Traveling isn't always an accessible option. People may not be physically able to travel, finances could be tight, or there could be some other event that occurs to inhibit one's ability to take a trip somewhere. For example, I have now had bad weather impact each of my last three trips. I also have my Monthly Adventures Series where I do something each month that allows me to be a tourist in city I live in because I'm not usually taking a trip each month. In this special blog post, I'm sharing some ideas for how you can still experience the fun of a trip without having to leave your home!
World Hot Sauce Tastings
Do you about a series called Hot Ones on YouTube where the host, Sean Evans, interviews celebrities as they eat chicken wings, each with an increasingly hotter hot sauce? Hot sauce exists all over the world and each one will be different based on the types of chili peppers used — and every region has a unique pepper. Many hot sauces in the United States are actually inspired by hot sauces from other countries, using some of the key ingredients that make each sauce special. If you want to be adventurous and feel brave enough to taste the heat from global peppers, you could do your own version of Hot Ones at home.
Get at least one friend to join you and you can take turns asking each other questions as you eat some chicken (or a non-meat alternative) with hot sauce. You can find global hot sauce variety packs in home goods stores or online. Planning to do a world hot sauce tasting by yourself? Look a some journal prompts and record your responses to the prompts using either a voice recorder or video camera. Don't forget to have some water and milk or ice cream on standby!
Trivia
Whether it be trivia with a variety of categories, history-centric trivia, geography-focused trivia, or really any other category of trivia, knowing about other places in the world is important. If the trivia clue/question or answer is about a place you were not previously familiar with, take that as an opportunity to learn more. Use your computer, phone, or tablet to quickly look up information online and watch some videos to gain exposure to the location, the people, food, art, and culture. Maybe you'll end up liking what you saw and learned so much that you eventually take a real trip to this place in the future -- assuming it's okay and safe to do so!
If you don't end up making the physical trip, the next few travel from home activities can help make up for that.
Watch Virtual Tours of Cities Online
When I was preparing for my Day Trip to Denver, I wasn't even sure of what the city looked like and what activities could be done there. So, I went to YouTube and looked up tours of the city. You'll be amazed by how many people just strap a camera onto their bodies and explore cities to later upload the footage online for the world to see. Perhaps you could order some food, trinkets, or games relevant to the region you're virtually visiting to help make the experience feel a bit more realistic. Though not always short videos that someone uploads to the internet, you may even want to explore some documentaries. Not all documentaries are made to give you an experience to replace traveling, but they often allow you the opportunity to experience location and culture in a more feasible way if you can only travel from home through various activities for the time being.
Read Travel Books or Blogs
If you're reading this, you are already looking at a travel blog for some insight on traveling. When you check out more of my website, you may find content that helps transport you to locations I've written about. If what you're looking for isn't on my blog, visit other travel bloggers' websites.
When in doubt, pick up a physical travel book! Sometimes it can be helpful to have something tangible in your hands as you picture yourself traveling to the place you're actively reading about. This is something I did in preparation of my first trip to Canada back in 2008. Independent book stores offer some great variety when it comes to books or you can purchase and e-book if that is your preference. I also recommend going to your local library for travel books which you may even be able to access online. They have so many good options and you don't have to worry about finding space for the books in your household long-term or spending money on a book that you really only wanted to browse anyway. Plus, it's good to support your local library!
Experience a Mock Trip from Start to Finish
Have you seen the viral video of the first grade teacher that "took her students on a trip to Mexico"? Well, obviously she didn't take them to Mexico. However, she did recreate the entire experience for them (with some help from students' parents) so they could feel like they traveled to Mexico. She gave them a budget, their parents dropped them off to school looking like tourists complete with empty luggage, and they "boarded the plane" (entered the classroom) with their boarding passes and went to their seats. They spent some time pretending to be on the plane, complete with snacks and a video of a plane landing for added effect. The kids then found themselves "vacationing in Mexico" where they got to purchase souvenirs, do some fun activities, and eat Mexican food (a student's family owns a restaurant and provided the food) as they learned to count and manage money.
Had I done an activity like this in school, it would have been one of the best days ever! Who's to say that you can't do something equally as fun at home? Pull up some YouTube videos on your TV, find that fire playlist of culturally relevant music, maybe hang a backdrop of an iconic location, and get some snacks from a specialty grocer or food from a local restaurant to feast on. You can even look up travel itineraries online for a little inspiration. If you have children of your own, this can be a cute activity for the whole family to participate in. For those of you who are like me and don't have kids, grab some friends to help you create a mock trip so you can all enjoy this travel from home activity together!
Feel free to leave comments below, tweet/post (@KimiThoughts), or leave a post/message on Facebook (@KimisTravelThoughts) if you plan to use any of these suggestions or to share your own ideas for at-home travel!