The year is 2021. You’re sat on a boiling beach, dipping your toes in white sand, coconut in hand, readying yourself for a day of epic adventures. You are well-read and refreshed after months of lockdown. Coronavirus is but a distant memory. 

What a dream, eh? Sadly, the reality is, the coronavirus travel ban has kiboshed many a trip across the world in 2020. Including my own. You all know full well my year-long plans to travel the USA and Canada (hopefully settling in Canada!), however, my hand was forced to fly back to the UK after the world started to shut down. At first, I was devastated. I worked so hard to save and plan these trips, and now it was unlikely they were going to happen soon. If at all, I thought. Honestly? I felt like a failure. 

Realising that this kind of mindset isn’t helpful to anybody, I soon started to see this as a positive! I haven’t actually spent a spring/summer in Wales for SIX years. And, even though I can’t do too much under the lockdown laws, for the first time in forever I get to see my family and be in the same timezone as my friends! However, the hope is there that this is only temporary and we can all get back to travelling sooner, rather than later. 

For now, while the world is under a coronavirus travel ban, I’ve thought of 5 ways to travel from the comfort of your home. This way, you won’t lose sight of what you love and end up settling for something you’re not happy with.  

Coronavirus Travel Ban: 5 Ways To Travel From Your Home

1: Virtual Tours

The beauty of living in the 21st century is that we are connected in ways we never deemed possible. When I’m abroad and away from my family and friends, I feel so lucky just to be able to pick up my phone and be able to show them what I’m doing. Now, with this copious amount of technology at our fingertips, we are able to travel and experience places from our couch. During the coronavirus travel ban, I recommend finding every virtual tour, gig, experience that you can find. Not only will you be seeing new places, but you’ll also be stimulating your brain enough to avoid too many trips to the fridge. 

Good Housekeeping has an amazing list of virtual museum tours you can take from your sofa, including the Lourve and the Smithsonian (live your night at the museum fantasy!). You can also take a tour of natural wonders, like Hang Sơn Đoòng, in Vietnam, and Mount Everest. The Guardian gives a comprehensive list of these tours in this post.

If these tours aren’t your thing, why not make your own tour! Do you live in a cool place where you’re able to go outside, while being able to socially distance? Why not take your friends and family on a virtual tour and show them your turf. 

2. Reading, reading, and more reading 

Sometimes, a well-written book is all you need to transport you to far-flung places. The success of a great travel book is not measured by how many miles you physically travel, but the many places your imagination will take you as a result. I broke down a few great travel books in this post, but there are so many out there just waiting to carry your mind to distant worlds. These books could be factual, fiction, or the most crazy sci-fi imaginative story you’ve ever read. As long as you feel like you’re escaping the walls of your house, you’ve got a winner. As a bonus, research shows that becoming engrossed in a great novel actually improves connectivity in your brain and enhances overall brain function! 

Below are some good-reads I’ve been trawling through during lockdown, which I’ve linked. You can also read my post on books to inspire your wanderlust here. 

 

3. Write A Bucket List 

Just because you’re unable to execute your crazy plans right now, doesn’t mean you can’t start planning them. Pick a country, flick through a travel guide, and write down all of the crazy adventures you want to have when the coronavirus travel ban is lifted. I’ve started with my very own, newly curated bucket list, as most things on my old one have been ticked off! Let’s be real, we probably won’t be getting many of them ticked off this year. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t book something for a year down the track and have something to look forward to.

If you don’t fancy researching and writing, why not start a travel-inspired Pinterest board for a visual take on your travel dreams. You can view my bucket list pin-board here, and it includes destinations, experiences, or just simple pleasures I am yet to accomplish. 

4. Learn A New Skill

Languages, cooking, music, and heaps more. Learning new skills can have a huge benefit to your overall wellbeing, and what better time to do it during the coronavirus travel ban! If you’ve been planning a trip to a country that doesn’t speak your first language, take this time to learn some keywords and phrases to impress the locals. Duolingo is such a great resource for this, I’m actually using it at the moment to try and re-learn Welsh (cause it’s a damn shame that I can’t speak my own language fluently!). 

It doesn’t have to be a language, the beauty of the internet is that there is a plentitude of resources available to learn most skills. Whether that’s learning how to cook a dish from your favourite country, learning Japanese calligraphy, or just researching new, foreign music. The easiest way to learn a new skill is to sign up to something like SkillShare (who offer a free month, and a HUGE catalogue of different skills to learn. I am currently doing a graphic design course with them), or even just watching youtube tutorials while you’ve got some time on your hands. 

Use the link below to get your free month and 30% off your annual membership with SkillShare!

30% Off Annual Membership – Direct to Pay

5. Travel on Streetview 

I don’t know about the coronavirus travel ban, but I’ve been using GoogleMaps street view to virtually travel since forever! Just go to maps.google.com and use the little yellow man to view a destination from street level. Whether it’s dropping into crazy busy times square or marvelling at the remoteness of Kiribati. You’ll be able to travel without leaving your bed. The best thing about Google street view is that I’ve been able to find some of the most stunning hidden gems just by dropping into random places.

For example, after about half an hour dropping into random places in New Zealand, I came accross a HUGE hidden sand-dune about 2 hours north of where I was living in Auckland. You can bet, when I got the chance, I drove straight there and had the whole place to myself (this place ended up featuring in my must do day trips from Auckland, which you can read here). It was remarkably beautiful! Try it out for yourself. You may just discover a new, mind-blowing place that only you know about. 

Pin this during the coronavirus travel ban and remember to stay safe!

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