How to Cure Wanderlust When You Can’t Travel

Whether you are reading this during the time of the COVID-19 stay at home order or for whatever reason you just can’t travel at the moment, I think these tips will help you get through your feelings of wanderlust when you can’t take that trip you’ve been dreaming of.

They have definitely helped me get through the last month and a half or so while we go through this pandemic situation that has everyone feeling uneasy about life in general. Since I don’t even know when we will be able to travel again, I’ve have had to come up with unique ways to do so.

Here are my tips for how to cure wanderlust when you can’t travel!

6 Ways to Cure Wanderlust When You Can’t Travel

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1. Create Something With Your Memories

Getting a little creative always seems to help, especially when it comes to sharing your favorite travel memories. One of my favorite things to do with my travel photos is to create a digital photo album. You can do a basic album like what Amazon Prints offers, or something more customizable like what Shutterfly offers. This can create hours of fun not only by building the book but also by reminiscing about those past trips. In the end, you will have a memory book to always go back to when you miss that place.

A few more ways you can share your travel memories are to post them on Facebook or Instagram, or if you are really up for a challenge, start a blog and share your photos and stories that way!

2. Explore Virtually

Nowadays there are so many ways you can virtually explore a place! During COVID-19, the only way for people to travel is virtually, and it seems like everyone is creating more and more digital content for this purpose.

You can tour The Vatican, walk through Machu Picchu, or climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park! There are so many options and the best way to find them is to Google “virtual tour of” plus whatever city or place you want to see. It might also help to visit the website of the area’s tourism board as they may have a collection of virtual tours available.

To virtually visit Orange County, California, check out these websites:

• Virtually Visit Dana Point
• Virtually Visit Laguna Beach
• Virtually Visit Newport Beach
• Virtually Visit Huntington Beach

3. Plan Your Next Trip

Probably the most exciting thing you can do is plan your next trip! With so many awesome planning resources available, now is the best time to plan a trip. Explore your dream destination virtually, save those picture-perfect photos of places you want to see on Instagram, get on Pinterest and pin blog posts about the destination, or purchase a destination guide (Lonely Planet Guides are my favorite), and get reading and start planning! Once you’ve decided on a place, go ahead and mark all of the places you want to see in Google MyMaps so you have it when you are ready.

4. Escape Into a Good Book

It’s so awesome when you find a book that is so good that you can just spend hours and hours reading isn’t it?! If you are not much of a reader you can always settle into a movie though. Here are some top-rated travel books (and some of my personal favorites):

• The Alchemist
• The Year of Living Danishly
• Vagabonding
• In A Sunburned Country
• Turn Right at Machu Picchu
• Eat Pray Love
• Into The Wild
• The Geography of Bliss
• Wild
• Journeys of a Lifetime

5. Create a Bucket List

Creating your own bucket list for when you can travel is an excellent idea. I love tracking my bucket list adventures in my bullet journal and it seems like I’m constantly adding more and more!

To get started, download my free Southern California Bucket List which includes 50 things you must do in Southern California!

6. Try Something New 

If all else fails, try something new. Travel is about having new experiences, seeing new things, meeting new people, tasting new food; do you see a pattern here? It’s all about NEW things. So if you can’t experience these things in a new place, try to experience some new things where you are now. It could even be something as simple as trying a new recipe. Or a new tea. Take a walk on a new street or trail. Start a new puzzle. Play a new game. Read a new book. Challenge yourself in a new way. Learn photography. Start a blog. There are so many ideas!

I hope this helps you find a way to cure your wanderlust, or at least make you feel at ease until you can travel again. If you have any other ideas on how to cure wanderlust please share in the comments!

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