12 Travel related things to do at home if you can’t really travel
Stuck indoors and can’t travel? Here are the best travel-related things to do at home that will satisfy your wanderlust.
For many travelers, they can never imagine themselves not traveling at all.
But sometimes, unpredicted situations can land you indoors without many choices – whether it is due to an illness, low on cash, or just any unexplained situation that requires you to be home.
But don’t beat yourself up, not traveling doesn’t mean being bored all day or staying in your bed and losing count of the days of the week.
Even without traveling, you can still do so many things that will awaken your traveling spirit while keeping you occupied and entertained at the same time.
So if you find yourself in such a situation, worry not as this post will give you ideas of the best travel related things to do at home if you can’t really travel.
However, some may require you to get dirty or just to stay on your couch with a bowl full of chips or really cheap wine for that matter!
Travel related things to do at home if you can’t really travel
1. Transform your travel souvenirs into home decor
A number of times, people realize how their home decor is not top-notch when they spend some time indoors.
That’s when they will realize how the couch is not in the right place, how the paint is becoming pale, and how the entire space is just boring and not exciting to live in!!
Or other people knew that this was an issue but they just didn’t have the time to do something about it!
So now that you’re stuck at home with lots of free time on your hands, it’s time to change that boring room into something that both travelers and nontravelers will be jealous of.
If you’re a traveler that collects souvenirs from every country you travel to, you can use your souvenirs to create some really cool travel themed home decor.
This is a good way to relive your travels, remember all those awesome moments and at the same time not go crazy by focusing your mind onto something productive.
There are a number of ways you can transform travel souvenirs into home decor and below are some of the projects you can do while staying indoors.
- Create a travel shadow box
- Design a travel souvenir shelf
- Do a pushpin map
- Create a postcard journal
- Design a wall hanging photo map
There are a number of cool travel things to do at home and transforming travel souvenirs into home decor is one of them.
But if you’re lost with how to actually transform those ideas I mentioned above into real projects, you can read my post about the DIY ways to transform travel souvenirs into home decor and it will guide you on how to achieve them step- step.
2. Travel from home by taking virtual tours
The beauty of being alive in this era is the advancement in technology that allows us to do literally anything from the comfort of our homes.
Whether it’s working, holding a meeting, or even dating!! Everything is possible with technology.
But that advancement in tech has not left wanderers behind.
It’s now absolutely possible to virtually see places that are thousands of miles away without even lifting a finger (well except when you’re turning on your computer)!!
With the help of technology, you can treat yourself to incredible places, be it famous landmarks in Europe, museums, national parks to many other incredible tours.
Now you might be wondering!! How exactly do I travel from home through virtual tours – hold that thought and let me explain it to you!
Below are some ways to do exactly that! Just grab your phone, tablet, or laptop and let’s see the world without a plane ticket or visa.
- Take a virtual tour of some museums, galleries and heritage sites: Museums like the British Museum in London, Musee d’Orsay in Paris, National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C offer incredible virtual tours that will try to heel your itchy feet. So thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can travel the world without leaving your home.
- Watch Youtube Travel videos: Thanks to the creative travel content creators on youtube, you can get to know about a city or destination without actually visiting it.
It’s actually through youtube videos that I know how beautiful Bali is and I know all its major popular attractions yet I’ve not been there before.
So as you stay home, take a trip to your favorite destinations by watching travel youtube videos.
- Scroll through travel photos on Instagram: If all the above don’t speak to you, then why not spend your time satisfying your wanderlust by scrolling through travel photos.
Instagram might not be everyone’s cup of tea but for those who want to admire new places, you can spend hours scrolling through this addictive social media platform.
- Discover new places with Google Earth: Shouldn’t we all be thanking Google for bringing the world closer to us? Most definitely!!
With Google Earth, you can see almost the entire world at just a tap of a button. And no, you won’t be seeing mediocre videos or photos, you’ll be getting a bird’s view of the destinations you focus on in real-time!!
Whether it is looking down at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or wildlife in Botswana, Google Earth got you covered!! How cool is that!!
I mean who wants to spend thousands of dollars to travel to a place when you can see it from your living room? (Me lol, I am kidding)!
But hey, if you can’t travel for one reason or the other, then this is one of the travel-related things to do at home.
3. Edit or Organise your travel photos
Is it only me or you also get thrown off the radar as soon as you start organizing your photos – either because of not having enough time or getting sidetracked by just scrolling through the pictures themselves instead of working on them!!
If you’re like me, then this time when you can’t travel is the perfect time to tackle this task.
Like many travelers, you probably have thousands of photos spread across different memory cards or even transferred to your photo editing software but haven’t had the time to work on them in terms of organizing or editing them.
So instead of just doing nothing at home, why not organize your travel photos so that the next time you’re heading out for a trip, you don’t have to worry about mixing up everything or add up to the clutter of disorganized photos.
4. Get your frequent flyer miles in order
Are you a traveler that uses frequent flyer miles to travel on a budget? Then why not use the time you’re not traveling to get your miles in order.
If you forgot to track some miles and points, now is the time to get on track.
Actually, if all the miles and points tracking is getting you overwhelmed, consider using Awardwallet to track everything on your behalf. (Sshh.. sign up, it’s free)!
But on that same note, if you’re a traveler that has never given miles collecting a chance or you did but it became time-consuming to get around and track, this is the time to give it another chance.
You can create an account with any major airline and you’d have opened the door to start saving money on your flights.
It might not save you a lot of money at first but it will definitely save you some bucks as you earn more miles and points.
You can also do this for other services like putting in order your credit card points (or signing up for one if you weren’t using it).
So as you take some time off traveling, make sure that you get all your frequent flyers miles and points in order to save money on your next flight for when you travel again.
5. Plan you’re upcoming trip
As a traveler, not traveling at a particular time doesn’t mean that you don’t hope to travel again as soon as what was stopping you from traveling ends.
So while you’re stuck at home, make a thorough research about your next trip.
This can range from how to get to that particular destination, visa requirements, costs, things to do there, and a possible itinerary.
There are tons of information online to help you plan your trip.
No, you do not need to make any reservations or book a flight, but you can bookmark such info to help you make bookings when that time comes.
If you haven’t got the hang of the entire trip planning thing, I wrote a post specifically for you with all the steps to help you plan a trip.
I would suggest a number of posts for you to read but since I don’t know where you’ll travel to next, I’ll just summarize my destination guides below in case you plan to travel to any of these places.
- Destination guides to Paris
- Travel guides to Botswana
- Destination guides to Uganda
- Travel guides to Turkey
- Destination guides to Egypt
- Travel guides to India
But if you still haven’t decided on where to go next, you can check out some of the cheap countries to visit in Asia if you haven’t saved a lot of money or these European destinations for Inspiration.
6. Get creative by creating a virtual tour
If you’ve exhausted watching all the virtual tours on the internet, then why not get creative and create your own virtual tour that you can eventually share with other travelers.
This might seem like a rather complicated thing to do but I promise its super easy.
On top of being easy, it’s fun as you’ll relive the memories of traveling to that particular destination hence traveling from home.
To create a virtual tour, go to Google’s Tour creator, then start creating your customized virtual tour.
Check out what I created but try not to judge my photography skills too harshly, think of it as demo virtual tour!!
Trust me!! Its a super fun and also of one those cool things to do at home with just your computer and photos. Who knows, you might even get addicted to it.
7. Create a bucket list
If I start telling you the things on my bucket list, we might take a month or so but even with all those items, I keep adding more stuff to it. I mean every day I find something that I want to do.
For example, today I’ve just added “floating on the Dead Sea” on my bucket list – trust me, it never ends.
So while you’re not traveling, why not update your bucket list or even create one if you didn’t have it before.
It’s super exciting when you start ticking those items off your bucket list – there is that rush of accomplishment and joy that fills your heart! That’s how rewarding creating a bucket list is!!
But in all reality, there is no rule on how you’re supposed to create yours.
Whether you decide to create a bucket list with places you want to visit next year or before you die, or even specific activities you want to do, it’s all about how you want it – just do whatever sounds the best to you!!
Well, just in case you’re still wondering about the things on my bucket list, I’ll give you a few below;
- Jump out of a plane (skydive)!! Whooooah that gives me chills even thinking about it
- Visit the Grand Canyon! That’s one hella beauty, I want to see for myself.
- Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I mean if I was able to climb Mt. Elgon in Uganda, Mt. Kilimanjaro will be easy peezy, right? (oh maybe not, but I still want to climb it).
- Honeymoon in the Maldives!! Is that too much to ask! like for real!!
- Swim with Dolphins!! Awww those sweet and incredible beings.
However, if you’re not sure about what to add to your bucket list, you can draw some inspiration from my Europe bucket list, Paris bucket list, Asia bucket list, or from these once in a lifetime experiences in Africa.
8. Watch travel-themed movies
Honestly, this gotta be one of my best travel related things to do at home.
I love watching movies, I could do that all day without any issues – and no, I’ll not feel guilty about it! (maybe just a tiny bit).
I mean it’s an easy way of staying entertained while incorporating in the aspect of travel.
All I need is a couple of some good travel movies, dim the light and popcorn (even without popcorn, I still enjoy my movies) and I’ll be good to go.
Some of the travel themed movies you can watch to feed your wanderlust nature include;
- Into the Wild: It’s a true story about a boy leaving behind life as we know it to live in the wilderness of Alaska by hitchhiking.
- Amelie: This movie shows all the places in Paris that you’d want to pack your bags to travel to the French capital.
- Lost in Translation: I am sure most of us can relate to this movie when it comes to traveling and it will also make you want to explore Japan.
- Up in the Air: This movie tells the journey of frequents travelers and how it can impact their lives.
There are a number of streaming services you can opt for (Thank you Netflix and Amazon Prime).
However, you can buy or rent those movies mentioned above from Amazon or even check out other travel-themed movies from here.
9. Play travel themed board games
Are you tired of looking at the computer screen and just want something for a change but still inspire travel in you, then why not go old school and play some travel themed board games.
These travel-themed board games for kids and adults alike can easily be bought from Amazon and you’ll keep in the travel spirit even when having fun. Some of them include;
- Ticket to Ride Europe: This game will take you on exciting adventures across different European cities as you build train routes to take you there. You can get this award-winning board game from Amazon.
- Trekking The National Parks: The Family Trivia Game: This is an incredible board game that tests your knowledge about US National parks. It’s a great board game for a game night between travelers or even an evening of fun with your family.
- Ticket to Ride USA. Just like the Ticket to Ride Europe, this game is all about connecting North American cities by building train routes.
- Flag around the world: This game will help you travel around the world from home as you name the flags of each country
If board games are not your thing, then you can try out this scratch-off map to scratch off all the countries you’ve been to and at the same time wish and hope to scratch off others as soon as you can travel again. You can also check out other travel-themed board games from here.
10. Try to learn a new language
One of the challenges of traveling to a new country is not being able to express yourself due to language barrier especially in countries that do not use English (since English is widely spoken across the world).
So during the time you can’t travel and just at home, why not use it to try and learn a new language.
Have you always wanted to learn a new language but didn’t have the time? Now that you have the time, embark on that goal.
There are a number of both free and paid websites/apps that you can use to teach yourself a new language. Below are some of them;
11. Read travel books
There is no better way of staying in high travel spirits than reading travel-themed books.
There are a number of travel books you can read to keep your wanderlust alive and below are some that do just that;
- Vagabonding: If you’re planning to live a nomadic life as soon as you are in a position to travel, then this book is a must-read to prepare you before you hit the road and know exactly what to do when you’re on the road.
- A year in Provence: Are you planning to travel to this beautiful region in the south of France? Then this book will give you all the information you need to know to get the best of out this place – whether it is a short time stay or a long one.
- The Happiness of Pursuit: Are you in pursuit of a certain travel goal that might seem crazy to others, then you’ll love this book.
- Into Thin Air: Are you an outdoor enthusiast, then this book about a fateful day at Mt. Everest will keep you glued into your reading chair while longing to know what happened next.
- Wild: Wild is a book that will excite both experienced and beginner hikers. It shows a deeper overview of what happens in the outdoors and how to navigate through it for a great outdoor experience.
12. Create a travel journal
On top of the other travel-related things to do at home while you can’t travel, add travel journaling.
If you’re the kind of traveler that takes notes about your experiences while on the road, then creating a “proper” travel journal when you’re not traveling is a good idea.
Travel journaling will help you beat boredom, walk you through your trip even when you can’t travel and at the same time, it will be your safe keeps for your little travel treasures.
Aside from that, your travel journal will inspire you to travel more every time you go through it.
However, if you don’t know how to create a travel journal, there are a number of guides online and on Pinterest that will guide you through it.
Or you can purchase this travel journal or this one where you can put all your memories and experiences.
That’s it, folks! Those were the best travel related things to do at home when you can’t travel. Is there anything else that you focus on when you’re not traveling? Do let me know in the comment section.
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