Last Updated on 3rd November 2020 by Sophie Nadeau
If you want to cure your Wanderlust, then there’s a world of armchair travel worth pursuing, if only you know where to look. From diving deep into a travel memoir, to getting creative with crafts there’s no shortage of things to do in your house that will invoke those travel vibes. Here are 10+ inspired ways you can travel without leaving home!
Enjoy the sunrise/ sunset
One of the most magical experiences you can have, simply by looking out of the window, is to enjoy ‘golden hour’. Sunrises and sunsets are often gorgeous, are completely free, and can easily be enjoyed from the comfort of your home. Better yet, pair the sunrise with a piping hot cup of coffee and the sunset with a crisp glass of white wine and you’re all set to enjoy candy colours dancing across the skies at their best.
Buy a Gaming Console
One of the greatest forms of escapism I’ve indulged in this year has been by purchasing a gaming console. If you’re new to gaming, I recommend the Nintendo Switch (with the Switch Lite being the cheaper of the options and, although handheld only, remains plenty of fun).
On the console, you can get lost in entirely new worlds. One of the most fun terrains to explore is the open-world Zelda, Breath of the Wild, whereas if you’re looking for the ultimate chill-out game, then you’ll probably want to look into Animal Crossing, a game where you inhabit your very own tropical island filled with cute animals.
Go camping in your garden
If you want a true travel experience, then why not try setting up a tent in your garden and go ‘camping’ for the night? You’ll still have access to all the modern comforts of your home, only with the possibility of enjoying the camping experience at the same time. If you don’t have a garden, then another way to go ‘camping’ at home would be by setting up a pillow fort in your lounge or on your balcony and camping out there.
Cook and savour your favourite travel dishes
Everything from pizza and pasta to spicy noodle bowls can be made at home, with the right ingredients and the help of a good recipe book (or, indeed, the internet!) For an extra special night in, plan an elaborate feast, complete with candles, a well-set dinner table, and your fanciest plates, just because you can!
Marvel on a virtual museum tour
You’ve seen them, your best friend has seen them, and your granny has seen them: these days, virtual museum tours are all the rage, and for good reason. Wandering through a gallery remotely or inspecting an amazing art piece up close is a great way to escape into the world of art and history from the comfort of your couch. Fancy experiencing a virtual museum for yourself? Here are the best virtual tours of Paris.
Create yourself an indoor jungle
On Instagram, I recently joked that “when you really fancy a visit to the Jardin des Plantes… But you can’t go so you just bring the botanical gardens chez vous,” with an indoor garden, so it’s pretty safe to say that I’m a big advocate for keeping plants inside your home.
Not only is indoor gardening a fantastic hobby to pursue, but having plants in your home is a fantastic way of bringing the outdoors inside and of livening up your living space in a way in which no inanimate object is able to. For more indoor gardening guidance, here’s a guide on some pretty easy-care indoor plants.
Log onto Pinterest
‘They’ say that ‘a picture tells a thousands words,’ and to be honest, ‘they’ are not wrong. If you fancy seeing hundreds of thousands of gorgeous images, then head straight to Pinterest, where you’ll find countless stunning travel destination photos, that will have you dreaming for hours on end.
Read travel blogs
Of course, I would be remiss to neglect mentioning travel blogs at this point! In an age where the internet rules supreme and grabbing one’s attention is the main form of economy, there’s certainly no shortage of beautiful blogs out there, ready to entertain, enthral, and sometimes even shock you, for hours on end. If you’re not sure where to start, then here’s a guide to content creators in Paris who are currently creating some pretty cool stuff!
Create a travel journal
If you’ve always wanted to try creating a travel journal from your past trips, then with plenty of extra free time on your hands, now might be the perfect time to start. Simply grab a pretty notebook/ journal/ whatever you’re planning on using and get started recording your last trip, sticking in old ticket stubs, sourcing photos to print out and stick in, and get creative… The sky is the limit!
Create a bucket list
Another great way of dreaming about travel while at home is to create a bucket list for future trips and experiences. If there’s a particular city or destination which you dream about travelling to, then you may well consider getting out a pen and paper, and starting to jot down everywhere in that place you wish to visit in the future.
Learn a new language
Would you like to brush up on your French? Have you always dreamed about learning Japanese? Well, now is the perfect opportunity to learn a new language and practice for when travel is a possibility once more. As well as utilising language learning apps, Netflix and Youtube have hours worth of content in every conceivable language, just waiting to be watched.
Watch a travel movie
Of course, if you want to relax and don’t want to think too much about what you’re doing, but wish to travel via your armchair nonetheless, then switching on a great travel movie is a great way to virtually visit a new destination, complete with gorgeous scenery shots. Particular favourites of mine include Letters to Juliet and Under the Tuscan Sun.
Dive into a travel book
Whether you prefer travel fiction or accurate to life travel memoirs, there’s no shortage of inspirational books which will have you enraptured for hours on end. For a closer delve into l’Hexagone, check out my guide to the best books about France.
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