Oh remember that amazing part of our lives when we used travel?! Ah well don't give up on it just yet. Our fabulous travel expert Jo Baldwin has some wonderful travel suggestions even whilst we live life in lockdown...
"For all of us trapped inside our homes during coronavirus who are longing to travel the Germans have a word for that feeling: fernweh, an ache for distant places and the craving to travel. It is easy to compare lockdown to a long plane journey. Endless snacks, movies you’ve seen before, drinking at inappropriate times of the day, a vague sense of 'jetlag' and even the kids asking “are we nearly there yet?" However, with lockdown there is no destination, unless you consider moving from the sitting room to the kitchen a holiday. With travel temporarily off the agenda there are a surprising number of ways to scratch that travel bug itch from within the confinement of your own home. Whilst we can't come together in person right now, we can still connect and dream about where we want to go in future.
Many people will be using this time to dream of their next holiday whether it’s at home in the UK or abroad. Now is the time to work on that bucket list and take the time to research where you want to go. Where have you always dreamt of visiting? For future planning and travel inspiration Wanderlust online magazine and Lonely Planet are great places to start.
For travel literature ideas Conde Naste Traveller has compiled a comprehensive list of books to fire the imagination. You can order through your local independent bookseller, most of which are doing home deliveries.
There’s been an explosion of free online resources allowing us to explore the planet from the comfort of our sofas and there are more ways than ever to see and hear the world from home. Rocky Mountain National Park has opened up its ‘sound library’ for the first time to allow you to listen to the sights and sounds of Canada’s most famous park. Elk, frogs, bird song and coyote calls can be heard, as well as the sounds of thunderstorms, wind, streams and even sunrises.
Get whisked away on a virtual walking tour through Florence in Italy, with an expert sharing their conoscenza (“knowledge” in Italian) as they reveal local secrets and tips. Culture vultures can flock to world famous museums and landmarks with free online visits. The Vatican, Picasso Museum, Smithsonian, and The British Museum to name just a few, but for more ideas check Time Out’s list.
For fans of the great outdoors there’s lots of ways to bring the outdoors to your own home. Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii has a virtual tour which explores lava tubes and flies you over an active volcano. One of my favourites, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah has a virtual tour exploring the star-filled night sky and a horseback ride through the canyon from the comfort of your own home.
If you want to bring the holiday vibe to your own home then why not theme a day of the week with a country of your choice? Fun with or without kids involved. Hop across the channel from the safety of your home to spend a day in France with a virtual visit to the Louvre museum for some culture before cooking up some classic French crepes to eat with a café au lait whist squinting in the sun from your home ‘pavement café’ (aka the kitchen table, or patio if you’re lucky enough to have one). Get the kids involved with making French flag bunting to decorate your new French bistro, build the Arc de Triomphe from lego, or attempt a matchstick constructed Eiffel Tower. If you want to speak like a local then Duolingo are offering free sign ups to learn a new language.
The world outside our windows will have changed when we remerge, but it’s still there. The word wanderlust also originated from the German language, and literally means “desire to wander”. Our fernweh and wanderlust will wait. In the meantime we can dream now, and travel later.
If you have any travel queries please don't hesitate to contact me via https://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/jo.baldwin
Take care and stay safe xx