How to Get Your Travel Fix When You’re Not Travelling

On By In All Posts, Travel Tips

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the world of travel. The past few months have been tough for us all, including travel lovers. With the ever-increasing restrictions, it’s almost impossible to travel anywhere. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get your travel fix whilst staying at home.

Take a virtual tour

If you can’t physically go on a tour, take a virtual tour instead! There are a number of museums that have fantastic online tour experiences including The Lourve, The Vatican and the Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.

You can even travel to Japan, admire the Taj Mahal, explore the National Parks in Hawaii, or hike the Great Wall of China all from the comfort of your own home. Many virtual tours include voiceovers from experts so you can get a free history lesson whilst getting your travel fix.

Here are some other interactive virtual travel experiences that you can enjoy from your living room:

Watch travel videos

One of my favourite things to do is watch videos of my ultimate bucket list destinations. There’s nothing more satisfying than diving deep into YouTube and watching countless videos of amazing places around the world.

Some of my go-to channels are:

Lonely Planet: This is my all-time favourite channel for destination guides, travel advice, and inspiration for my upcoming holidays. Lonely Planet has some really awesome videos ranging from their ‘when to go’ series to videos on food and cooking and showing how things work in foreign countries.

World Nomads: If you’re into adventure travel, you may like this channel. World Nomads follows a collective of like-minded travellers on their journeys around the world. The channel features unique videos from people in all different countries giving in-depth stories on their ways of life and cultural practices. There are also some great informational videos on topics like travel insurance and staying safe overseas.

Travel Guides: If you’re after entertainment I cannot recommend this series enough. Travel Guides is a TV series that follows 5 Australian families around the globe as they experience the same week-long holiday. Each episode features a different domestic or international destination where the families critique the country, accommodation, food, and activities. I guarantee you, this show is absolutely hilarious. There are few snippets of episodes on YouTube but full episodes can be watched on the 9now website.

Read travel blogs

If you’re sitting at home dreaming about your next trip, why not read some travel blogs. Before I jet off overseas, I tend to research the destination and use blogs as my main source of travel inspo. Travel blogs are a great way to learn about destinations from the perspective of someone who has already travelled there. They’re also super handy for travel tips, food recommendations, accommodation suggestions, and sight-seeing options.

Some of my favourite bloggers include:

  • Nomadic Matt
  • My Life’s a Travel Movie
  • The Blonde Abroad
  • Haylsa
  • Angela Giakas
  • Tara Milk Tea
  • Gypsea Lust

Listen to podcasts

I have recently jumped on the podcast bandwagon and I. am. obsessed. The beauty of podcasts is that you can listen to them absolutely anywhere. Here are some of my current favourites that have helped me get my travel fix:

Amateur Traveler Travel Podcast: This podcast is designed for travellers by travellers. It mainly targets an American audience but contains a lot of valuable information on amazing destinations around the world. Most episodes are co-hosted by a travel expert who offers tips and recommendations for popular holiday destinations. The podcast is fun, insightful and easy to listen to if you’re after inspiration for your next trip.

Flight of Fancy is both informational and entertaining. Hosted by Ben Groundwater, the podcast explores all things travel from the world’s most spectacular destinations to how to get over the post-holiday blues. The podcast not only covers practical information but also includes hilarious stories from travellers about bizarre travel scams, expat living, and semi-disastrous trips.

Abroad in Japan: In case you don’t know, Japan is my favourite country in the world, so of course, I had to mention this podcast. Abroad in Japan has some awesome topics about this unique country including the cuisine, capsule hotels and even an episode about Japanese work parties. If you’re planning to visit Japan in the future (or are obsessed with it like I am) I highly recommend giving this a listen.

Cook a meal from your favourite country

Something I do quite often is make a meal from a country I have travelled to. Food is possibly one of my favourite things about visiting other countries so for me, recreating foreign dishes is a lot of fun. Whilst travelling in Florence I did a cooking class at the San Lorenzo Food Markets (which was absolutely amazing). Three years later I still have the recipe and make the dish at least once a fortnight. Who knew artichoke could taste so good in a pasta!?

Go through your old photos

There’s nothing better than reminiscing on past trips around the world. If you’re like me, you’re bound to have thousands of photos from past trips. When I feel like I need a travel fix, I love looking back on my photos and re-living my holidays. Send them to a friend, share them on Facebook, print them out and stick them in a photo album. Photos are a great way to keep memories alive from your favourite holidays.

Make a travel scrapbook

If you’re feeling super creative, turn those old travel photos into a scrapbook! Whilst having 1000’s of photos on your phone is cool, having a scrapbook is an even better way to reflect on old travel memories. It is a great way to share your memories with family and friends and is far more sentimental than a folder of iPhone pics. Hold on to things like boarding passes, museum admission tickets, rail tickets and pamphlets from your trip to add to the scrapbook. You can keep adding to it after each trip and showcase all your amazing memories in one place.

Do you have any tips for getting you travel fix when you can’t travel? Let me know in the comments below.

Until the next adventure,
Jetsetter Soph