Are you stuck at home, unable to travel in this post-virus world? This article was written as the Coronavirus restrictions in Australia were starting to wind down, and there was a glimmer of hope that we can travel again soon, starting locally. While keeping ourselves pretty low key in the last couple of months, we have had plenty of time to think about travelling, and ponder our options. Here are some of the things we did, and ideas for you to do too.
Travel Virtually: If you can’t physically go out into the world, you can still explore the world via the computer screen. It is lots of fun to pick a random place on Google Earth and zoom in, you might be surprised, Google has it all covered. We also used Google Arts and Culture to visit iconic museums around the world and Google Streetview Treks to tour some amazing locations.
Reminisce about previous trips: Now with some downtime, you have the chance to reflect on previous trips. Get your photos out, and have an old fashioned slide show evening with the family. There is nothing like going over previous trips to bring back the exhilaration of visiting new places to inspire you to do it all again. If you had made a diary, it’s fun to read through it again. Old friends you met on your backpacking trip many years ago? It’s time to look them up on Facebook, and reminisce some more.
Sort out your photos: If you are like me you have piles of old photos stored away in boxes that need scanning, and thousands more recent digital photos that need culling, sorting and categorising. Now is the time to also set up a reliable backup system, you need to protect those valuable memories.
Share your photos: You have such a great collection of travel photos, you should be doing something with them, showing them off. Print out some of your favourite photos, frame them and put them on the wall. Place the photos in an album or create a photobook. If you haven’t already, share them with your friends on social media.
Plan another trip: The obvious thing to do when you can’t travel is to plan what you are going to do once you can. It is hard to plan when you don’t know when the restrictions will be lifted, but you can add some places to your bucket list and think about how it might all come together.
Read about travel: No one else is travelling either, but you can read about what others have done before. There are plenty of travel blogs (like ours!) to read, a great way to get inspiration about your next trip. You might not be able to get to the library, but you can still get hold of ebooks, and there are some great travel books out there.
Work on your budget: If you are going to go on another trip, you need to make sure you have the money. As long as you have been able to hold on to your job, you are probably saving lots being stuck at home. Now is a good time to go through your finances, set up a budget and plan ways to save more money.
Get your gear ready: It’s time to shop online and buy for your next trip. Maybe you want to upgrade your luggage, buy those hiking shoes you always wanted, or a fancy new camera.
Start Booking: As the time for the breakout nears, it is time to book some trips. You will probably need to start locally, so you might be looking for a country cottage on Airbnb or a city hotel on booking.com. They are still offering free cancellations, so if the restrictions continue for longer than expected, you should be able to get a refund or move your booking to a later date no problems. And when the restrictions are lifted, you will be ready to hit the road, all refreshed from the forced break at home, well researched, prepared and inspired to explore the world again.
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