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5 Things to do at Home Since You Can't Travel
We're all stuck at home right now, and if you're anything like me, you want to travel even more than usual because you know you can't! If you're feeling the travel bug, or you're just bored and looking for something to do, consider these things that aren't quite as good as going on a trip, but they'll help you be ready when it's time to travel again!
1) Organize your travel photos
This is one of the things that we always do after a trip that helps us stay organized and makes searching for pictures from past trips SO much easier! If you aren't already, I would highly recommend using Google Photos to back up all of your pictures. It makes sorting and sharing a lot more convenient, and then all of your pictures are safely stored in the cloud if you phone takes a deep dive while you're out on an adventure!
If you are going on a trip with other people and want to be able to share your pictures with each other, Google Photos allows you to easily do so. For example, at the end of every trip, Chase and I create a shared album so we can add in everything we each took and both have access to all of the pictures and videos.
Here you can see the "sharing" section of my Google Photos. Once we have compiled our album of pictures, we can also share it with family and friends who want to see the pictures we took on our trip! Looking for a specific picture becomes much easier when you keep your pictures sorted by the trip instead of in one giant collection along with every other photo you've ever taken!
2) Online shop for some travel essentials
Whether all of this staying at home is making you want to travel for the first time, or you're a seasoned traveler who just wants to update their gear, being bored at home is the perfect time to do some online shopping!
If I had to suggest 4 essential items, they would be a good carry-on suitcase, packing cubes, a neck pillow, and a reusable water bottle. These can get you through a short, weekend getaway, but you'll also find them handy to have on a longer trip! Take advantage of some extra time at home to do some research and find one of each that you like. Here are my suggestions:
Carry-on: I really like this one. I got it for Christmas two years ago and have taken it on a wide variety of trips since. It's easy to steer, has a secret laptop pocket, and has one side that fully closes while the other simply has straps to hold your items in place.
Packing Cube 1: I like these because if I'm going to be stuffing them full, I want to be sure that the zippers aren't going to break, and these are pretty sturdy. I also like the clear plastic bags that come with them because a lot of places in Europe want all of your liquids separate in clear plastic.
Packing Cube 2 : If I'm going to be honest, I got these because I liked the pattern. But the other thing I really like about these cubes is that they're completely open on the top, so you can see what's inside without having to open them up and look. Also a big fan of the laundry pouches that come with them if you know you might have wet or smelly clothes you want to contain.
Neck Pillow: It's hard to recommend a good neck pillow because I'm constantly switching to new ones and this is definitely one thing that depends heavily on personal preference. The one I'm using right now is nice because it's thick, so you don't have to lean your head so far to one side.
Water bottle: So I've said it before... I'm weird about my water. I like this water bottle because it has a filter built in and so whether it's all in my head or not, it makes the water taste better in my opinion. It's not super expensive, but it works! This one is essential for me... I always bring some sort of reusable water bottle with me when I travel so I'm not buying a $5 bottle of water in airports or tourist traps.
3) Make a bucket list
Now is as good a time as ever to hop on Pinterest and get inspired! You can make your list of places to go, things to do on your next trip, or your ultimate vacations.
If you wanna check out some of the things that have inspired me, you can take a peek at my Pinterest page here!
If you're feeling crafty, you can print off pictures, add drawings and labels, random household objects, and create a travel vision board! (This can also be a cool activity to do with your kids if they're at home with you and you need a fun art project!) Chase and I have an ever-growing bucket list that you can take a peek at here.
4) Plan your next trip
This one can be a little tricky, since there's still a lot of uncertainty about when things will be back to normal. However, there is still a lot you can do to be productive planning your next trip! Scope out areas you want to visit. Find a few good hotel options and decide how you plan to get to the sites you want to see.
Do some research on the activities you want to do and maybe consider doing some activities you wouldn't normally consider. The reality is that especially in countries that rely heavily on tourists, the economy is going to be struggling and needing business as soon as travel is an option again. This will likely mean lower prices on activities like scuba diving or boat tours, so if there's something you've always wanted to do but haven't wanted to spend the money on it, now may be the time to consider it!
If you're planning a longer trip, you can start to figure out if there are any smaller stops you want to make along the way. When we planned out trip to France last summer, we ended up doing a day trip to London to visit my cousins. It was super easy to do because there is a train that goes directly from Paris to London several times a day. Same thing later in the trip with Monaco... if you have the chance to do a day trip, do it!!
While you may have to wait a while to nail down the exact details, there's no reason why you can't start coming up with ideas and doing research for your next trip! Get a head start on everyone else so that when we're back to normal you can snag all of the travel deals before anyone else has even thought about where they want to go!
5) Make a travel video
Another thing I love to do when I'm feeling down about not being able to travel, is to look back at pictures and videos from past trips. We since our first big trip together, we have tried to make a video from each of our trips. (Now we may not be very good at getting them done in a timely manner, but better late than never, right?)
Having a video from your trip can be a great way to share about your experience with family and friends, but it also creates a great memory for you! If you're looking for something to do during quarantine, you can access your inner creativity and work on putting together videos of any of your past adventures! It's never too late! (We still have at least three that we need to get done... but you can see the rest here if you'd like to take a peek!)
One of the hardest thing for me right now is to stay motivated with what feels like a never ending quarantine (as of now I'll be here at home for at least another 5 weeks.) This is making it really hard to get things done some days (this blog post is one of those things), so sometimes I just pick one goal for the day and focus on getting just that done. Use these ideas as a travel-prep to-do list and try to do all 5 things, one day at a time.