5 Ways to satisfy wanderlust without traveling

 There are many factors that could prevent you from going on the vacation of your dreams. In the age of Coronavirus, cruise lines have lost hundreds of millions of dollars as ships are docked, and many hotels are closed, even if you wanted to stay the night.

If COVID-19 isn’t what’s keeping you from taking that vacation, it could be your finances. It could also be that you simply don’t have the time you can take off of work.

No matter what the reason, you aren’t doomed to gaze out the window and feel depressed that you can’t scratch your itch to travel. There are things you can do to feel a little closer to even the most far-flung corners of the world without leaving town.

How to Scratch Your Itch to Travel When You Can’t

Tour Your Own City

Many of us develop habits within our own neighborhoods. We visit the same restaurants, go to the same stores, and drive through the same line to get coffee every morning. There’s nothing wrong with building daily habits like these, but there’s so much more your city has to offer!

It’s actually quite easy to be a tourist in your own hometown, and it’s a great way to feel like you’re on vacation, even when you’re not. A few ideas include:

• Visiting a local museum

• Seeing a show at a local theater

• Walking through a historic part of town

• Getting a hotel room for the night

If you have a little time, consider visiting a neighboring town. Chances are, there’s a town square or business district you’ve never visited before.

Taste a New Cuisine

There are a lot of things that make traveling great, but the food is undeniably one of the best. There’s nothing like immersing yourself in new flavors and delicacies that you’ve never heard of before.

Chances are, you don’t have to travel halfway around the world to try something new. Many cities have restaurants with dishes from all around the world that you have never tried.

Consider trying the Thai place across town you’ve never been to, hop a town over to try a local restaurant you’ve never been to, or simply choose something different than you normally would from the menu. It supports an adventurous attitude, which often comes along with travel.

Style Your Bedroom Like a Hotel

If you don’t have a lot of time, you may not be able to explore your city as if you were a tourist. If you don’t have a lot of money, you won’t be eating out and shopping either. Instead, consider transforming your bedroom into your own 5-start hotel retreat.

Even just a few changes can elevate your space and make it feel extra special. Try things like:

• Place reading lamps by either side of the bed.

• Buy new sheets, or at least change your bed into new, crisp, clean sheets.

• Tuck in the corners of your sheets and add a few extra throw pillows to the bed.

• Set a tray on the mattress with the TV remote, a few chocolates, and a magazine.

Consider Hosting Airbnb or CouchSurfing Guests

Just because you can’t go anywhere doesn’t mean you can’t interact with people from different cultures! Consider hosting Airbnb or CouchSurfing guests.

The CouchSurfing app is an especially great choice for those who get the itch to travel often because this app is unlike any other. Hosts do not charge for lodging, so you can invite someone, even if you have very little space. The app also enables you to hang out with other members or create events, which is a great way to make friends with people from other cultures.

Start Planning Your Next Trip

Knowing you can’t go on vacation yet can be a bummer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning your next trip!

This is a particularly effective way to scratch your itch to travel because studies have shown that planning a vacation is actually better than taking it. Just looking forward to the good times you’re going to have can make you feel better about being stuck at home.

The more details you plan, the better. Pick your favorite bed and breakfast and plan out your nightly activities. Write them down so that when you do have the time, the money, and the ability, you can take the trip you have been planning for so long.

There’s nothing like traveling the world, but if you can’t, don’t fret! There are things you can do to cure your wanderlust until you can board a plane again.