6 Ways to Bring Travel Home During the Lockdown

Lockdown has changed our life. We are working from home. We are meeting people virtually. We are changing our habits of food, exercise and much more. During this time, some of us are missing travelling more than anything else. We are aware of the challenges this world is facing, but, travel is what keeps our soul fulfilled. So what do we do to keep our travel bugs happy?

We look at travel memories and create something out of it. Here are 6 ways to relive your travel memories, and bring travel home, now that you cannot travel physically.

1. Create a travel collage postcard for your friends and family

This lockdown will eventually get over. You will be able to meet your friends and loved ones. When you meet them, hug them and share space. But until you meet them, create a collage from your favourite travel memories. You can use apps like Video Collage to create a beautiful postcard in just a few clicks. Share this on you social media platforms, if you may like, tag your best travel partners, and talk about your trips with them. Trust me it will fill your mind with immense joy.

This is what I did :)

2. Plan for your next trip, whenever that happens

As a traveller, I used to joke about this. I used to say - "either I am travelling, or I am planning for my next travel plan. " I am sure that many of you identify with this. Travel is a feeling, and even when we do not travel, we love to know about new places. So why shy away from that now? Most of the places we travel to, have specific time that suits the trip. So let's imagine when we will be free, and plan for the next country, city, state, hill-station, sea beach, forest.

It will not go in vain. I am planning for Tanzania. Let's see when this happens.

3. Create a travel map. Yes, you will love it.

Every traveller loves the idea of a map. at times, we might find it hard to navigate through, but with the advent of Google map, we are so empowered as travellers, that we kind of love the idea of it. When people ask me - "How many countries have you travelled to?" More than saying 23, I love saying I travelled in 5 continents. It's fulfilling to think about the spread of my footprint across the world map. It's no less to think about the states and cities we travelled in our beautiful country, India.

Try this out, and let me know how it looks. Mine looks like this.

4. World cuisine at home. Travel and food are friends.

How can we separate travel from food? In many places, if we think, our fond memories of a place will be about food. Some funny memories will also be there for struggling with food of a place. I know , I know :) But food will definitely help us relish travel memories, while sitting at the safety of our home.

I am not a cuisine expert. But a little search on internet will flood us with options of good recipes, fairly simple and delicious. I prepared one of my favourite Italian dishes - Fusilli in homemade tomato sauce.

5. Movies that inspired you to travel. Watch them.

You can name at least 10 of them. Can't you? Movies like Tamasha, Into the Wild, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara will alleviate our pains. Yes, we will miss traveling a little more. But, feeling the pain of loving something so much, is cathartic in nature. Not only movies about travelling, but also movies which show local life, culture or place can be great to feed into the feeling of traveling. The experience transports you to a time and space through the characters in the movie, and that is the closest you can get, at this time.

I just watched a movie called, Capernaum. This is a movie about a Lebanese boy and shows his early life in Beirut. What are you watching, that tickle your travelling bone?

6. Watch live streaming of a place in another part of the world. It can get as real as this.

Did you know that there are live streaming websites which capture a place 24X7? They place a camera at a place, and the camera helps you watch the day go by. There are many such sites, which can take you to, let's say, what's happening in Masai Mara or Las Vegas, right now. Isn't that interesting?

I went back to the streets of Houston, Texas. It was fascinating. Ensure to browse through Youtube links or safe websites only.

Source: ABC13 Houston, Youtube

Wish all of you good health, and hope we all get through this soon.

Stay safe. Let me know which one of the above ideas you tried at home.

Keep going places,

Rids