posts upbeat foodie adventures (especially around NYC + Asia!)
2. Read books inspired by travel
Books whether fiction or non-fiction is the perfect way to quench the travel-wanderlust thirst. I’m not a huge fan of long-poetic travel stories, but rather relatable travel-inspired books.
I’m currently reading…
I’m a stranger here myself by Bill Bryson (I’d recommend anything by Bill Bryson, to be honest!)
Bryson is a hilarious American-British writer, who shares his experiences moving back to the US and the differences from his former home in the UK. Bryson’s stories have me reminiscing about the 2 years I spent living in Boston, USA.
3. Create a Pinterest account and start getting inspiration for where you can go to next!
Pinterest isn’t all recipes and home-DIY. It’s a great platform to find inspiration for where your next destination could be and to find all those oh-so-beautiful but lesser-known corners of the world.
So if you don’t have a Pinterest account yet, get on it, my friends!
I love spending time looking for that next adventure or researching a destination I’ve had on my bucket list for ages.
Want to know where I’m dreaming of next? You can follow my Pinterest account here.
4. Plan for future trips (without booking anything, unless you’re able to!)
Trip planning is probably one of my favorite activities. Surely I’m not the only one?!
I love looking for beautiful places in the country I’m visiting, hidden towns or cool hikes to do.
Just because you’re stuck at home, doesn’t mean you can’t do this! You can even put together a draft itinerary, with a bucket list of things you’d love to do and places you want to see.
And if you’re unable to book things (whether that’s because of financial reasons or current world events) don’t book them yet!
But doing your research now means that when you can travel again (which you will be able to!) you can get booking your next trip ASAP!
Psst: Want to know what’s on my next travel bucket list? I’d love to travel to…
- Tasmania, Australia (I recently canceled a trip there so am really keen on re-booking)
- Canada (ditto here!)
- Scotland and or Ireland (I’ve been craving hikes, fresh air, and long road trips after being stuck indoors)
5. Get travel inspiration and read about other’s adventures on travel blogs!
The wonderful thing about our current world is that there is so much content out there available for free. You no longer need to go and buy a book or a magazine to get helpful and entertaining travel content.
As a travel blogger, obviously, I’m a bit biased, but some of my favorite travel blogs to read are…
- Happy to Wander: Christina is a Canadian blogger based in Germany. I love reading her posts for her witty one-liners, gifs of adorable pugs and super practical tips for traveling around Europe and Canada.
- Practical Wanderlust: Lia and Jeremy are a travel obsessed couple based in California, and whenever I’m reading their posts they always have me laughing out loud (probs not best for when you’re taking the train to work!)
- Explore Shaw: Emma and Thom are an Aussie couple who are all about traveling around Australia. I’d recommend checking out this blog if you dream of visiting Australia and also for my fellow Aussies who are looking to see more of their home!
- In a Faraway Land: Marta’s blog is all about road trips, hikes and seeing the most beautiful outdoor places around the world, including New Zealand, the Italian Dolomites, and Canada.
- Bearfoot Theory: Run by outdoor enthusiast Kristen, Bearfoot Theory is all about outdoor adventures and van life in the US. Kristen’s blog is one of my favorite outdoor adventure blogs, as her approach is to educate, share and help people wanting to start on their own outdoor adventures.
6. Have coffee or a phone chat with a friend who’s just as travel-obsessed
As someone who’s always planning a trip somewhere or thinking of planning a trip, I love a good catch up with an equally travel-obsessed friend.
It’s a fun way to remember past travel adventures and get ideas for your next adventure. So the next time you want to travel, but you can’t, catch up with one of your travel-obsessed friends!
7. Explore your local neighborhood, city or country!
Psst: as of March 2020, much of the world is in lockdown and many governments are recommending stopping non-essential travel. Please obey advice from your local government!
If you can travel locally, get out there and explore your local area. I know I’ve always had a tendency to explore places far away from my home rather than what’s just on my doorstep.
Local travel is often cheaper and requires less planning. So, if you can travel locally, do it!
So there you have it, my friends, my list of travel-inspired activities to do when you can’t travel!
I’d love to hear from you – what do you do to keep your love of travel alive when you can’t travel?
Leave your suggestions for your fellow travel-obsessed friends below!
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