Love or want to travel but stuck at home? Quarantine, travel restrictions, budgets, time, there might be a hundred reasons why you can’t travel right now.
That doesn’t mean you can’t get in the mood though!
These are some of the best ways to find some travel inspiration from home and actually feel like you are exploring the world.
(BTW don’t you love how this stock photo makes it look like the whole family has a great time packing together… huh… I’m my house I usually do all the triple checked – no one else touch or die- packing by myself…)
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1. Make a gallery wall
Yes, I’m still figuring out what to put into two of the frames!
Travel inspired décor helps you remember the great places you’ve been everyday when you look at them! Before it used to be just the map on the wall with a pushpin marking where you’ve been. We used to have one (and maybe we will again one day) but I like one that can be more personalized to you.
Gallery walls are a great way to showcase the photos you’ve taken and souvenirs you’ve collected.
Get creative with your travel gallery wall and throw in some unique pieces. Quirkiness works GREAT for a gallery wall, so plane tickets, vintage cameras, travel itineraries, postcards and compasses are all great!
I even have some vintage Disneyland tickets from my grandma framed up. She grew up near there and remembers going to the park the first year they opened!
Add pieces meaningful to you. You can even add pieces to represent where you would like to travel to in the future!
2. Watch a travel themed movie
You can’t watch certain movies and not be inspired to go there (Walter Mitty and Iceland anyone??). Movies are great ways to bring a little bit of world exploration into our everyday lives (for cheap!).
Travel inspiring movies don’t have to be obvious “travel movies” like Rick Steves reruns (No shade Rick, I still love you!). But any movie that helps open you up to new places and cultures.
These are my favorite 30 travel-themed family movies that are amazing travel inspiration from home. I even split them into age groups for you so that everyone can get a little wanderlust. I know it used to be so hard for me to find things Link would be interested in when he was very little (and even now his attention span is limited).
Plus, you can always find things to stream for free if you have a subscription (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney+, etc.). If not, a streaming rental is usually just a few dollars!
3. Virtually travel
There might be no better travel inspiration from home than to actually travel from home!
I first tried virtual travel when my brother-in-law helped me explore Rome with his VR (virtual reality) headset.
Mind. Blown.
I started in an early Italian morning walking up and down Roman streets. Through the ancient ruins of the Forum that seems dreamy with modern shops and vespas zipping all around it. I explored the cute side streets and alleys and saw the terraces above with plant leaves spilling though the rails and people talking across the way.
I got to zoom in close to the ceiling of the Pantheon and the details of the Trevi Fountain. I changed the time to night and saw the Colosseum lit up at night and then back to day to explore the arena inside.
Even virtually you get the time-travel feel of the city with the beautiful mix of old and new, I just needed a gelato!
So what kinds of travel inspiration from home is easy to find in VR?
Big famous cities and landmarks (Rome, Tokyo, New York, Great Wall of China, Grand Canyon….). World famous museums (Louvre, British Museum, New York Met…). Adventure travel like diving with sharks or hang-gliding.
You will even get to see places that you would never in real life! Some places tourists are not allowed, are too unsafe to go to or not accessible to many people. But you can still experience them with virtual travel!
The best thing is that all you need is a VR headset and most of these things are free through Google Earth, YouTube or museum websites!
A cheap headset uses your phone as the screen and is as cheap as $6 (for a cardboard frame) to $40 (much more secure and comfortable)! The best, but more expensive, one to use is Occulus Go. It will be the best quality of viewing (less chance of headaches) and great for games also. Click below to see them on Amazon.
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Is it as great as actually going to the place? Of course not. You don’t get the smells, food and people to talk to. You won’t get to take in the je ne sais quoi of the place but it’s still amazing!
It’s a great way to plan trips or get a very close proximity to what it might be like to visit a place.
I’ll make a whole detailed post about this later!
4. Try new international recipes
One of the best things about travel is trying the new foods!
I’m a total foodie and finding great places to eat is always a highlight of my travels. I’m the kind of person that day dreams about foods that I really liked. And I love coming home and trying to re-create them. Link is my little sous chef and is always very helpful when it comes to stirring a pot or licking a spoon. (Matt mostly likes the eating part.)
One of the best souvenirs I buy when traveling is new spices to use at home! I have salts from Spain, vanilla from Mexico, tea from London, but the cheese from Paris is looong gone.
It’s a perfect way to find travel inspiration from home because your bringing some travel culture to your meals with your family!
Dreaming of Spain? Make rice paella and thick hot chocolate.
Missing Mexico? Use your instant pot for some quick carnitas for street tacos.
Cancelled your trip to Tokyo? YouTube a video of how to roll sushi.
(Speaking of shows that inspire you to travel…) there is a great show on Netflix called The Final Table that challenges teams of chefs to tackle countries’ iconic dishes, one country at a time. I binged the entire thing and then tried my hand at making two of the different challenge dishes. You try it!
Even now one of my favorite sandwiches is home is butter and brie on a baguette!
Here’s some of the best dishes from Spain and Paris to get you some ideas!
5. Start learning a new language (by playing games!)
Whether it’s to prepare to go to a new place or just for fun, learning a new language is a great way to get some travel inspiration from home. Plus, it can be really fun!
Forget your high school Spanish class, apps like Duolingo (free) or Babble (paid but more customizable) make learning a new language fun and easy.
Play matching games, practice your accent and learn vocabulary to earn points and level up. Even for adults, leveling up is pretty satisfying and a little addictive (but it’s educational so it’s ok right??).
You’ll love that each level only takes a few minutes to get through and you get to choose the topics to study that are interesting to you.
Are you going to become fluent this way? Probably not.
But it is a way to get a little travel inspiration from home that’s better than a quick Facebook scroll.
6. Plan a staycation and “travel” from home!
Yes, you can really plan a pretend trip from home! Link and I have been doing lots of them since stuck in quarantine with no travel or playdates.
Have a tea party with little sandwiches pretending to be in London.
Hide your kids’ animal toys around the room and have them do their own “safari hunt”.
Take a scenic bike ride through town and make waffles at home like in the Netherlands (it always comes back to food huh?).
I was actually so excited about the travel from home ideas that I made a whole three-day itinerary to “see” three different iconic travel destinations. I made it really easy with food, music, books, games, and movies all planned out so you can pick and choose what you want to do. Hawaii, Paris and New York.
While I made it for families with kids, anyone could use it for fun travel inspired things to do at home. It’s easy to follow along!
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Also join my Family Staycation Facebook page for more ideas!
If you’re stuck at home (due to quarantine or travel restrictions or still saving up or a million other reasons) find ways to feed your wanderlust soul and try some of these travel inspirations at home.
Post some pics of your home travels and inspiration on the Facebook group page, I’d love to see them!
