How to cure wanderlust while stuck at home

How to cure wanderlust while stuck at home

2020 has been a tough year for everyone, particularly if travel is one of your major interests. Whether you’re still in lockdown or have decided to wait a bit longer until a safer time to travel, you’re probably itching to get away (I know I definitely am). So what is there to do in the meantime to fulfill our thirst for globetrotting?

So if you’re wondering how to cure wanderlust, this guide will cover everything you need to know to help you manage that travel bug while you’re stuck at home!

Travel Movies, Documentaries and Youtube

One surefire way to manage your urge to travel is to get engrossed in travel films and documentaries. If you physically cannot wait to see a particular destination, watching a documentary about it will more than get you in the mood! Equally, if you are not sure where you want to go, watching films set overseas may give you some inspiration.

Favourite travel films:

• Into the Wild
• The Motorcycle Diaries
• Up (Because who wouldn’t want to attach a load of balloons to their house and fly away?)

Favourite travel documentaries:

• Simon Reeve 
• Planet Earth
• Top Gear (Specials) 

If you’re on a budget or are restricted by time and are looking to get your travel fix on a work break; Youtube is ideal. There are countless videos related to travel from vlogs to videography. 

Favourite travel YouTubers:

• Hey Nadine
• Oliver Astrologo
• The Vagabrothers
• Jacob and Katie Schwartz
• Allison Anderson

Virtual Tours

If you want to go one step further than just watching places, you can visit some of the world’s greatest attractions virtually! From the comfort of your own home, you can search online and find hundreds of tours around the globe. 

Visit all 7 continents in one day – challenge accepted!

There’s anything from museum tours, gallery tours, stadium tours, and safari tours. All the way to natural wonders, and big-city landmarks. You can view them in 3D, in birds-eye view, and using VR depending on the site. It can be quite addictive, I’ve lost myself down the rabbit hole for hours!

Some of my favourites include:

• David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef Interactive Journey
• National Trust’s Virtual Tours
• National Park Live Webcams
• Stone Henge Skyscape
• Louvre Museum
• The British Museum

Google Street View and Google Earth exploration

Want the freedom to go anywhere you want? A combination of Google Street View and exploring Google Earth is the perfect solution. At the click of a button, you can have a 360-degree view of your surroundings on the other side of the world, whilst sitting in your PJs on your sofa.

If you’re not sure where you want to head first, Street View has plenty of suggestions!

Books and magazines

If you want to avoid looking at screens or if you just straight-up prefer reading. Getting hold of a few travel books or magazines is a great way to get your fix of travel! You can experience the sights, smells, sounds and tastes that talented travel writers portray as they explore a country. 

Audiobooks and podcasts are also good alternatives.

My favourite books are:

• Adventures of a Young Naturalist (David Attenborough)
• Touching the Void (Joe Simpson)
• Around the World in 80 Days (Jules Verne)

Equally, you could close your eyes and point at a map, then Google the city that you land on! There are plenty of informative and inspiring travel blogs on the internet that you can read (though Wikipedia is always there as a backup)!

Food and Drink

Another way to really bring the world of travel to you is to start trying out dishes and making drinks from home that remind you of overseas. 

Are you missing the taste of Thailand? Then search for Thai recipes and try to recreate those travel memories! 

Dreaming of Japan? Have a sushi night with a moderate amount of sake. Not too much as though! I can confirm that too much sake is the cause of quite possibly one of the worst hangovers I’ve ever had!

You could even incorporate this into themed nights with traditional music and costumes. 

Plan and research future trips

The planning stage of a trip can be both tedious and also really enjoyable. 

While you’re stuck at home, now is a better time than ever to start researching new destinations or putting together plans for where you want to go next.

If you’re not sure how to decide on your next adventure, you can read my article on how to decide where to travel next. Or you can head to Instagram or Pinterest and start creating picture boards and noting down ideas.

Create a bucket list

The virus has probably made us all contemplate the value of our lives a bit more. It’s made us think about people we want to rekindle connections with, places we want to go and things we want to do before we pop our clogs. 

So why not formalise it?

Write all these things down and create a bucket list! This can include anything you want (realistic or not) from countries you want to visit, events you want to be part of, and crazy things you want to try! 

Relive past trips

Just think of all the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of photos you’ve taken on your travels. At the moment, they’re probably just sitting there on a hard drive waiting until you get a “Storage Almost Full” notification – and nobody wants that!

Why not relive your past adventures using these photos and videos? I mean, that is the whole point of taking them in the first place!

Make a slideshow, connect it to your TV, grab some popcorn, and settle down for the evening.

OR make that travel movie you were planning on making but always put off starting.

OR create a photo album! You could either print out regular photos and put them in an album or you can design one online. I have found Snapfish to be reasonably priced and Jessops are high quality.

Learn a new skill for your travels

Now is the time to perfect those skills that in 12 months, when you’re travelling the world again, you will be so glad you learned. 

• Languages
• Travel blogging
• Photography

Camp in the back garden

If what you’re looking for is an escape from reality and normal life. How about a camping trip in your back garden? 

Pack your bags, get away from your normal routine, open the door and live outside for a few days! Maybe you can’t travel abroad, but you can at least enjoy doing something out of the ordinary!

Prep yourself for a trip

Yawn… There are plenty of mundane things that need doing when preparing for a trip. But whilst you are stuck at home, you might as well get them sorted. 

• Clean your bag
  • When was the last time you did a proper deep clean of your suitcase or backpack? It’s good to get all the little bits of sand and dirt out, wash it, and let it air so your clothes don’t start to smell the next time you pack.
• Fix things
  • Imagine how frustrating it would be if on day one of your long-awaited trip you realise that your day bag still had the broken zipper you hadn’t sorted from over a year ago! Fix that broken zipper, replenish your first aid kit; sort all those little niggles out.
• Create a budget
  • It won’t take long. It’s better to do this in advance than run out of money while you’re away due to a lack of planning.
• Buy/test equipment
  • Consider any equipment that you will need on your next trip and ensure that it’s ready. Walk in your walking boots so they’re comfortable and you don’t get blisters. Buy suncream before you go away so you don’t spend loads more while you’re away!
• Update documents
  • Is your passport all up to date? Is your insurance still valid? When does your driving license run out? What about your bank cards? When are your bank accounts maturing? Make sure all of your documents are ready for when you go away! When you’re abroad, you don’t want to waste time doing all these monotonous tasks when you could be out experiencing your new surroundings!
• Save for travel
  • Get points for air miles, seek out those deals, be conscious of unnecessary spending.

Redecorate 

If you’re not feeling the travel vibe at home, giving it a quick makeover really might help. 

Printing out photos from your travels and making souvenirs more visible are a couple of easy ways to do this. If it’s still looking a bit bare you can even buy things online. I have a scratch map in my bedroom which I absolutely adore.

Travel Games 

There are plenty of travel-related games and activities for you to do if you are looking for something fun and light-hearted to pass the time. You may want to complete a puzzle or play a game of cards that you learnt while abroad!

Online activities on Geoguessr and Sporcle can be very educational, Or you may prefer to create your own travel quiz! 

Connect with like-minded travellers

If you’re missing the social side of travelling and are seeking conversation about dreamy destinations and funny travel stories, why not hop online?

Chat to fellow travel bloggers; join regular travel chats on Twitter or join Facebook groups. There are plenty of places to share photos, learn more and spread the travel bug!

If you have kept in touch with old travel buddies, you could also video call them to regale stories or even (if you’re feeling adventurous) get a tour of their hometown!

Recreate photos from travels

Need I say more than this magnificent example below by my friend Aurelie from France.

Not being able to travel can sometimes make you feel trapped and get you down. I hope that these tips have helped tide you over until you’re back on the road again.

Before you go

Thank you for reading my guide on how to cure wanderlust when stuck at home. If guides, itineraries and travel content like this interest you, head over to my blog page to find out more.

If you are new to Matt’s Next Steps, check out the About Me page to find out a bit more about who I am, my travel adventures, and why I wanted to become a travel writer.

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts and experiences, or if there is anything else you want information on.