11 Ways To Satisfy Your Travel Cravings At Home





I don’t know about you, but for me it’s a really strange feeling knowing that, right now, I can’t just jump on a plane and go anywhere I like, whenever I like. I really don’t think any of us could’ve ever imagined a situation where we’d all be stuck at home like this, unable to travel. 

But, while we may still be a while away from taking off on our next overseas adventure, that doesn’t mean we can’t indulge in some amazing experiences at home to satisfy those travel cravings!

And, even when international travel returns to some semblance of “normal”, there will be times in between trips when we get that travel itch… Luckily, there are some creative ways that will allow you to travel at home!

Which ‘travel at home’ activities will you try?

11 Fun Ways To Travel At Home

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Enjoy Breakfast In Bed Or A Picnic Lunch

One of my favourite things about going on holiday to countries like Spain is the wonderful array of breakfast foods. Fresh breads, cold cuts of meat, grapes, poached eggs, tomatoes with olive oil…

Oh, and freshly squeezed orange juice! Yum!

Create a wonderful start to your travel morning at home, and put together a delicious breakfast platter with all your favourite foods from around the world. Better still, why not enjoy your breakfast in bed?

If breakfast in bed isn’t really your thing (or even if it is!), spread a blanket out on the grass in your garden and have a picnic lunch outside in the sun!

Or, if the weather isn’t quite playing ball, there’s nothing stopping you from having a picnic inside on the living room floor! 

travel at home with a Mediterranean picnic lunch
How mouth watering does this look!?

 

Pitch A Tent In Your Garden

This one might depend a bit on where in the world you are. But, if you have the right gear and it won’t make you uncomfortably cold, why not set up a tent in your back garden and have a sleep out?

Maybe even get the BBQ going and do a bit of stargazing before zipping up that sleeping bag and reconnecting with nature while you sleep.

travel at home by camping in your back yard

 

Cook Food From Your Favourite Travel Destination

A big part of why we love to travel the world is experiencing lots of different foods and flavours.

Fresh pizza in Italy, massaman curry in Thailand, sushi in Japan… Yum! What’s there not to love?



So, take this time at home to recreate some of your favourite foods from around the world in your own kitchen! It could be a great way to add some new recipes to your repertoire too! 

I’m a big fan of curries, and while this can be a little challenging at times as I am intolerant to onion and garlic, there are some great options that we cook at home all the time. If you like curries too, you might like to try this Thai Green Curry or this Chicken Korma! Both are great.

While you’re at it, why not enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine to match? Maybe even set up a mini cocktail bar of your own and try out your bartending skills? It’s really a great time to branch out and try some new things!

Mojito anyone!?

Joannda eating parrotfish in Malaysia
There’s nothing quite like trying out new foods in new countries!

 

Have A DIY Spa Day At Home

That’s right! Your very own staycation spa!

Take some time to create a sanctuary in your bathroom. Make sure it’s clean and you have fresh, soft towels of varying sizes at the ready. Light some candles and play some soothing music for a true spa feel.

Dig out that lush bubble bath and body lotion that you were saving for a special treat. Or, better still, you know those little hotel toiletries you always take home? No? Just me? Well, if you do, use them for that hotel spa feel.

Even if you don’t have a bathtub at home, you can still enjoy some body pampering with a face-mask, body scrub or manicure.

Bathtub with lit candle, coffee and a book for a DIY Spa day at home
Relax at home with a DIY Spa Day

 

Turn Your Bedroom Into A Luxury Hotel Room 

You know that feeling of walking into a beautiful hotel room? The crisp linen, the fresh, soothing smell, the plump pillows?

Well, there’s nothing to say you can’t turn your bedroom at home into one of those amazing rooms that make you feel relaxed just looking at it.

So give your room a deep clean. Change the linen, put some freshly cut flowers in a vase, and maybe light some scented candles.

And for a great night’s sleep, make sure the room is cool but not cold before sleeping. Also don’t forget to blow out those candles!

Turn your bedroom into a luxury hotel room to recreate travel at home

 

Snuggle Up And Read A Great Book

I don’t always get as much time as I would like to read when I’m at home. It’s too easy for work and ‘normal life’ to get in the way, which means that reading can fall by the wayside a bit.

But, when I travel, I always make sure I have my Kindle loaded up with great books. Whether on the plane or by the pool, I devour books on holidays!



So make yourself a nice cuppa (or that cocktail, if you prefer!), snuggle up on the couch (or in your freshly made bed!) and get reading. 

If you need some inspiration, here’s a short list of books I’ve really enjoyed reading recently!

  • Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng for a book you just can’t put down! I haven’t seen the series yet but I wanted to read the book first and it really drew me in right from the beginning
  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides for your psychological thriller fix
  • The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness for a heady mix of witchcraft, vampires and romance
  • Pillars Of The Earth Trilogy by Ken Follett for historical fiction that will have you absolutely captivated
snuggle up with a good book
Don’t you just love snuggling up with a good book?

 

Watch Travel Related Movies and TV Shows

Travel the world from the comfort of your own couch! There are so many great movies and TV shows that will take you on a journey to almost anywhere in the world. 

Many of these are available on Netflix and other online streaming services.



Some of my favourite travel themed movies are:

When it comes to travel themed TV shows, I’m a sucker for The Amazing Race! And who doesn’t love a bit of narration by Sir David Attenborough? Check out the Planet Earth series as well as Our Planet and The Blue Planet to experience some amazing wildlife and spectacular scenery!

Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel, New Zealand
The beautiful Cathedral Cove in New Zealand

 

Create A Travel Photo Wall

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have hundreds, if not thousands, of digital photos of your travels.

We’ve been using some of this downtime while we’re not traveling to go back over photos from many of our trips to delete duplicates and picking some of our favourites.

Rather than having your photos just sitting on your phone or stored away in a folder on your computer, get them printed out and create a travel photo wall in your home office or kitchen. Create a fun collage or pick a couple of your absolute best photos and get them blown up and printed on canvas.

You can gaze at them and daydream of more exotic places both during lockdown and in the future when you’re between trips!

Padar Island in Indonesia at sunset
Find photos you love to print and put on your wall

 

Plan Your (Next!) Dream Trip

I don’t know about you, but I really do love the planning aspect of travel almost as much as the trip itself! And let’s be honest, what better time than right now to start planning the trip of a lifetime?

Because, we will be able to travel again. So start putting together some great travel itineraries now for your future trips.

Read more: How To Create A Travel Itinerary You Will Love

And while you might not go right ahead and book your trip at the moment, you can definitely use this time to figure out where you’d love to go next. What would you like to do while you’re there, and what is a realistic budget for that trip? 

Bonus – while we’re mostly stuck at home with few distractions, you can really focus on saving up for your dream trip!

Joannda in the pink sand at Long Beach
Pink sand beaches! One of the many amazing experiences on our Komodo Islands boat trip in Indonesia

 

Read Travel Blogs Or Watch Travel Vlogs

As part of planning your incredible next adventure, there’s lots of amazing travel blogs (like this one! Ahem!) as well as superb vlogs online to give you inspiration!

Full of helpful travel tips, breathtaking photos and informative destination guides to inspire anyone’s wanderlust, take yourself on a virtual adventure online.

Here are a few of my favourite posts to help inspire you!

Travel Tips

 

Learn A New Language

It’s always fun to be able to communicate a little with locals on your travels.

Learning at least a few words or phrases in a foreign language will make your trips around the world even more memorable!

Although you might not become fluent in Japanese or Swedish in just a few weeks, it can be a lot of fun trying to wrap your tongue around some of those crazy pronunciations!

And actually, it doesn’t even have to be a foreign language – what about some of the weird and wonderful expressions in other English speaking countries?

Read More: How To Talk Like A Kiwi – Understanding New Zealand Slang

There’s loads of great online platforms for learning foreign languages. Rosetta Stone is fantastic if you’re quite serious about learning a new language while a free App like Duolingo can make it feel almost like a game!

Open Swedish dictionary
Keep your brain active and learn some phrases in a new language

I know there are lots more ways to create amazing experiences to enjoy travel at home, but these are ones that resonate most with me.

How about you? What are you doing to satisfy your wanderlust at home? 

 

Related Posts You Might Like

How To Create A Travel Itinerary You Will Love
Top Countries To Travel To (After The COVID-19 Pandemic!)
Travel Like A Pro – 21 Secret Travel Tips

 

Bring Travel To You

 




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