5 Ways to Travel the World Without Leaving Your Home
While COVID lockdowns and restrictions have put a severe damper on holiday plans for many Aussies, there are still lots of ways you can get your travel fix without even leaving your home. You just have to get a little bit creative! The best thing is, you’ll save a tonne of money and you won’t even have to pack a suitcase. We’ve come up with a list of 5 ideas to get you started.
1. Wildlife Adventures
We share our planet with so many weird and wonderful animals and thanks to the pandemic, there are lots of ways you can explore the world’s flora and fauna from your couch.
Have you always wanted to go on an African Safari? &Beyond and WildEarth will take you on a live virtual safari everyday from 2:30 - 5:30 pm AEST. Follow the guides as they travel through game reserves in South Africa, searching for animals great and small. You can even connect with the guides by asking questions on YouTube or using #wildearth on Twitter.
In Thailand, take a virtual tour of Following Giants, an elephant friendly reserve. Once a tourist attraction that allowed people to ride the elephants, now they roam free in nature where they belong.
Closer to home you can tune into Phillip Island’s Penguin Parade every night at sunset. Watch the world’s largest Little Penguin colony waddle out of the sea and return home to their burrows.
2. Get Your Culture Fix
Explore places of cultural significance and museums all over the world with Google Arts & Culture. Take a trip to Florence and discover the city through the eyes of Leonardo Da Vinci. Roam the halls of London’s Natural History Museum. Or, sneak a peek at Frida Kahlo’s Diary. The possibilities are endless!
3. Plan a Night of Food, Film and Fun
Exploring a new country that is vastly different from our own can be one of the best parts of travelling the world. Why not mix it up a bit and bring a part of the world to your home? Choose a country you’ve always been curious about and do a bit of research about the dishes, music and films that are popular in this region. Select a recipe to cook or if your culinary skills are limited, support a local restaurant and order authentic cuisine using a delivery app. Most streaming services have a great range of international movies and you can search for the traditional music of your selected country on Youtube. And just like that, you have all of the ingredients for an exciting night in! You could even set up a date with friends and family on Zoom to take in the experience together.
4. Learn a Language
"Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going." - Rita Mae Brown
With all the extra time spent at home, now is the perfect opportunity to learn a language in preparation for when the world opens up again. It’ll help make your next trip more meaningful and keep your brain active. There are so many free apps and language programs online. Alternatively, if you’re super keen you can learn from a native speaker using online platforms like iTalki.
5. Cook up a Storm!
Often when people think back on their travel adventures, they fondly remember the different foods they were able to share and enjoy. Recreate your favourite dishes from your travels or learn to cook something new and exciting! There are plenty of ways to bring the world into your kitchen. You could also try something new and sign up for an online cooking class or two.
So what are you waiting for? Shake off those COVID blues and explore the big wide world from the comfort of your home. And if you have any other suggestions, we’d love to hear them! Share in the comments below.