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Although it’s (hopefully) rare, there are times when you just can’t travel for various reasons. If you are a true wanderlust, had that dream vacation coming up, or just wanted to celebrate a special occasion, not being able to travel can be extremely frustrating. Good news! Lots of times there are ways around obstacles in life, right? This is one of those times. While it isn’t as good as the real thing, this armchair traveling guide is the next best thing!Armchair Traveling Guide
There are 22 ways to guide you in armchair traveling below including travel-themed ideas for kids, adults, families, and couples. From destinations to activities and products, there is something for everyone!
1 | Take A Virtual Destination Tour
Technology is a great thing and thankfully, we have come a long way with it. So, take advantage of that with virtual tours of the following destinations:
Entrance to Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, The Netherlands (April 2019)
Times Square, NYC (February 2019)
Machu Picchu, Perú (May 2017)
Floralis Genérica, Buenos Aires (March 2019)
Eiffel Tower, Paris (July 2018)
Goðafoss Waterfall, Iceland (October 2018)
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna (December 2018)
Torii Gate-Chureito Pagoda, Japan (November 2019)
Chefchaouen “Blue Pearl”, Morocco (June 2018)
2 | Livestream Destinations
Taking virtual travel to a higher level, many destinations have webcams where you can see what’s going on in real-time. Try these out:
Northern Lights-Manitoba, Canada (seasonal)
Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park
Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park
St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City
The MOON (yes, I’m serious!)
These are just a very few of the million more you can find here. They even have a most viewed category!
3 | Take a Virtual Library, Museum or Palace Tour
It’s not just the outdoors we can explore virtually, but we can tour the indoors too. Try the following virtual tours of libraries and museums:
National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian)
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (NYC)
Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)
The Sand Museum (Tottori, Japan)
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (California)
Austrian National Library (Vienna)
4 | Take a Virtual Arts Tour
Staying with indoor tours, one of my favorite places to explore when traveling is opera houses. Here are a few of my favorites you can tour virtually :
Vienna Opera House (December 2018)
For The Family
5 | Virtual Travel with Kids
Take time to assist your kids with armchair traveling. There are plenty of options out there to help them virtually travel or bring travel-themed ideas to them:
20 Virtual Field Trips for Kids
Amazing Virtual Tours for Kids
Little Passports (a great monthly subscription service for kids ages 3+ to “travel the world”)
Daily Travel Inspired Itinerary for Kids
Best Around the World Card Games
Printable Travel Games for Kids
6 | Play Travel-Themed Board Games
The olden days of playing board games are olden no more. They have made a huge comeback! Try out these travel-themed games for some family fun:
Trekking the National Parks-The Family Board Game
7 | Put Together a Travel-Themed Puzzle
Also making a comeback in popularity are puzzles. Satisfy your wanderlust by putting together a puzzle of a beautiful destination:
Route 66-America’s Main Street
8 | Try Travel-Themed Activity Books
As a way to travel while simultaneously decreasing anxiety and stress, coloring books are great activities for adults. While kids like to color, activity books typically keep their attention longer. 😉 Check out these travel-themed books:
Landmarks of the World Adult Coloring Book
Adventures Around the Globe Activity Book for Kids
Couples and Individuals
9 | Make Travel-Themed Dinners
Vegan Ramen Bowl at The Fieldhouse in Montana (September 2019)
Food is one of my favorite aspects of traveling. I mean, food is the way to our hearts, is it not? Try out a travel-themed dinner and reminisce about a trip you’ve taken or where you’d like to go next! I will start you out with my own travel-inspired recipe for my favorite Spanish pizza.
Looking for more than just a recipe? Want to learn to cook like an Italian or bake like a champ? These chefs are hosting free online cooking classes (for now).
10 | Travel the World via Cocktails
Left: “Swimming Pool” cocktail in Paris (2018) | Right: Peanut Butter Cup Martini in Montana (2019)
For those who love to try the local drink when they visit a new destination, try these international cocktail recipes.
11 | Virtual Wine Tastings
Red wine tasting on a food tour in Paris (July 2018)
What? Yep! Wine lovers can actually do these virtual wine tastings that come with tasting kits! Don’t worry about traveling to Napa. Bring Napa to you!
12 | Light a Travel-Scented Candle
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. What is a travel scent? Well, that depends on you. It might be the ocean to take you to the beach, lavender to transport you to France, Mediterranean inspired scents or the smell of the great outdoors. Find your favorite scent and connect your sense of smell to your love of travel!
13 | Plan a Travel-Themed Spa Day
Spa at Palace Luzern in Switzerland (August 2016)
Transport yourself to a French spa by getting yourself a plush spa robe, spa slippers, lavender bubble bath, a bottle of French wine, and the aforementioned lavender candle.
Another option is to recreate your own spa experience from your travels. My favorites included this Swiss spa, this Austrian spa, and this Canadian spa.
*Disclaimer: Significant Other optional. It’s okay if you just need a moment alone..especially if you have kids!
14 | Watch Travel Movies
Once you’ve had that relaxing bubble bath, carry that glass of wine to the bed or the couch and settle in for a great travel movie off this list.
15 | Watch Travel-Themed Netflix Shows
Photo Credit: Rafael Henrique | Depositphotos.com
Maybe a movie isn’t exactly what you’re in the mood for. If not, try these travel Netflix shows to satisfy your wanderlust.
16 | Read Travel-Themed Books
If you are like me, reading is something you love to do but never have the time. Maybe it’s time to start back. Crawl into bed after your movie or TV show is over and wind down before going to sleep with a good travel read.
My personal favorite reads aren’t necessarily travel-themed but are set in London. This hilarious nine-book series is stress-relieving chic-lit. When reading these, I always imagine being in London and all of its sites. Penned by a British author, I enjoy the language and the London way of life.
17 | Read TRAVEL BLOGS!
My blog’s homepage 🙂
While we’re on the subject of reading, please keep reading travel blogs. You achieve several purposes at the same time: fueling your wanderlust, inspiration for planning future travels as well as supporting small businesses. Like mine, so many travel blogs are small businesses. Just by reading our blogs (which costs you nothing), you can help us greatly and we very much appreciate it!
18 | Bring Broadway Home
Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theater in NYC (February 2018)
Are you a theater lover? Have you always wanted to visit NYC and see a play on Broadway? If you currently can’t travel, bring Broadway to you or see these other 6 ways to enjoy Broadway at home.
19 | Learn a New Language
If you can’t currently travel, use the time to learn a new language. If you don’t already have a favorite, start with the language of the next destination you want to visit. No, learning a new language isn’t easy. Yes, it’s extremely useful. No, you don’t have to be fluent to make a difference. Just learning a few words in the language can make a huge difference when traveling not only in terms of helping you out but it’s much appreciated by the locals!
Maybe you already speak another language but you aren’t quite fluent yet. I fall into this category with Spanish. I’m between conversational and fluent and I am constantly learning especially when I’m not traveling.
My personal tips for learning a new language:
- Watch TV in that language
- Listen to music in that language
- Read your daily news source in that language. (Twitter is good for this because you can follow a news source in another language, read the tweet in the foreign language and view its translation to check your progress)
- Read books in that language (if you are far enough along)
- Practice with friends who speak that language
- Constantly think in that language
My favorite language learning apps:
My favorite language learning tools (and what I personally have used) are the McGraw Hill Practice Makes Perfect series. You can get them in Spanish, French, Italian, German, and English for ESL.
20 | Participate in Virtual Travel Run/Walk Challenges
If you can’t travel, you can still be active with a travel theme. Try these virtual travel fitness challenges. They can be running, walking, biking, swimming, etc and you can complete them at your own pace. You can track your progress along the trail and even see a street view.
Sign up (there is a fee to join a challenge), download the app (iPhone or Android), connect your favorite fitness tracker and your outdoor activity will be recorded. It’s that easy. Once it’s completed, your medal is sent to you!
My Inca Trail Marathon Virtual Challenge t-shirt (April 2020)
I recently completed the Inca Trail marathon through Machu Picchu in Perú. I’m currently waiting on my medal and I even got the shirt (extra purchase). However, if you prefer something different, there is Route 66, Grand Canyon, Great Ocean Road, Appalachian Trail, or create your own!
21 | Drawing Disney
My drawing of Disney’s “Bambi” (2015)
Missing Disney World and wanting to visit? How about trying your hand at Disney animation drawing? I love to draw, had the opportunity to draw at Disney, and have both of mine framed on my wall. If you can’t get to Disney right now, this ultimate guide to Disney animation is the perfect tutorial to complete over 60 drawings at home!
22 | Airbnb Online Experiences
Last, but not least, if none of the above have piqued your interest, try one of Airbnb’s online experiences. For a small fee, you can participate in a number of different activities in many different countries. From family baking experiences to tango lessons in Argentina and snuggling with pets in the USA, there is something for everyone!
PIN IT!
Sometimes, due to various reasons, you aren’t able to travel. So when you can’t travel then bring the travel to you! Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? I hope you have enjoyed this comprehensive list and have already found an activity to try. Happy armchair traveling!
Have you been armchair traveling somewhere cool? If so, please post it below so we can all “travel” there!
‘Til next time…
Trimm Travels,
Ohh I think so many people are starting to get the travel blues. You’ve got so many great ideas here. My favourite way to stay positive and keep the travel vibes high is to live vicariously through others. Reading a book set in a beautiful location or watching a movie on Netflix is a great way to do that.
Hi Emma-I totally agree! Netflix or TV in general for me has helped a lot. But, I’ve also enjoyed doing the virtual tours and definitely, my virtual destination marathon. Thanks for reading! 🙂
I love how creative people are getting and how we are adjusting to a world where we are traveling from home. These are great virtual tours, many of these places I’ve not visited!
Hi Chelsea-I totally agree. Thankfully we are very adaptable just hoping for a return to normalcy (or something to its effect) soon! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Oh my goodness, there is so much to do, virtually, I had no idea there were so many options these days. Some of these I hadn’t heard of. Virtual marathons, virtual airbnb experiences and livestream the Moon, wow! All such fantastic suggestions. I’m going to give some of these a go to keep me busy until we can travel again. I think I might try the Inca Trail too, as I’ve always wanted to go to Machu Picchu.
Hi Tania-I know!! I couldn’t believe how much there is to do virtually either! I’m going to try some Airbnb experiences as well. I highly recommend the Inca Trail Virtual Marathon. It was SO much fun! When you’re able definitely visit Machu Picchu. Perú is absolutely amazing and in my top 3 favorite countries! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Live streaming destinations sounds interesting, but I wonder if it’s at all planned out or if it’s just a webcam sitting in one location for hours. I love National Parks and I know it won’t be the same as if I were there, but if this continues live streaming may be something I actually resort to 🙂
Hi Candy-I think there’s some of both involved depending on what it is. For example, I think Old Faithful is fixed. However, there is definitely some creativity out there so it’s worth checking out! Thanks for reading! 🙂
You had me at “travel-themed cocktails”! But seriously, as a teacher I am so thrilled with how many museums and national parks have been doing live-streaming and tours. It’s awesome to still be able to take kids on field trips right now, even if it’s not the same. It gives them a nice break from the day-to-day, just like all of your awesome suggestions here!
Hi Dani-Thanks for your feedback. Glad you liked it and especially the cocktails! I am also glad that so many places have provided virtual tours for kids because they need it and the adults need the break but also for the adults who need it too! Thanks for reading! 🙂