How to Feed Your Travel Cravings When You’re Stuck at Home

Being someone who is constantly aching to travel, I’ve figured out a handful of fun ways to soothe those travel cravings and I thought I would compile them into a sort-of to do list! This post was originally created in 2014, but I decided to go through and update it during a time (COVID-19 pandemic) that we can all use a little escape. During this outbreak we’ve had to cancel trips and day-hikes, but we feel like it’s absolutely the right choice.

However, because we’re at home, we’ve found ourselves dreaming of the coming days when, first and foremost, the world will be healthy + safe from this virus and secondly, we can jump back in and explore our beautiful planet. There’s no better time to make wanderlists, surf your favorite blogs (we’re all suffering from income loss during this virus) and find inspiration in different ways while you’re at home.

Eat at an Ethnic Restaurant or Make Your Own Ethnic Meal

Sampling local flavors is one of my favorite things to do when I travel! So, of course, when I’m a bit homesick for the road I love to get Peruvian, Thai, Mexican, Ethiopian or whatever food makes me think of a faraway place. Also, it’s always a blast to try to make new things and go to stores to hunt down those interesting veggies, spices and more that I’ve never heard of!

COVID-19 TIMES: Many restaurants are struggling to stay in business during this time because of mandated closures + social distancing. However, many places are still allowing curbside service – and a lot of those places are offering amazing deals! This helps your local businesses and you can pretend you’re jet-setting.
But also, if you’re at home and craving flavors from past trips abroad, you likely now have the time to experiment!

Read a Travel Essay or Book

I used to be such a reader. But in 2015, I stopped for a handful of reasons: moving, blogging full-time, other work and being a fiancée then wife seemed to kind-of get in the way. Instead of reading a few books a month, I was reading a few books each year. However, one of my resolutions for 2020 was to get back into that.
One of my favorite genres to read is travel essays/books. I love books in which the destination is as much a character as any person. I love to hear about people’s experiences in places I’ve dreamed of or hear their take on places I’ve loved. This is a perfect way to get to be an armchair adventurer. A few of my all-time favorites are The Geography of Bliss, Holy Cow, Angelina Jolie’s Notes From My Travels, Desert Solitaire and Into the Wild!

Visit a Museum in Your Own Hometown

There may not be a lot of world-famous museums  at your fingertips if you don’t live in a big city, but there are tiny museums all over the place! Whether it’s an art museum, a feminist museum, or a museum on the history of your tiny town it’s still something to see and it gets you out of the house and on a mini adventure.

COVID-19 TIMES: Obviously, this isn’t recommended now, but when we’re back to a somewhat normal life, and maybe just not able to travel long distances, this would be a good way to, again, support your local community and get back into the habit of seeing new things.

Take a Hike Somewhere Near You

When we lived in Asheville, North Carolina there were so many hikes in the area that I could experience something new everyday in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We often would pop up into the mountains and take a short sunset hike. Even in Missouri, though, we’ve discovered several hiking trails and state parks that we’ve totally fallen in love with. I love being outside soaking up the beauty of this earth; it’s one of the things I truly find so inspiring. And it feeds that travel craving because it truly is a mini-adventure.

COVID-19 TIMES: Obviously, if your city, state or country is under lockdown, this isn’t possible. However, if your area is just practicing social distancing and you know of a place near you with some wide or probably fairly empty trails, that fresh air sure feels good.

Watch a Movie Set in a Place You Want to Visit

Or any place other than home, really. Sometimes, I won’t even have realized I want to visit a place until I see something. I remember when I saw Secret Life of Walter Mitty in theaters I left with Iceland at the top of my wanderlist (and it was worth it, I’ve been twice now, haha). But many movies showcase destinations – many not even about travel – that have inspired my trips.

COVID-19 TIMES: We’re all talking about how we were built to Netflix and chill. But there are movies that will allow you to Netflix and explore! Between films, series and documentaries that will take you on an adventure.

Plan Your Next Trip

The next-best thing to traveling is planning a trip. Trip planning holds a really unique rush because you have the anticipation of the trip. The excitement of it all just builds as you look up all kinds of interesting facts + sites. I have stacks and stacks of travel guides and magazines that I love to flip through again and again and again. Not to mention the hours spent on travel blogs + Pinterest, but more about that in a bit.

COVID-19 TIMES: Even though you may not be able to purchase tickets or set exact dates, you can have a few options planned to the T. Then, when we’re all safe to travel again, all you have to do is book some things and you can explore again!

Read Your Favorite Travel Blogs

Most travel bloggers spend their days writing about travel because it’s their passion. That’s why I started blogging, just a desire to want to instill a sense of wanderlust. Travel, exploration and writing are the things that just truly set my soul on fire. Because this is the passion of bloggers, I also greatly enjoy reading other’s blogs! My current obsessions are:
THE NEXT SOMEWHERE – Millette is a dear friend of mine who I met while traveling in Italy almost 10 years ago now. Her blog is hands-down the most beautiful blog I follow. It’s filled with beautiful graphics (all made by her), wonderful content and her zest for life.
BOBO + CHICHI – Matt and I both love fell0w-travel blogging couple Scott + Megan. Scott basically wrote the book on hyperlapse video + Megan curates the blog. Their posts are always fun and they’re such a delight to not only follow along on their blog, but all across social media. They let their personalities show through so much that Matt and I are constantly saying, “I bet they’re just so much fun to hang out with!” Haha.
SO SHE ROAMED – I discovered this blog through Millette and I’ve just been obsessed. Many of the destinations she’s covered are dreams of mine to visit. I’ve been looking to her blog + her unbelievable images to start putting pen to paper on a trip to Nepal.

COVID-19 TIMES: As I briefly mentioned in the intro, travel bloggers are struggling right now. Obviously, no one is booking anything through our sites, which means are affiliate sales are way down. Our page views are also suffering. Our blogs are free tools that we spend a lot of time and money on to give people information on planning their own perfect trips. If you see a post that inspires you, share it on your social media – those views are the what gets advertisers to notice us and pay us. If you need to purchase a gift for someone or restock things like sustainable products, maybe order through your favorite blogs to help them earn a little extra income.

Drool Over Travel Photos on Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram

Hello. My name is Paige, and I am Pinterest addict. I just can’t control myself. I’m constantly blown away by other people’s talent and their sense of wanderlust. I’m a sucker for nature scenes, open roads and beautiful buildings. Lately, Pinterest is my main go-to social media platform. It’s those stunning images that also lead me to discovering new blogs and wonderful content to help me plan trips.

Be a Couchsurfing Host

I love Couchsurfing am such an advocate for it – especially if you’re broke and want to travel. It’s such a great way to connect with (for the most part) like-minded people and it also helps make your travels more affordable. When you aren’t able to surf, you should host to live vicariously through your surfers, help enrich their trip and share travel stories. Seriously, what a great tool to use! In fact, I still meet up with past hosts from time-to-time.

COVID-19 TIMES: Don’t do this right now. For safety reasons and social distancing, I don’t recommend hosting during the pandemic. But you could still sign up so you can help people travel after this all settles down in the future.

Camp at Home

Set up a tent in your back yard or even in your living room to give yourself that feeling of camping. Bring in your laptop and watch a nature documentary or read a book. Just something to spark a little extra creativity, and honestly, just some extra fun!

These are just a few ideas of ways to feed your travel cravings even when you’re stuck at home. Now more than ever, it feels difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But hopefully these tips will help to make you the ultimate armchair adventurer until you’re back on a plane or car or whatever! What other ways do you feed your wanderlust while stuck at home?

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This post was most recently updated March, 2020

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