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With everything that is going on in the world, travelling is not really an option at the moment. That of course is sad but we can all hope and hold on the fact that it will be okay again at some point. All of this, however, does not mean that you have to cut out travelling from your life completely.
There are still a few things you can do to feel connected to traveling while not actually travelling. Here are 10 things to do when you can’t travel.
1. Read through your old travel journals
I always like to keep a travel journal while travelling. Sort of like a diary but also I like to keep track of my expenses, flight numbers, bus schedule times or anything else that I deem important.
While I don’t really care what my flight number was for a random flight three years ago, it might be fun to read through my journal again. I have been kind of avoiding that since some stuff I wrote down back in the days is pretty embarrassing but it will be a good reminder of good and fun times.
2. Acquire some new skills
Acquiring some new skills is never a waste of time. These can be some skills that bring you further in your work life or just something you have always been passionate about pursuing.
Some skills might even help you out in your future travels. Like obtaining a TESOL certificate that will allow you to teach English abroad when travelling.
I have also really enjoyed taking some courses about Search Engine Optimisation where I have also learned lots of skills that come in handy when travel blogging.
3. Write down your travel stories
Especially in times where you are not able to travel you can write down your own travel stories and hold on to them until you can create new ones. This can be done in form of a diary, blog or travel journal. You can even create a Youtube channel to share your travel stories with the world.
4. Read other travel blogs
For obvious reasons, travel bloggers are struggling right now. Some might find it upsetting though to read about travel destinations that they will not be able to visit in the near future. Others might feel like it gives them some form of distraction from everything that is going on.
While you might not be interested in reading a post about “10 things to do in X”, it can still be entertaining to read about another persons’ travel stories or travel failures.
Speaking of failures, check out 5 out of my many travel fails.
5. Plan your future travels
While your next travels might be months or years away, there is no harm in already planning your dream trip for one day. After all, we have got to support the travel industry once all of this is over because they have been suffering a lot.
I always find it fun to already look at bus routes I would like to take or already look at tours in other countries that I would like to visit one day.
6. Make travel photo collages
To remind yourself of better times, you can create some collages of pictures you have taken while travelling. In that way in can remind you what you are looking forward to again one day.
7. Appreciate all the places you have visited before
Especially in difficult times it is important to appreciate the things you have done and experienced. With travelling having been so accessible in the last few years and being able to fly across Europe for €20 we have stopped to appreciate it. Just think about all the good memories you have that others might never be able to experience.
8. Connect with other fellow travellers
While personal contact is not advised you can still keep in contact with other travellers through different mediums such as social media or facebook groups.
Or if you are brave enough you can even reach out to other travellers that you don’t know personally and make some new connections or share travel experiences.
9. Learn a new language
The best way to feel connected to a new culture and their people is to learn the language and to be able to communicate. With all the social distancing at the moment you will probably have a lot more time to spare. So why not start leaning a new language that will make your next trip (whenever it will be) even more enjoyable.
There are lots of online courses you can use for practising your language skills.
A great resource for learning a new language is Italki, where you can practise speaking with native speakers. Also, Duolingo is great when you are just getting started with a new language or are trying to expand your vocabulary knowledge.
10. Edit old travel pictures or videos
By always making new memories and taking new pictures, you might not have time to go through your older pictures and edit a few. You could also create some travel videos with the content that you have filmed while travelling.
They don’t have to be high quality videos but just some nice memories that you can look back at. You don’t need to share them on any platform but also just keep them for your yourself or show them to friends and family.
And these are a couple of things that you can do when you can’t travel. And to the most extent they are all still travel related.
Of course you will also spend your time doing other things such as working, doing chores or buying groceries etc. But then since my blog is travel related I wanted to just focus on the travel related aspects. Hope that makes sense!
What do you do in these times instead of travelling?
Let me know in the comments x
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