Everyone around the world is stuck at home right now. We are all self-quarantining, social distancing, sheltering in place, and doing our best to limit the spread of the Coronavirus. No one is heading to the airport for a holiday. However, the ban on non-essential travel doesn’t mean you can’t take a vacation. An AT-HOME vacation! In this article, we are going to give you 10 ideas on how to make your stuck-at-home life a little more unstuck. We want to give you ideas on how to bring culture and adventure from around the world, right to your own doorstep!
One quick notes before we get started.
What is something you shouldn’t do while on a vacation? Work! That rule applies to an at-home vacation also. Put your laptop away under your bed, or out of site somewhere, and don’t bring it out until after your at-home vacation. Set a length of time (1 day, a weekend, etc) and do your best to not think about work until you are ‘home’ from your trip.
Okay, are you ready? Let’s get started with planning your at-home vacation! 10 ideas for fun travelling you can do at home, no matter where you are around the world.
Make an International Recipe
Cooking international food is an excellent way to transport yourself to a different part of the world, even if only for a meal. There are many delicious recipes you can find, we particularly love the recipes we find on Gimme Some Oven. Check out this Pad Thai and these Mole Chicken Tacos for some delicious international foods you could try to whip up!
What is the best part about cooking up a yummy international dish? Eating it, of course! Preparing a delicious meal and chowing down on all that goodness is a great way to transport yourself (or at least your taste buds) from home all the way across the world.
Watch a Movie/Show that Features Travel
You’ve treated your mouth and nose to the great tastes and smells from around the world. Now let’s treat your eyes. Watching a great movie featuring travel is a great way to actually feel like you are part of the travel experience yourself!
These three movies all feature a lot of international travel, and will transport you to exotic destinations around the world for an at-home adventure! Do you have your own travel movie that you love? We’ve lode to hear your suggestions in the comments!
Go on a Bike Ride (or Walk) to Somewhere You’ve Never Been
Let me tell you a story. We lived in Minneapolis for 8 years. We went to school there, graduated and got jobs there, and considered ourselves Minnesotans. And we absolutely LOVE hiking, biking, and exploring. All of that is true, and we had NEVER visited Minnehaha Falls, one of the most beautiful and adventurous sites in the Minneapolis area!
Perhaps you live near some awesome destinations that you have never personally visited. Maybe you know about them, and would take a visiting family member there, but wouldn’t go yourself. Now is the time to remedy that!
Find a local outdoor attraction or sprawling park that you’ve never visited. Take a walk, jog, or bike ride around that area and explore it as if you were a tourist yourself!
Watch the Sunrise & Sunset
There is something relaxing and inspiring about watching the sunrise and sunset. Everyone around the world sees the same sun, and everyone can take the time to watch that same sun as it crosses the horizon and brings the daylight with it.
What is so incredible is that even though it is the same sun, every sunrise and sunset is unique. From a high level, everyone sees the same thing, but the details that come with a sunrise and sunset depend on your exact time and location, and no one on earth experiences the same view.
Have an International Wine Tasting
Wine tasting is a great way to both treat your taste buds and have an incredibly fun time doing it. When you are on a vacation experiencing a new place, doing a local wine tasting is a great way to learn about the local farming and culture, while treating yourself to some yummy wines in the process!
We recommend doing the following process for your own international wine tasting:
- Choose a country (Italy, Spain, France, New Zealand, USA, Canada, etc…)
- Buy a few wines to sample that were made in that country or area
- Tasting Process:
- Pour a Glass
- Learn about how that particular wine was made and where it came from (find the information either on the bottle or online)
- Taste the Wine, write down your thoughts (on something like the sheet below)
- Continue to the next!
Go on a Local Hike
We love to hike. Hiking is a perfect way to get out into nature, see beautiful landscapes, exercise, and take photos. And hiking is free (or almost free) all around the world! Hiking is simply the best.
Even if you live in a large metropolitan area, there are sure to be many hikes within a short trip from your home. Find a hike that will bring you out into the depths of nature, and go on an adventure.
Learn an International Dance
Dancing is an interesting thing. Dancing is an incredibly fun activity, you rarely see someone dancing without a smile on their face. However, many people feel very embarrassed or shy while dancing, especially in public.
Therefore, an at-home vacation is literally the PERFECT time to learn how to dance! You can have all of the fun of moving your body without having to worry about anyone watching! You can, as the expression goes, dance like nobody’s watching! Because, after all, nobody is watching.
Our recommendation for a dance to learn while on your at-home vacation is the Salsa! The salsa dance is incredibly fun, and is a great workout at the same time. Other ideas for dances are Flamenco, Hula, Merengue, Tango, Polka, or Line Dancing!
Take a Walk (with your dog!) to a Local Park
Let’s stop for a minute and think about something. With all of these self-quarantine and shelter-in-place restrictions, your dog (if you have one) is in HEAVEN! Your pup gets to hang out with you all day, the person they love most in the world. They get attention, get to go on walks, and get to cuddle up from dawn till dusk. They are loving life!
There was even a dog who sprained his tail from excessive wagging because his family was home so much…
One great way to spend some time on your at-home vacation is on a walk with your dog! Take them to a local park, play fetch, and enjoy the time with your four-legged friend. You can bet that they are sure enjoying their time with you!
Start Learning a New Language
Learning a new language is an EXCELLENT way to get immersed in a different culture, even from afar. Picking up a new language has numerous benefits!
First off, you’ll have a new world to explore once you have a new language learned! If you learn Spanish, you’ll be able to visit Mexico, Spain, Colombia, or many other Spanish speaking countries and be able to speak the local dialect. Traveling in a country that speaks a different language is a challenge, especially if you leave the main urban areas. Learning a new language will open up entirely new parts of the world for you to explore!
Secondly, you’ll gain a new skill! Being bilingual opens up your mind to new ways of thinking. According to Unuhi, being bilingual has TONS of benefits, including:
- Increased Brainpower
- Academic Improvement
- Better Performance in Job Market
- Improved Social Life
- Stay Mentally Stronger for Longer
They even say being bilingual can make you more attractive! Not 100% sure about that one but we are going to roll with it!
Plan a Trip!
Of course, we love traveling, we have a whole website dedicated to it. We think planning a trip can sometimes be half the fun! Brainstorming travel destinations, monitoring flight prices, shopping for lodging, determining excursions and day trips to do, all of that is an absolute BLAST for us!
Being stuck at home can be the perfect time to plan a trip for the future. First off, you may be able to find a great deal on flights or lodging right now. Second, you’ll get to have fun imagining yourself in a new place some time down the road!
We wrote an entire eBook on how to travel more. In our eBook, we cover how to find incredible travel deals, how to budget your life to travel more, and how to escape work so you can travel more! Your satisfaction in 100% guaranteed or your money back. If you don’t love the book, let us know and we’ll refund you right away.
If you enjoyed this article on 10 great things to for an at-home vacation, please Pin It to Pinterest and save it for later!
In: NNU forty two (1973), p.