How to satisfy wanderlust when you can’t travel

I published this post back in 2015 originally but ironically this seems more relevant now than ever. In a world where we are banned from being able to travel internationally for an unprecedented amount of time, we have to rely on other means to satisfy our wanderlust.

If you’re anything like me (I’m hoping you are at least a little bit otherwise you may have found yourself on the wrong blog) then you are constantly trying to figure out where your next trip will be. Even when we could travel, I would constantly be looking for the next adventure.

I’m here to help you satisfy your cravings just enough to get you by, whether you’re sitting at your desk staring at the screen in your cubicle or at home lounging on your couch. I’ve put together some tips and tricks to get you by. Some of them might seem silly at first but seriously they work. I can testify as the guinea pig!

Download the Wandertab by Hitlist

I don’t even remember how I discovered this app but I use it everyday and it’s become one of my favourites. It’s one of the most ingenious travel apps I’ve come across. You do need to use Google Chrome for this to work. Justclick this link: Wanderlust by Hitlist.

Once you’ve installed the app, open a new tab on your computer. The first time you use it, the app may take a second or two to load because it looks to determine your closest airport. Now every time you open a new tab (which I find myself doing far too often) you get a gorgeous picture of a random city with a cheap flight available from your airport. In the bottom right hand corner, there is a button where you can regenerate for a new city.

If you see a city and price you like, click on the “flights” button. It’ll take you to a new page that gives you more details on the departure and arrival dates. Click on the one you like, and you’ll be transported to Skyscanner to book!

Regardless of if you’re actually looking for flights or not, it’s a really great resource and tool to use to see what’s out there and what sort of flights you can get last-minute – should you wish to act on the urge!

Take a virtual tour

There are so many places available online now that you can view from the comfort of your own home. It’s ALMOST like you don’t need to visit the destination in person. I use the term almost very lightly because there really is nothing like the real thing but hey, desperate times.

There are tours of natural wonders that you can take. This includes places like the Grand Canyon, Northern Lights, Yosemite Park and more. If anything it will help you get a taste for these spots to visit later.

If nature isn’t your thing and you’re looking for a little bit more culture than consider visiting somewhere like a museum. In fact, some of the most famous museums in the world are now open for virtual tours. My personal favourite is the Vatican

Watch a travel themed movie

Some of my favourite movies are ones that are set in beautiful destinations, some that I’ve visited and some that I haven’t. I mean if you can’t physically visit a destination, you can certainly watch it on a screen and pretend like you’re there.

Some of my favourite movies for travel are:

• Eat, Pray, Love: Italy, India and Indonesia
• Midnight in Paris: Paris
• Vicki, Cristina, Barcelona: Spain
• Under the Tuscan Sun: Tuscany
• Harry Potter: England and Scotland
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: Santorini
• To Rome With Love: Rome
• An Idiot Abroad: 7 wonders of the world
• Mary Poppins: London
• Love Actually: London
• Notting Hill: London
• Mary Queen of Scots: Scotland

Of course there are so many other movies that inspire wanderlust, I just find these ones the easiest to watch and digest. They are also the best ones for actually showcasing destinations and not just being set in the places themselves.

Read a travel-inspired book

As a book lover I would prefer to read about a destination rather than watch it on a screen. I’ve found myself gravitating towards books set in England more so than not lately (can you tell I’m missing England?). While you could read a destination guide or even look at coffee table books focused on travel, I much prefer fiction novels.

Some of the books that I’m reading or have read that satisfy my wanderlust are:

• Becoming Mrs. Lewis – Patti Henry: Oxford, England
• Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert: Italy, Indonesia and India
• New York – Edward Rutherford: New York
• Paris – Edward Rutherford: Paris
• Wild – Cheryl Strayed: Pacific Crest Trail

Obviously the list of books is endless but these are a just a few that come to mind for me.

Plan ahead

For starters, choose your next destination. Look into things like, the average cost of travel or some of the fun things to do in the destination like Puerto Princesa underground river tour in the Philippines. One place Ben and I are really wanderlusting over is Scotland. Surprisingly he’s never been and it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go so once we get the go-ahead to travel again, you better believe this is going to be one of our top spots.

Search through Airbnb. Even if you don’t have a destination in mind, there are so many cool places to visit and stay at. I’m not joking, sometimes I just look through Airbnb and save places for later. I have an embarrassing number of lists ready to go whenever I want them.

Another thing I do is make Google Docs that list out rough itineraries. These will list things like, what to do during our stay, places to eat or things that we should be seeing. I always find that helps us to make the most of the destinations we’re traveling to and is definitely something you can get started on now!

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