What do you do when wanderlust strikes but you find yourself stuck at home? I'm currently in this phase where I've had to cancel two weekend road trips because I'm currently nursing an injured toe at home, and it's the first time in months that I don't have a flight booked for somewhere. I know there are lots of avid travelers here on Steemit and I'm pretty sure you've found yourself in a similar situation at some point. If yes, then this post is for you!
This post was first published on my website girlinchief.com
For those of us who love to travel, the in-between stages are the worst. You know the feeling; returning home has lost its appeal, but your finances won’t stretch to another vacation, or even if money is not a concern, you perhaps don’t have the required leaves, or you simply cannot jet-set-and-go for one reason or another. You feel the familiar tingles of needing to get away, but you’re trapped for the foreseeable. Doesn’t this sound familiar?
It’s an unpleasant reality which we all have to face. Even if your boss would give you the time off, your money would never stretch to unlimited travel. While some people are lucky enough to jet off for lives on the road, most of us have commitments. The good news is, you don’t have to suffer until you can actually take off for your next adventure. Instead, there are a few things you can do to survive when you have no vacation in your future. Being someone who’s always aching to travel, I’ve figured out some ways to calm that restlessness and sooth those travel cravings and I thought I should compile them into a to-do list for you guys. So here you go:
Explore new places nearby or be a tourist in your own city
Majority of us love exploration best when we go away. But, there’s no reason you have to fly to faraway places to enjoy such explorations. In truth, it’s likely there’s plenty for you to investigate right here at home. And, you can be guaranteed that it’ll be much cheaper to do this. In fact, there are probably areas within easy driving distance which you don’t even know that well. If you want to go further afield, you could cut costs by camping overnight, or booking into a budget hostel. Either way, small trips nearby can satisfy your urge to experience new things. You can even consider being a tourist in your own city! I can bet there are places in your very own city that you haven’t seen or experienced yet. Even if you don’t think there’s anywhere worth delving into, there are probably some pleasant surprises around. Ask friends for recommendations, or get a map, pick places at random and just drive. Either way, have fun with this!
Eat exotic food
Of course, it isn’t only the exploration which makes our vacations. The food usually plays a pretty significant role, too. I love trying out local cuisines when I travel. So whenever I get homesick for the road, I go out for ethnic or exotic food that reminds me of faraway places. Looking online could see you recreating your favorite holiday dishes of the past. Or, you could opt for real authenticity by visiting restaurants which serve great Thai food, standout Italian dishes or whatever you fancy. Such outlets are often run by entrepreneurs from the countries in question. As such, you can be sure to get the perfect flavors. It’ll be a blast straight into countries you’ve visited and loved or dream of visiting.
Read a travel book or watch a travel movie
I love reading books and watching movies and whenever I’m feeling an uncontrollable wanderlust, I pick up a travel-themed book to read or movie to watch. If I’m thinking about a particular place, I search for books or movies that are based in those places. For instance, when I’m thinking about my vacation in Italy or missing it badly, I always watch ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ or ‘The Roman Holiday’. My go-to movie whenever I miss traveling is the Bollywood flick ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ (which literally translates to ‘You won’t get a second life’). A few of my favorite travel books are Angelina Jolie’s Notes From My Travels, The Geography of Bliss, The Turk Who Loved Apples, Seven Ages Of Paris and Vagabonding.
Visit a museum in your own city
If you aren’t living in a big city, chances are there might not be any extraordinarily riveting museums, but every city will have its own museum, no matter how tiny. It could be an art museum, a military museum or maybe a museum on the history of your own town. Whatever it is, it will at least get you out of the house!
Plan your next trip
Nothing is as good for passing the time as planning your next trip. This gives you something to aim towards, as well as ensuring you’re aware how much you need to save before you jet off. Which means that you could reduce time spent waiting by developing a savings plan. What’s more, planning activities and such ensures that you can book last minute and still be ready to go. If you fancy, you could even develop a list of a few different options. Bear in mind, though, that you might want to leave yourself free to do this next time you’re desperate to get away.
Read your favorite travel blogs or watch travel vlogs
I love to read about other travelers’ experiences or just look at their travel pictures for some inspiration. I obviously feel there’s value to what travel bloggers or vloggers have to say.
Drool over travel photos on Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram or Steepshot
Now, I have no shame in accepting that I’m a Pinterest, Instagram and Steepshot addict. I love browsing through other people’s travel photos and get blown away by their photography talent and their sense of wanderlust. I’m a sucker for scenes from nature, cityscapes, open roads and beautiful architecture. I’m currently obsessed with browsing pictures from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada, Thailand, Savannah (Georgia, US) and Antarctica.
How do you manage wanderlust when you find yourself stuck at home? Tell me in the comments below. I’d love some ideas! 🙂
If you like this post, then please show some love! I regularly post about my travel adventures across the world. So if you're looking for some travel inspiration, follow along!
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Amazing, do not forget to vote my posts
Well I had some similar situation I agree with you visiting something which is closer, a museum, or anything different around when it is not possible to go somewhere which requires more time and money.
Thanks for stopping by! :)
Some great ideas here. I'm finding that being on Steemit is really helping me become a tourist in my own city and see it through new eyes. I'm looking for photo opportunities and then researching some background to add to the post.
Absolutely @gillianpearce ! I feel travel blogging on Steemit is so refreshing. Ever since I've joined the platform, I've come to read about so many unique, unheard of places, and the story-telling is so relatable! Looking at everything from the eyes of a tourist is a great approach I feel. :) Plus, I see you live in the UK, so you have no dearth of history and culture! I loved my time in the UK so much! Following along for some inspiration. :)
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STOPWow! This is so cool! Thank you so much @travelfeed 🙂 More power to you!
This is amazing!!! We live in New York City so for us it's a quick trip to Chinatown or Little Senegal or many many other cultural experiences to chose from.... there is a place in queens you'd think you traveled to India!!!!
I love the phot from your museum trip!!! So cool, what were these lights made up of?
Thank you so much! Living in NYC, I'm sure you have no dearth of places to see and things to do. Lucky you! I've heard that bit about Queens. I feel all big cities have at least one such area which screams India. I feel quite proud of that...haha. My trip to NYC is due for quite some time now. I'm thinking of making it my first solo trip this summer!
That museum picture is from Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama's signature mirror room called, "All the Eternal Love I have for the Pumpkins." The entire room is made up of glass including the lit pumpkins. It was a magical experience. I think she did have an exhibit in NYC too...a different one though. In case you'd like to read more about it, I had done a post on it during my first few days on Steemit. Here you go: Kusama Pumpkins
Thanks for thay info on the artist behind the pumpkins!
Yea NYC is pretty incredible but those of us who lived here a long time don't take advantage of it nearly enough....
You're welcome! And I think that's true for almost everyone. We tend to take our own cities for granted.
Steemit is great for discovering new local places close to home. If it wasn't for steemit I probably wouldn't think to visit them all to detail it for posts. Then I learn I really enjoy them!
That's true! I'm sure everyone is out and about looking for content. :)
Great tips, I agree with them all! They do help when the wanderlust kicks in deep and you're too broke to go anywhere. I guess i'm lucky that museums are even free in London :)
Thank you! You're a very very lucky person I'd say. I lived in London for a year and never ever had a dearth of things to do. And mostly for free! Love that city!
Some great advice there and the main message is to keep positive and active. You will travel to that destination you want to get to, it just takes a few detours and pit-stops. We are happy to see that you ate some Ethiopian food in your life. Tasty? We are sure it was!
You're absolutely right! I love trying out new cuisines so gave Ethiopian a shot and it was pretty decent. Some bits were really good and some just about alright. It's worth trying! :)
Great ideas...
I also enjoy traveler's blogs and watching movies:)
Nice! What are your favorite travel themed movies?
When bitten by that travel bug I too roam around some local places when I can't go anywhere far.
Loved your post @girlinchief .Went through some other as well.Awsome travel blogs there.Just gave you a follow😊
I love travelling too and write about food,art and some photography.
Thank you so much! Following you back and look forward to seeing some amazing posts from you! :)
Yes, I totally recognize this! The hardest was when my 9-month travels had to be canceled after 2 months because of an accident with my foot. We had even given up our house! So: revalidation for a year while mourning the loss of the travel dream while also not knowing if I'd ever be able to travel again. (I can, with some adaptations).
It might have been great to have this article back then ;-)
I understand that and I'm happy that you didn't give up on your travel dream! Thanks for stopping by! :)