Heading out into the world on a new adventure is incredible but not always possible – whether it’s due to lockdowns, budget or simply because your body needs a break (and the comfort of your own bed). Dreaming of your next Eurotrip and being stuck at home doesn’t have to be boring, though. Here are five ways to indulge your wanderlust and get you even more excited for the day you can finally travel again.
- Create a vision board
The benefits of vision boards are plenty: they improve your creativity, provide motivation and focus, enhance productivity, clarify your goals and can make you happier. Set out your intention to travel by creating a collage of your next big holiday or all the places you’d like to travel to. First, choose your images carefully; images should depict what happens before travel, such as research, budgeting and packing, as well as your ideal locations, travel companions and activities you’d like to try. A great tool that can assist with planning a trip is global travel search site Cheapflights’ Vacay Valuator, which uses a chosen timeline and the average costs of everyday luxuries to help travellers find out how far they can go by making small changes to their daily lives.
- Read a travel book
Travel books can be informative, helping you learn about cities or countries you’re hoping to visit as well as allowing you to indulge in epic adventures or explore terrain you may not otherwise have. The best travel books will not only immerse you in new worlds but inspire you to plan your own trips to those destinations. Novels such as Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians trilogy and The Expatriates by Janice YK Lee provide a different view of life abroad while non-fiction books such as Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, Ryszard Kapuściński’s The Shadow of the Sun and Kate Harris’s Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road will change the way you think about travel.
- Journey through your devices
While there’s no shortage of binge-worthy shows to choose from, your favourite streaming service – Netflix, Showmax and more – or platforms such as YouTube also offer a smorgasbord of travel shows and content to satiate your urge to travel. Love dining out? Street Food ventures to the heart and soul of cities across the globe while Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner sees Chef David Kang and celebrity guests traverse various locations in search of the best dishes and cultures. For those with a penchant for adventure, join Zac Efron in Down to Earth with Zac Efron, while shows like The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals and The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes offer a glimpse of how different people live and spend their holidays.
- Go on a day trip
Fantasising about – and going on – an overseas trip is always amazing but many people forget that travelling short distances and closer to home is an easy way to appease your travel melancholy. There are plenty of great day trip adventures you can go on, including driving out of town for lunch and wine tasting at a vineyard, visiting a historical site in your city or even exploring a local museum or tourist attraction such as an aquarium. For those who prefer relaxing during their downtime, replicate the hotel experience at home or better yet, find a staycation deal in your city such as those offered at Radisson Hotel Group hotels, which offer value-packed deals ranging from discounts on your meals and tickets to a local attraction to spa treatments and access to the hotel’s facilities.
- Take a course
Whether it’s a language class or a workshop on how to create a specific country’s national dish, taking a course is an immersive way to experience a new culture and can provide a mental escape from your everyday routine. You can also supplement your classes by streaming foreign-language films, TV and podcasts, reading in another language and dining at restaurants that specialise in a specific cuisine.