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What do you do when you have a travel itch that you can’t scratch? What if you want to go on a trip, but – for whatever reason – you can’t travel? We are sharing our best tips for how to scratch that travel itch…even when you can’t get away.
Itching To Travel
Trust us, we’ve been there…we’ve all been there. Anyone looking to travel will sometimes find themselves in a quandary. Even as full-time travelers, there are occasions when we are desperate to travel to a new place, but something is keeping us from getting on a that train, plane or automobile.
Historically, time and money – or lack thereof – are two of the greatest travel inhibitors. However, there are many obstacles keeping people from traveling. Family obligations, health concerns, conflicts and economic uncertainty are major travel impediments as well.
How Deal With The Travel Itch When You Can’t Travel
Whether you are low on funds, can’t take the time off work or have commitments keeping you from traveling, you can use our tips for what to do when you want to travel…but can’t.
Plan Your Next Trip
Planning a trip – regardless of how far in the future it might be – is an excellent way to tame the travel bug. We enjoy every aspect of travel planning – from researching underrated destinations to delving into the nitty gritty details of booking adventures.
Reading travel guidebooks – we have used both Lonely Planet and Rick Steves’ – is another good way to get motivated to start making travel plans.
We also recommend getting (and staying) organized by using our Trip Planning Printables, so whenever you’re ready to travel…you are ready to travel!
Start planning your trip! Search for the lowest airfares, the best accommodations and fun things to do…then start packing! Want more travel advice? Head over to our Travel Planning Page for more tips on traveling – and for country-specific information, take a look at our Travel Guides Page!
Save Money For Future Trips
While we are firm believers (and proof) that you don’t need to be rich to travel, there is no doubt that travel costs money. And, for many people, coming up with the cash for trips is what keeps them from traveling. To avoid having to ditch a trip due to lack of funds, travelers need to become savers.
There are hundreds of ways to buckle down and save money for travel. From opening a dedicated savings account to tracking your spending, which will likely unveil some unnecessary expenditures!
A fun way to physically watch your travel fund grow is with a decorative Adventure Fund Jar. Even if you only fill it with loose change or small bills, it will stand as a reminder of the goal that you are working towards.
That said, we share concrete advice on how to plan trips on budget – and even include a free budget tracker – in our Vacation on a Budget Series.
Pro Tip: People are often amazed by how little changes in lifestyle can add up to a whole lot of change in your pocket. Before our first year-long trip around the world, we saved for three years. We’ll send you our 25 top tips including the specific details of how we saved – and where we cut costs. All you have to do is sign up!
Read Books About Travel
There is a saying that by reading a book people can travel without ever moving their feet – and we think there is a lot of truth in that idea! We’ve gotten lost in countries we have never physically visited by opening books and reading about them.
There are heaps of books about travel – in the form of personal stories and tales set in distant lands. Some must-read travel books – like On The Road by Jack Kerouac, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson – are classics that can be read time and again.
Some of our favorite books about travel are Love With A Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche, The Yellow Envelope by Kim Dinan and Lonely Planet’s The Travel Book.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and Wild by Cheryl Strayed are also good for armchair travel adventures. Culinary travelers can read about a chef’s search for the world’s perfect meal in A Cook’s Tour by the late Anthony Bourdain.
Pro Tip: The book 1,000 Places To See Before You Die is an excellent book for people with the travel itch who are seeking inspiration for new destinations!
Decorate Your Home With Inspiring World Maps
If we walk into a room with map artwork hanging on the wall, we are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. From creative map wall decorations to accurate depictions, world maps ignite our wanderlust. With just one glance at a map, we remember the locations we have visited – and dream of the places we have yet to see.
In fact, whenever we are itching to travel, the first thing we do is look at a map. Whether to simply daydream or to focus on specific routes and destinations, maps are a go-to cure for that itchy travel bug. Which is why they make the perfect home décor!
Pro Tip: There are thousands of maps – from artistic portrayals to pushpin maps to detailed wall-sized illustrations – that can be used for home decor. We recommend searching World Map Wall Art to find the perfect one for your home!
Make Destination Dinners
We think indulging in local cuisine is an essential part of travel. However, when travel is not possible, we like to bring international cooking into our kitchen.
A tried and true way to appease a travel itch is to feast on international fare. While we may not be able to expertly recreate the famous Vietnamese Dishes of Hanoi or master the art of Pintxos from Basque Country in Spain, it doesn’t keep us from trying!
The world’s most popular cuisines – like Italian, Thai and Indian – are likely available at local restaurants. However, we think it’s more fun (plus more economical when saving up for a big trip) to cook meals from around the world at home!
Pro Tip: Need help with where to start? A cookbook, like My Street Food Kitchen, introduces an array of foods from around the globe. The Dirty Dining Adventurer’s Cookbook and Anthony Bourdain’s Appetites Cookbook are also raved about by fellow travelers.
Learn A New Language
Foreign languages are fascinating! A great way to gear up for a trip – or to feel a connection to a place you have visited before – is to learn their language.
To truly master a foreign language will take time and dedication – and a proven educational format. Rosetta Stone is a leader in language learning; they offer bundled sets (Lessons, Grammar Book and Dictionary) in French, Spanish and German – and many others, too!
Those interested in learning more than one language, however, will want to purchase the Rosetta Stone Unlimited Lifetime Access to 24 languages.
Pro Tip: Travelers who struggle with learning foreign languages should have a back up plan for the next trip. This Language Translator Device can be useful when traveling to places where you don’t speak the language and may not always have a Wi-Fi Connection.
Watch Movies Filmed in Afar Places
Just like books, movies have the ability to transport people to far flung places and on adventurous journeys. Anyone who is itching to travel can quell the impulse to pack a bag by watching an excellent travel movie.
There are hundreds – thousands – of travel films that span nearly every genre, which practically ensures that there is something for everyone. We have too many favorites to list, but a few that immediately jump to mind are The Way, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and French Kiss.
When it comes to series, the Indian Jones movies are adventurous classics – and the Before series (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight) is a good travel romance trilogy.
Travel documentaries are another good source of solid travel inspiration. A few of our top picks include Travels With My Father, 180° South, Street Food and No Reservations.
Pro Tip: Amazon Prime has heaps of travel shows, documentaries and movies, too! If you are not already a member, sign up for your free 30-day trial!
Organize Travel Photos From Previous Trips
One of the best ways to vicariously travel is through your own past trips! If you were smart enough to organize your travel pictures, go ahead and dust off your old photo albums and take a trip down memory lane.
This works for digital photos, too. We can spend hours scrolling through our Instagram feed and digitally uploaded photos.
That said, a good way to tame the travel itch is to take the time to organize travel photos. If you never quite got around to putting your travel pics in albums or frames (or never even printed them), now is the time to finally do it!
It is easier than ever to get photos printed. Upload them, have them shipped and then organize them into photo albums. You can also turn your favorite pics into canvas wall hangings, posters or coffee mugs.
Pro Tip: Travel photos make the best souvenirs…but only if they are high quality pics. Use the time when you are unable to travel to work on your photo-taking skills – and consider upgrading your camera. We travel with a DSLR Canon Rebel – it’s a perfect budget camera for beginner photographers and takes excellent pictures!
Check out our massive lists for the Best Useful Travel Gifts and Unique Travel Gifts!
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