If you’re starting to feel like the skies are always gray and so is your mood, then you might need something to brighten your day. When I feel this way I do what I call travel without traveling and I plan a trip. Sometimes it’s a trip that I am going to take in the coming months but most of the time it’s a what-if trip. What if I had 6 months to travel? What if I had unlimited funds? What if I could pack up and get away just for the weekend? Where would I go, what would I do? The great thing is there’s no pressure to actually book or commit to anything. You can include others in on your at home travel dreaming, or not, it's totally up to you.
My travel without traveling plans brighten my outlook, gives me something to look forward to and sometimes I find a great deal that I might not have found at another time. The following are 7 things that I do to travel without traveling. So don’t get gloomy, get to dreaming travel and check them out.
1. Read Travel Blogs
Instead of just going online and doing a search for travel destinations, I get inspiration for travel by reading other travel bloggers. Travel bloggers posts are created from a viewpoint of someone who has experienced the culture and traveled the destination.
My favorite travel bloggers right now are:
Nomadic Matt: Matt is all about helping you travel better for less money. He inspires travel by sharing tips on destinations around the world for everyone from the solo female traveler to families. Nomadic Matt's Blog
The Pin the Map Project: Nikki is one of my favorite bloggers because she writes with such passion and truth. Her photos and videos completely transport you to new places. It always looks like she is having so much fun. Nikki is #goals for us travel dreamers. The Pin the Map Project Blog
Intrepid Introvert: This blog is great for destination planning. Right now Hannah has great information on Austria, Bosnia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA, and Vietnam.
2. Check Out Listings on Airbnb
Are you dreaming of staying in a chic apartment in the heart of New York City, a bright spacious villa in the lush countryside of Italy, a relaxing retreat by the sea, or a charming castle with a turret in Ireland? Then go on Airbnb and explore the world.
I have so much fun checking out listings on Airbnb when thinking about the possibilities for my next trip. I either start with a destination I am planning on visiting or check out Airbnb’s feature destinations and experiences. Once I choose a destination I start looking through their listings by checking out the host's photos, descriptions and their guidebook. If a host has posted a guidebook it’s a good source for local information. Next, I may check out the reviews of homes that I am actually interested in staying at in the future. I save the listing in a folder on Airbnb, giving it a name, like Dream Homes, Europe Writing Trip or the name of the city I am interested in visiting. Then when I am ready to travel I have a place to start for my accommodations. My 6 week trip to the UK in 2017 started as a travel without traveling session.
Check out my post, My Summer at Home with Airbnb.
Click here to explore Airbnb.
3. #Travel on Instagram
There are tons of Instragrams with travel as the main focus. Photos are great inspiration for sparking the emotions and getting you invested in taking your next trip.
My favorite Instagram travel photographers right now are:
@25.crish Cristobal H.
@aveena1357 Aveena Yogaraj
@christianfernweh Chriistian Ferweh
@dmitry_vozdvizhenskiy_photo Dmitry Vozdvizhenskiy
@ericagmcrathh Erica McGrath
@myadventuresacrosstheworld Claudia Tavani
@pinthemapproject Nikki Vargas
@tom.in.southend Tom in Southend
@wearetravelgirls We Are Travel Girls Community
Compilations of featured photographers:
@cathedralgram Cathedralgram
@guysdo_travel Guys Do Travel
@viewfervor Vacations|Travel|Nature
@yogaescapes YogaEscapes
For a specific location I like these right now:
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health @kripalucenter
Visit East Lothian @goeastlothian
Hadrian's Wall Path @hadrianswallpath
4. Pinterest
You might already be using Pinterest for your DIY projects, but did you know you can find and save resources for taking your dream trip on Pinterest? Pinterest can be your very own vision board of travel. It has ideas on unique destinations, great top 10 lists on almost anywhere in the world and guides for things to do, what to pack and pretty much anything else you can think of.
New to Pinterest, set up an account by clicking here. Sign up using Facebook or Twitter, choose a username and set up a profile. Create a board, label it anything you want, install the "Pin It" button to your web browser or add pins via the "Pin It" button on the website you are reading and follow the prompts to create your pin.
5. Travel Magazines
Magazines are still a great source for travel dreaming and getting the latest news and information on exciting destinations around the world.
I get inspired by Travel+Leisure, National Geographic and any local or regional magazine on a destination that I am interested in.
6. Trip Advisor
In my travel without traveling time, if I find that I just might be ready to start booking a trip instead of just planning one, I check in on Trip Advisor to read the reviews by other travelers, find out about local attractions and check out the best value on hotels.
If you download the app you can use the “My Trips” feature and bookmark places of interest that you can share with others and, more importantly, access during your trip. Check out Trip Advisor.
7. Travel Movies
There is absolutely nothing in the world like traveling through the movies to a destination that you haven't been yet. It is the ultimate inspiration for me and these 5 movies don't disappoint.
Eat Pray Love- a biographical film about a woman on a quest to travel the world and rediscover herself. Italy, India, Bali
The Way- a father travels to recover the body of his son who died while walking the Camino de Santiago and decides to take the pilgrimage himself. Spain
Wild- focuses on one woman's journey after heartbreak as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail.
Oregon, Vancouver, Washington
Midnight In Paris- a writer travels to Paris and re-creates what it was like in the 1920's. Paris
Given- the story is told through the eyes of a 6 year old as his father takes the family on a surfing adventure through 14 locations to fulfill his father's legacy. USA, Australia, Fiji, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Marshall Islands, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Peru, Senegal, South Africa and Thailand.
Holiday traveling is now a memory and Summer Vacation is still months away. Travel without traveling gives you a temporary escape that could lead to a great future vacation, because it can’t stay gray forever.