10 things to do when you cannot travel to bring some travel vibe.

Traveling is a privilege and most of us cannot travel every time we feel like it. Some Instagrammers and bloggers would argue with me, but that’s the reality. Nowadays, we are all forced to stay at home for our own safety. If you are one of those people, who have a serious travel bug, you might feel a little unsettled, but there are ways to satisfy that feeling. I’d like to invite you to use this time to plan your dream trip, learn a new language or just simply sink into reading.

Cook a dish you ate on your travels

This is probably one of my favourite post-travel activities. I love trying different foods on my travels and the ones that I especially liked, I recreate at home to bring memories back. As traveling has been put on hold (I silently hoped it’s not a long while), I cook more. I thought it would be fun to recreate as many dishes from all over the world as possible during the lock down, so you can expect more posts for foodies. Did you try my Polish cheesecake recipe yet? I have a list of other dishes I love that I’m planning to cook and share with you soon, so watch this space.

Visit a virtual museum

For me museums are great when I can feel the atmosphere of the place. There is so many museum that now have virtual option. Some say that it’s even better (no crowds), I prefer being inside and watch artwork up close. Undoubtedly however, it is a great opportunity to see some great art pieces all over the world.

Listen to music from the last country you visited

Way back, long before I even knew what travel blogs are, I took on a short Spanish course in Granada. I had plans to immerse into the Spanish way of living, taking afternoon siestas, wandering cobbled streets and watch sunsets over Alhambra. I spent over two weeks doing just that…except a few hours a day of sitting in a classroom learning hola and buenos días.

I was quickly hooked on a slower pace of life in the Andalusian town. I would go to the same places over and over again. Have you been to Granada? If not, I don’t know if I have words to describe the charming squares Granada has. I spent hours on the mentioned charming squares listening to street musicians skillfully playing guitars and filling the space with the sound that says ‘it’s Granada’. I purchased a CD. A real old fashion CD, I don’t have a player anymore, but whenever I hear a melody of Spanish guitar, picturesque Granada with majestic Alhambra is right in front of my eyes and the idle, warm evening with tinto de verano in my hand are real again.

This is the power of music, it just takes you back to places.

Make a photo book

This is such a trend nowadays. To print photo books, it is. Where did the old good photo albums go? When did they stop being the main character during family events when all the uncles and aunties admired your chubby baby face that your parents shamelessly showed to everyone? Now, my friends, nobody wants the hustle of printing photos and creating scrapbooks or gluing the paper images. It’s nothing wrong with that, photo books are great too. Whatever option you choose, I think it’s a great way to bring some travel vibe into your life when you cannot travel.

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I love printing photos, at some point, years ago, I would print a couple of hundred photos after each trip. Don’t ask me questions about why there’s no space in my closet. Having paper photos to touch and put them together in an album is a form of reflection, journal writing even. I used to make albums with carefully written anecdotes, but when you are on the move a lot, it’s not advisable to fill the boxes with photo albums, they say.

Write a bucket list of dream trips

What is a place you’ve always wanted to visit? The place that makes you stop eating out or drinking takeaway coffee, so you can put your pennies in a piggy bank? I’m sure you have more than one on your mind. I collected coins once for Tenerife, another time for Sardinia, another time for Tobago and other million places I was dying to discover. The years go by, the list doesn’t get shorter. Dreaming never gets old…it is something that drives you.

Just to get you started- this is a part of my travel bucket list:

Japan, preferably in spring,
Sri Lanka (for my delayed birthday as Covid-19 had different plans for me this year)
India,
Seychelles,
Maledives,
Kazakhstan,
South Korea,
Nepal,
Alaska.

Now it’s your turn.

Watch a movie set far away

Just after reading a book, watching films is the best way to ‘travel” (well…after that and real traveling). Ever since I watched Into the wild, Alaska proudly landed on my bucket list. Want some romantic story set in Europe? Under Tuscan sun is one of the movies I could go back to. I guess I don’t have to even mention Eat, pray, love. In desert and wilderness, based on a novel written by a Polish Nobel Prize winner, it would be my recommendation to take you on a tour in the African landscapes.

Read a book

Nothing boosts your imagination like reading a book. I especially like stories set in faraway places. There’s something magical about deserts, jungles and tropical seas in books. It almost makes you feel like you are there watching the characters live their narrative. If you are looking for some book recommendations, have a look at one of my last posts that include some of my favourite stories, including a Polish Nobel Prize laureate.

Plan a dream trip

Planning a trip when there is no possibility of traveling on the horizon? Are you crazy?! I might just be, but I’ll tell you something: “why not?”. Sure…you cannot book flights yet or reserve hotels because you are either broke or some virus changed your plans. But you can do everything else that comes with planning a perfect trip. Years ago I really wanted to go to Turkey. I spent hours planning the trip, but when it came to booking a flight the prices miraculously quintupled and my whole plan got ruined. I had to quickly make a new plan. Don’t worry, my Turkey plan came in handy years later. Now with more time on your hands, chose your destination, research (travel blogs are a great place to start), write down what you want to see and do, even pick your favourite hotel.

Recreate photos from your travels

I haven’t done that yet and I’m not sure I ever will. “So where this idea came from?”, you might ask. I was scrolling down the other day my Instagram feed ( and I’ll tell you, I’m spending there more time than I’d like to) and I stumbled upon one of the posts of @heleninbetween, who did exactly that. It looks like fun going through past photos and building Saharan dunes in the back garden to recreate favourite travel photos. When I do mine, I’ll let you know. In the meantime my creativity left me alone in the apartment.

Learn a language

I am obsessed with Turkish and Italian although I am not learning either of these languages. Watching programs and listening to people speaking these two languages brings with joy and makes me feel like on holidays. There were times I could not resist Spanish, I switched the settings on my computer and photos to Spanish (oh boy! I don’t recommend you doing that unless you know a few words already) and I dreamed of warm Spanish sun and charming old towns. That’s how it all started.

Do you want some learning language tips? Check it out here.