It’s not a great time to be a travel blogger right now since people can’t y’know, travel?! And that’s okay. This not travelling thing is for the best (in many ways, like how much better off would we be environmentally if we couldn’t?!). But I’m also battling with the fact that I LOVE travel like I’m sure many of you do. At the moment in BC, we’re still allowed out into the mountains as long as we’re not in big groups. But for other parts of the world being stuck inside has to suck, especially if you’ve had to cancel travel plans. I know many people who have. People are cancelling honeymoons, trips with family and my brother had to cancel his first holiday in several years. So if you’re feeling down, here are a few things you can do when you can’t travel.
10 Things to do when you can’t travel
Taking a leaf out of my own book and planning on ticking these off. Who needs a summer bucket list when you’ve got a stay at home bucket list, hey?
Read adventure travel books
Whether you’re working from home or not then chances are you’ve got some extra time now that the commuting is gone and the social interactions have been taken away. Now is the perfect time to get stuck into some books you’ve been meaning to read.
While recommending adventure travel books to read might seem strange (since they’ll make you want to get out there), they’re perfect for transporting you to the trail or another country. I’m planning to re-read my favourite outdoor adventure books on my shelf already!
Check out my favourite adventure travel books here.
Learn a new language
If you were planning a holiday that you’ve had to put on hold don’t fret. It doesn’t mean you’ll never get to go, it just means you can’t go now. So until that time, practice the language of wherever it was you were going.
Or, if you were going somewhere that speaks the same language, pick another language you’ve always fancied learning.
I love using Duolingo to get started but you could also sign up for online language learning courses too. Or, get stuck into these books and tools for language learning.
Take an online class
One positive of this who stay at home thing is that people are realising we don’t have to travel miles to take classes and learn. Places like Skillshare offer classes in all sorts of creative things. There’s drawing, photography, storytelling and more. You can get the first 2 months for free here.
If you’re interested in photo editing, Adobe (who make Lightroom and Photoshop) are offering a free Photoshop challenge with Behance that I’ve been taking part in for the last couple of days. It’s a great way to get to grips with all the features offered on Photoshop.
Learn to cook dishes from another culture
You don’t need to travel to enjoy the cuisine of another country. Whether you’re craving the curries of India, fresh dishes of Vietnam, some sushi, a typical Australian brunch, stylish French cuisine or something more you can’t create it all in your own kitchen!
Pinterest is great for finding new recipes and cooking is something you should know how to do anyway.
Order online from a local business to make sure you’re doing your part to keep things safe.
Do something you’ve always wanted to do
There must be something you’ve always wanted to do. Perhaps you’ve dreamed of starting a blog, wish you could learn to draw, or have been harbouring ambitions of being an author. Now’s the time!
There are lots of great resources on how to start a blog out there and you can start one for free with wordpress.org.
Make some drinks from another country
Have you heard of ‘quarantinis’ yet? Its a martini you drink in quarantine! If you’re stuck inside you’re probably going to want (or need) a drink at some point. Buy local spirits and look up recipes for the signature cocktail of wherever it is you want to travel to.
I love caipirinhas from Brazil – they’re refreshing and delicious! These South American inspired cocktails should get you started.
Watch adventure travel movies
You’ve got your food, you’ve got the drinks now it’s time for the movie. Luckily there’s no shortage of streaming services these days and you can find a lot of the best adventure movies on them. If not, try Vimeo or even Youtube.
I’ve listed 120 FREE adventure movies in this post, and some others I watched recently include:
- The Dawn Wall – Netflix
- Free Solo – Netflix
- Touching the Void – Rent on Amazon Prime
- National Parks Adventure – Netflix
Plan your dream trip
My trip to Jasper National Park, Canada
And, if you really can’t get that dream trip out of your head, just get down to planning it! It doesn’t have to be a trip you’ve cancelled, or a trip you even plan to actually do but just looking at the options out there can be fun too.
I love the planning process. Seeing what sort of hotels, Airbnbs, experiences and hikes I could do is super fun and it’s a great way to kill a bunch of time! Use the menu above to select a destination you might be interested in going to.
Take a tour of a National Park or art gallery
Thanks to Google and others you can now tour some US National Parks and art galleries and museums from all over the world, right from the comfort of your own home! See the full list of my top virtual museum, National Park and gallery tours.