Ideas to Cure Your Wanderlust While Stuck at Home
We all have times when travel just isn’t possible and wanderlust hits.
Maybe you’re saving for a big trip far in the future, you aren’t in the season of life for lots of travel, or are mandated to stay home by the government (enter COVID-19), there are ways to cure that wanderlust from the comfort of your couch. I’m sharing my top six ideas with you!
Plan Future Travels
Pull out your bucket list and start planning that next trip, whether it’s months away or next year.
Here’s how I plan a trip:
- Based on the month you want to travel, which location on your list would be best to visit? Weather, events and costs can factor into this.
- Research flight costs for various date combinations and locations. Check Skyscanner for flight options. Did you know they have a “cheapest month” search option? Enter the destination and select to see which month is most affordable.
- What are the costs in that location during that time. Is it high season, or off-season, or somewhere in between?
- Search TripAdvisor to read reviews, Airbnb to check affordable accommodations and experiences, and Booking.com for hotel options.
- Use an itinerary and budget spreadsheet to track everything! I’ve created a free version for you to use, just fill in your info below and I’ll email it too you!
Binge Travel Vloggers or TV Series
There are so many options here to help cure (or fuel) your wanderlust!
I’ve watched a LOT of travel related YouTube or TV series. Below are the ones I love.
TV Series/Documentaries:
- Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix) – If you like quirky humor, this is the series for you. A Jewish New Yorker, Phil travels the world tasting the food of different cultures. As a writer on both Everybody Loves Raymond and Coach, he keeps you laughing at his awkward and curious encounters.
- Departures (Netflix) – This docu-series follows the travels of 3 Canadians abroad. They travel to remote locations on a budget and learn a lot of lessons along the way.
- SOMM – (Hulu/Netflix) Love wine and travel? SOMM follows sommelier hopefuls as they prepare to take the test. You’ll be transported to different wine regions across the world as they taste test. They are also two follow up documentaries with different focuses around wine.
YouTube Travel Vloggers:
- Kara and Nate – This inspirational couple sold everything to travel the world over 4 years ago and recently hit their goal of visiting 100 countries. Start form the beginning or their travels and you’ll have days, maybe even weeks, of content to watch.
- Endless Adventure – Much like Kara and Nate they are full time world travelers. Their vlogging focuses on food and fun in locations across the world. I like their fun and down to earth personalities.
- Vagabrothers – Some of the original travelers on YouTube, they have a LOT of content, and focus on the history and best places to visit in each location. Quality video production and information. You’ll feel like you are really learning something watching their videos.
- Iz & Johnny Harris – Two separate channels, but both equally interesting. They are true videographers by trade and work for Eater and Vox. They cover their travels as well as other topics.
- The Abundant Traveler – Looking for laid-back luxury travel inspiration? Kim videos her travels and gives great advice on what you need to know before you go. She’s visited over 60 countries and previously lived abroad.
Set up Flight Price Trackers
Why not set yourself up to save while you wait to book your next travels? This is one of my favorite “travel hacks” to help you save money.
I highly recommend setting these up for any travel you plan to book. Here is my process:
- Make a list of a few destinations you would love to travel to, and a few date options in the future.
- Visit Skyscanner, and Google Flights to set up trackers for your options.
- Wait and watch the price trends over a month or so.
I recently set up a tracker for Austin – Buffalo, you would think this is a cheap flight but it’s not between these two cities. The prices hovered around the same price for about 4 weeks, and then all of a sudden dropped $70/ticket. my email alert let me know it was time to buy!
Cook International Foods
I love experimenting with new recipes, and a travel themed dinner night is right up my alley. Here are some ideas on how to make an International night at home happen:
Make a meal that reminds you of travel, or inspires you for future travel. We love to make pasta like we had in Rome, or Ramen that we would love to try in Japan. I constantly use Pinterest for food inspiration, and created a travel food board for you to browse through – click here!
- Find a movie or show that includes that region. Examples are Eat, Pray, Love, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, or Godzilla.
- Pair with wine, sake, beer or a mocktail with flavors from that area.
Read Travel Guides or Books
I love a travel guide, honestly they are my most preferred type of reading (I also love cookbooks…you’re probably not surprised).
I have purchased travel guides on a particular area when I don’t even have a trip planned, just to learn about the area and things to do. They are easy to read, give a little history and offer tips on the destination – all things I love.
My go-to travel guide has been and will continue to be Lonely Planet. I love their pocket guides especially for travel, but their larger guides are great as well. My Dad even received a huge Australia picture book for Christmas that was super cool. Definitely check out their site because they have a lot more to offer than just your typical guide.
Make a Travel Photo Album
Whether it’s finally organizing all of your travel photos in a folder on Google Drive, or making a physical photo album, this is a great way to relive travel.
I have so many scrapbooks I’m “going to get to” or photo albums I say I’ll get around to ordering. Photos are a great way to bring back fun and positive memories, or maybe even laugh at travel woes in the past.
There are many options out there, but I have personally used Shutterfly for creating albums.
Photo Tip: To help cut down on excess photos while traveling or at home, take a few minutes every night to delete the pictures you don’t want forever from your phone. When you go to order an album it will be a lot easier to sort through.
Did these ideas help cure your wanderlust? Let me know which one you tried out in the comments below!
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