Although all travel is suspended, there are plenty of ways to fill up our wanderlust cup. Read on as I share a few fun travel-inspired activities to enjoy from the comfort of your couch.
1. Organise your travel memories
Have you ever wanted to make a scrapbook of your travels, or how about finally learning how to cut and edit all those videos just sitting on your computer? Now is the perfect time to get started. Grab your hard drives and start organising your content depending on how you want to tell your story. Sort by countries, continents or simply make a big montage of your best memories. Create a way to reminisce for your future self.
For those wanting to create hardcopy books, check out sites such as Shutterfly and Snapfish to customise and design your own travel story. While printing photobooks might be on hold for the time being, you’ll be able to finally tick that off your list of to-do’s and be grateful for it when it arrives down the road.
Depending on your gear, choose a video editing software that works for you and your experience level. Use Youtube to research your options and to find tutorials dedicated to your software. The internet is teeming with how-to’s and lessons, be patient with yourself and enjoy producing the video you’ve always wanted.
2. Bring the great outdoors home
When cabin fever hits, shake off the dust on your tent and camping gear and create your own at-home camping adventure. Is there a hut or camping spot you’ve always wanted to visit? Find it on campermate map and re-create the experience in your backyard, if you have space. If not, set up inside in your living room, pop the tv on fireplace mode and cook on your camp stoves. Is it a clear night? Bundle up and stare at the stars. It’s Milky Way season and with the decrease in light pollution, you’re certain to see a stunning display.
This is also a great one to do with kids!
3. Search ‘Everywhere’
Current travel plans may be cancelled, but that doesn’t mean you can’t daydream. Hop onto Skyscanner, enter your current location, pick a random month and type in ‘everywhere’ for your destination. Scroll through flight prices starting with the cheapest destinations.
Pick a nearby city you’ve never had any intention of visiting and do a little virtual exploring. Hop on Google Street View to “walk” through the downtown, check out TripAdvisor for recommended attractions and search for trendy accommodations. Who knows maybe you’ll end up planning a trip for somewhere you never expected to go.
4. Plan a post-lockdown road trip
There’s an old saying that travellers tend to neglect what’s on their doorstep. Now is the time to plan post-lockdown local adventures. The economy has been hit hard on both a national and global scale. Why not support local communities by taking trips close to home. Grab a campervan and plan a multi-stop road trip to help boost the local tourism markets. Use your Campermate app to find locally-owned campgrounds close to small towns. Look up walking trails and attractions in the area, and be sure to fuel up at the local petrol station.
For inspiration, check out our blog articles featuring places such as the Taranaki region and the East Cape.
5. Catch up with travel mates
When friends and family ask you your favourite memories of a trip, what are they? For most, it’s the moments in between, the unplanned events that were never plannable, the new friendships formed from sharing moments together in another part of the world. Reach out to them. No doubt they are sitting at home, uncomfortably stirring as we all are. Jump on a video chat, catch up and relive your travel experiences together, laughing at both the good and the bad times.
6. Join a local outdoor enthusiast’s social group
We’re not lacing up the hiking boots or packing the car for road trips anytime soon so why not use this time to chat with like-minded people who are feeling the same dread from the inability to hit the trails. Find a local online community to share your previous adventures and talk about future travel plans. Use it as an outlet to post your experiences and travel through photos and stories of other hopeless vagabonds, plus reach out for tips on places you want to visit in Australia and New Zealand.
Pop on Campermate’s Facebook page to find advice, inspiration and chat to others who are missing the outdoors or join groups like Tramping in New Zealand and Adventure Travel Australia.
7. Escape with travel-related docos
When you’re feeling down about the future of your travelling lifestyle, pop on some David Attenborough to soothe your frustrations. Dim the lights, turn up the speakers and turn off your phones to transcend into the tropical forests of South America. Experience an inside exploration of Australia’s hottest deserts without feeling the heat and simply forget about the outside world for a few hours.
We don’t know when we’ll be packing up our suitcases again, but we sure can “travel” in other ways. I hope these help curb your wanderlust woes and if you can think of more ways to wander from the couch, please share yours below.
Stay healthy. Stay happy.
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