Creative Ways to Scratch the Travel Itch When You Can’t Get Away: How to Satisfy Wanderlust From Home
Sometimes life gets in the way. We can’t always do what we want. Busy schedules, limited finances, social obligations, medical conditions, global pandemics, etc. Whatever the reason may be, there are just times when you may not be able to go anywhere.
However, you can still satisfy your wanderlust with these travel-inspired activities from the comfort of your home! In those moments, when we are stuck at home or daydreaming about the next trip, you can still scratch the travel itch. This post is all about creative travel alternatives and how to travel from home.
Here are some ideas to get you started on your armchair travels!
🧳 Bring the World to You: Hosting Travelers
Host an exchange student.
Invite a student from another country to live with you. You’ll gain a new family member and learn about another culture firsthand. This experience can be enriching for everyone involved – at least that’s what we’ve been told :-p We are hosting our first exchange student this fall – a teenager from Spain! Any tips?!
Host a workawayer.
Workaway programs allow travelers to stay with you in exchange for help with projects around the house. It’s a great way to bring a bit of the world into your home and share your daily life with someone from a different background. I am very interested in trying this one day so if anyone has done this, we would love to hear your stories!!
Host a home exchanger.
Swap homes with someone in another city or country. Platforms like Home Exchange make it easy to find someone willing to trade places, giving you both a chance to experience life in a new location without the cost of accommodation. One way to home exchange without leaving your home is to host hospitality exchanges; if you’ve got a spare guest room or an unused in-law suite, you could put them to work hosting exchangers from around the world.
We have not yet hosted anyone on a hospitality exchange – though we were the guests one time… but the lady actually left town before we got there so we only got to hang out with her cat. But still! We’ve had some amazing experiences while exchanging that we just wouldn’t be able to do if we had to pay for accommodations. If you ever have any questions about home exchanging, just ask! I love to nerd out over this topic.
Want a referral code when you join HomeExchange.com? Just message me!!
⛩️ Immerse Yourself: Cultural Consumption
Watch movies or TV shows
Cinematic journeys can be just as inspiring and impactful as physically visiting a place! The right film or series can have the incredible ability to transport you across the globe from the comfort of your recliner. Through cinematography, compelling stories, and vivid cultural details, you can explore bustling city streets, trek through breathtaking landscapes, or witness historical events unfold in faraway lands. It’s an easy and cheap way to get a taste of adventure and exploration from the comfort of your home!
The White Lotus has been fueling our wanderlust as of late! What’s on your wanderlust watchlist??
Watch a documentary.
Dive into travel documentaries to learn about new destinations. Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” will always be number one in my books, and NatGeo has tons of great docs and docuseries that will have you eager to pack your bags and get out to explore. We’re currently watching Our Planet II and loving it (though it’s also depressing me how badly humans have negatively impacted the flora and fauna of our planet). Send me your favorite recommendations!
Read books.
Travel doesn’t always require a passport; sometimes, all you need is a good book. Non-fiction written by people from other cultures (or about their experiences in them) can offer a fascinating, eye-opening look into lives vastly different from your own. Books about other cultures don’t just teach you about other places; they immerse you in their rhythms, struggles, histories, humor. Whether it’s a memoir by someone navigating two cultures, a deep dive into the flavors of a region, or a journalist’s on-the-ground reporting, I love stories that help me see the world through new eyes. The best ones are equal parts enlightening and entertaining — think armchair travel meets cultural anthropology with a dash of personal growth. Below are some of my favorites. Please share with me your recommendations!
| From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty  | So Happiness to Meet You: Foolishly, Blissfully Stranded in Vietnam by Karin Esterhammer  | Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us by Christine Gross-Loh  |
| How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together by Dan Kois  | Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World by Eliza Reid  | How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: And Other Adventures in Parenting by Mei-Ling Hopgood  |
| We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year by Charles Wheelan  | The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country by Helen Russell  | Airplane Mode: An Irreverent History of Travel by Shahnaz Habib  |
💻 Virtual Explorations
Play WorldGuesser.
WorldGuesser is a free version of GeoGuesser, an online game that drops you into random locations around the world using Google Street View. Try to guess where you are based on the surroundings; it’s a fun way to test your geographic knowledge without getting out of bed.
Use Window-Swap.com
This website allows you to view the world through someone else’s window. It’s a simple yet fascinating way to see different parts of the globe and gain new perspectives. My work-from-home office used to be in a windowless room in the middle of our house, so I would often have this open in a browser on my second monitor to emulate having a window. It was unexpectedly effective!! I’ve even submitted a few “window” videos myself.
🌏 Bring the Destination to Your Home
Host an internationally themed party.
Bring the world to your home by hosting a party with an international theme. There are a lot of ways you could do this, and all of them would be fun! You could choose a country and decorate accordingly, prepare traditional dishes, and maybe even wear traditional attire. You could ask each attendee to bring a dish representing a country of their choice. To make it even more immersive, create a playlist featuring music from that region, learn a few simple phrases in the language to teach your guests, set up a photo booth with themed props, or even organize a trivia game about the country’s geography, history, or culture. Encourage guests to share a fun fact about the place their dish represents!
Learn a new cuisine.
Expand your culinary horizons by learning to cook dishes from a different culture. Online tutorials and cookbooks can guide you through new recipes from around the world. My husband has really gotten into perfecting his pizza dough, and a coworker spends hours hand-rolling pasta. What’s your favorite international food? Maybe it’s time to learn how to make it at home!
Explore local international cuisine.
Visit local restaurants that serve international cuisine. It’s a great way to experience different flavors and cooking styles without leaving your city. I used to be part of an international food book club; each month we picked a travel memoir and would meet at a restaurant that served the cuisine of wherever the book took place. This was such a fun way to not only learn about the world but explore the local food scene and try lots of food I would not have tried on my own.
🧠 Skills and Memory Keeping
Learn a language.
Use apps like Duolingo to start learning a new language. It’s a practical skill that will enhance your future travels and allow you to connect with people from different backgrounds. I’m currently learning Spanish on Duolingo. Let’s be friends!
Turn old trip memories into scrapbooks.
Gather photos, tickets, and souvenirs from past trips and create a scrapbook. It’s a wonderful way to reminisce and keep the memories alive. I have a ton of photobooks and never regret spending money on printing my memories.
I’ve always been fastidious about my photo organization because photos are my love language. I derive great joy to look through photos from past trips. So I take my storage and organization of photos very seriously. Here is my process:
- Automate cloud storage: I have a Google Pixel and live within the Google ecosystem, so I use Google Photos. All of my photos from my phone are automatically uploaded to my Google Photos cloud. My husband and I have a family Google One account and share access to our photos, so all the photos he takes also get automatically uploaded and saved within my photos account.This way I have the full collection of our family photos at all times.
- Organize and download photos: Every month (or quarter, if I’m lazy), I review the photos in our account. First, I go through that month’s photos, deleting things that we don’t need to keep such as blurry shots, screenshots, or memes. Then I download the month’s photos.
- Local storage: I dont store anything permanently on my laptop since devices come and go. Instead, I move all of the photos into their appropriate folders on my external hard drive where my photos are meticulously organized.
- Backup cloud storage: Ive been a Backblaze member for over a decade. You can’t beat their storage deal. $100/computer/year for unlimited cloud storage (though I usually do the 2 year deal since its cheaper). I just plug my external hard drive into my laptop and let the application do its thang. All of my photos are backed up safely in my Backblaze account, where I can easily recover lost files (or things I just cant seem to find anywhere else). And there’s no limit to how many hard drives you can plug in to your computer to backup! 😉
Want a free month of cloud storage on me? Use my referral link!!!
🧭 Local Exploration
Host a themed staycation.
Plan a staycation with a theme in mind, such as “Paris in Spring” or “Tropical Island Getaway.” Consider creating and selling staycation kits to help others enjoy this experience too. If I could, I would help people design themed staycations full time and would love to develop some sort of “staycation in a box” – but that’s for another life. In this life, I will recommend that you DIY! I’ve done it before and plan to do it again; it was SO fun. Themed playlists, movies, food; wear the clothes you would wear on vacation; get creative and have fun!!
Stay a night at a local hotel.
Treat yourself to a night at a nearby hotel; use hotel loyalty points to do it on the cheap. It’s a small escape that allows you to enjoy the amenities and a change of scenery, with or without the kids. We have done this countless times – both together and solo!! – and it always helps pull us out of a funk.
The hotel was not very full, so everyone was able to maintain safe distance while relaxing.
Attend a local cultural celebration.
We’re lucky to live in a country shaped by immigrants — their food, music, art, language, and traditions are not threats; they’re gifts. (You’d think that’d be obvious, but alas.) Attending a cultural festival in your area is one of the best ways to expand your worldview without even needing a passport. You’ll meet people, try new foods, dance to different beats, and maybe, just maybe, leave with a bit more appreciation for someone else’s lived experience.
In Nashville, we’re spoiled for choice. Here are just a few of the celebrations and festivals that honor our city’s diverse communities:
- Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival – A vibrant celebration of Japanese culture held each spring at Public Square Park. You’ll find traditional music, martial arts, food vendors, and even a cosplay contest. https://nashvillecherryblossomfestival.org
- Juneteenth615 – A city-wide celebration of Black freedom and culture, typically held at Fort Negley. Includes music, food trucks, history tours, and educational programming. https://www.juneteenth615.com
- Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival – Held annually at Centennial Park, this massive event brings together over 50 cultures represented through dance, music, crafts, and cuisine. https://www.celebratenashville.org
- Plaza Mariachi Events – Plaza Mariachi hosts regular cultural events celebrating Latinx and global traditions through music, food, art, and dance. https://plazamariachi.com/events/
- Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church – Taste traditional Greek food, enjoy live music and dancing, and tour the beautiful church. My grandmother would have adored this one. Opa! https://www.nashvillegreekfestival.com
- Middle Tennessee Highland Games & Celtic Festival – A celebration of Scottish heritage featuring athletic competitions, live music, and clans from across the region. Just don’t make me eat haggis! 😉 https://midtenngames.com
- Middle TN Pow Wow – a vibrant three-day festival celebrating Indigenous culture, tradition, and community. https://naiatn.org/powwow/
🗺️ Conclusion
Even when you can’t physically travel, these activities can help you scratch that travel itch and satisfy your wanderlust. Whether it’s armchair travel through books and movies, virtual exploration online, bringing the world to your home, or exploring local culture, there are countless ways to keep the spirit of travel alive. Enjoy your journeys, no matter where they may take you!
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