This may sound like a humble-brag but just stay with me.
My husband and I haven’t traveled anywhere for 8 months. While that may be normal for you, we’re very much used to going here and there and packing in at least 3-4 trips per year. Whether that’s to the NC beach or SC beach or Asheville or even France or the UK, travel has become a normal part of my life rhythm.
And I bet some sort of travel is baked into your life rhythm, too. When I have hard days at work or hum-drum days at home, I look forward to my next venture and plan away and dream of all the things we will see, eat, drink and do.
I know I’m not alone in this, and I believe that a healthy amount of escape and exploring is healthy for us as humans. But that hasn’t been a part of our recent life rhythm with the pandemic. We’ve been asked to stay home (some of us listening better than others) and cancel all trip plans. We had a Virginia wine country trip planned mid-March that was canceled and then our big 2 weeks in NZ was cancelled in mid-April. Those were tough to swallow, but we were thankful for our health and safety at home. And NZ is hopefully happening in October 2020!
But, what can you do when you literally can’t get away, but you still have that travel bug to break from your everyday patterns? I’ve got a few ideas for you!
1. Make a travel photo book
While this may make you a little sad at first, I bet the joy of your travel memories will soon warm your heart as you go through old photos.
Extra Ideas:
- I like to use Artifact Uprising for photobooks that are super simple to put together and look really nice
- Maybe you want to keep the book or give it to someone who was on the trip with you
2. Recreate your favorite dishes from travels
Since we’re all doing more cooking these days, why not recreate some of your favorite meals, snacks or drinks from a memorable trip.
Extra Ideas:
- You can make a whole meal inspired by a country or region (see my French menu for inspo)
- If you’re more in the mood for drinking, head to your local wine store for beverages from your favorite region
3. Get to planning your next trip
Why not put your pining to good use and start planning your next venture. While the CDC can tell you not to go overseas, they can’t stop you from making a giant Google Doc of hotels, sights and possible itineraries for where you want to go next.
Extra Ideas:
- Document your research by transportation, hotels, restaurants, activities and note costs where applicable
- (If you haven’t already) Make a bucket list of all the places near and far you want to travel to in the next 5 or 10 years
4. Make a travel playlist from a favorite place or trip
I have a few travel-themed playlists from before or after I went on a trip, and it’s amazing how familiarity is held in those songs and notes.
Extra Idea:
- Make a Spotify playlist of music from your favorite place or trip and share it with your fellow travelers
I hope these ideas help you still satisfy your travel bug a little bit before we can get back out into the world. And what a new appreciation we will have for going somewhere new!