History was, and still is, being made. We all went through unprecedented times which aren’t over by a long shot. We were locked down inside our houses barely able to venture out except for essentials. Even though we are now in “unlock” phase, life has by no means returned to normal. It’s a doubt it ever will. For travel lovers like me, times are even tougher. Wanderlust is biting at our heels but there’s nothing to be done to appease it. Or is there?
Itching to travel?
Well, there is a close substitute we can opt for. We are in the digital age where all information is available at the tips of our nimble fingers. We can use this to our advantage to feed our travel thirsty cells.
The whole world has simply gone online – whether it is their work or shopping or socializing or entertainment. That is the only way to travel right now. Even if tourism, hotels etc. are opening up, we have a long way to go to be safe and free from this deadly virus. Until then, “virtual” is the way to be.
The various ways in which we can do so are enumerated below…
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
The social media and internet is filled with images of anything and everything. I choose to look at travel pictures posted by individuals or groups whether it be Insta or Twitter or Pinterest or blogs or plain old Google images. I follow Insta accounts of avid travelers who have been to places I would someday like to visit. Just ogling those images brightens my day.
For example, the picture below. It’s like I am there in Manarolo – walking along that brick path, hearing the chugging of that boat coming in to shore and feeling the impact of the amazing blue waters against the sheer rock face.
Reflections…relive 10 days in 10 minutes
Revisit your own memories and travel back into that vacation again. I like to take out my pictures and scroll through them – it brings backs those experiences as if they were yesterday. It spawns a conversation like: “Remember when we climbed those 100 steps?“, “Hey wasn’t this where we ate that yummy chilli chicken?”, “We got stuck in the snow here, remember?”, “We shopped till we dropped“. It’s like you live that trip again in those 10 minute conversations and pictorial memories.
Live Vicariously
Visit blogs and read about/see another person’s journey. Blogs about travel, about exotic or ordinary places, about experiences will take you on virtual tours of places known and unknown. There are a few blogs and vlogs which I follow; through the narration of their visits, their experiences they take me to those places, help me get an idea of what a place looks, feels and sounds like.
Some of my favorite blogs are The Ordinary Traveler, Earth Trekkers, Wanderlust Crew and Our Escape Clause.
You can also look at the posts on my blog 🙂 I’m taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter‘s My Friend Alexa.
Knowledge is Power
Read up on the history, geography, culture, weather of places you would like to visit someday. Know more via Wikitravel, Google and similar websites, travel books etc. Knowledge helps you visualize, helps you create a picture of the place and will ultimately help you plan for your future travels.
Virtual Reality
You know what I discovered on a social media site?! There are virtual tours which you can go on! These are of varied locations, monuments etc. This particular one I saw was of Africa – a guide and a photographer will take us along and introduce us to an African national park and a prominent city. That sounded so exotic to me! I aim to join this and learn about the culture, heritage and simply enjoy a new country while sitting in India.
Think Ahead
The best thing to do now, in my opinion, is to plan for your next trip. Dream about where you want to go when the cursed lockdown is finally over or at least things are back to normal. Use this time effectively to make up your travel calendar – when to go where. The points I mentioned above are steps towards planning for your vacations. Research to your heart’s content while you’re working from home.
- Look up images
- Read up on the history of your destination
- Know about other people’s experiences via TripAdvisor or,
- Visit personal travel blogs. The blogs I mentioned are part of what I use to plan my trips actually.
- Take virtual tours to understand more about the place before you even visit the place. Were we ever able to do this in the old times?
Planning keeps you satiated but also keeps you motivated to pursue your goal to visit lands unknown or revisit known places like maybe your favorite holiday spot.
Pic credit: VectorStock 
Pic Credit: AMA Insider
I hope this post made your day a little bit happier and helped to not lose hope but look forward to the future.
“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” ~ W.B. Yeats
Hahaha these are awesome ways to travel virtually. But I prefer spending time doing other things and leave the travelling for real whenever that can happen.
With lockdown, I too experienced a lot of foreign attractions from the comfort of my house. Thanks to technology I could do that. Will surely try a few options that you’ve shared.
I agree the last few months have been mundane and we have been watching our photos and reliving our past holidays. Instagram too is my fav place to check travel pics.
Real travel is the best avenue to escape the daily drudge. But in the covid era, it isnt really possible. Your way is a refreshing take.
This is next best thing I guess.
I guess for the time being we will need to do these virtual tours !
I had read a lot about virtual tours. seems like a great way to visit wonderful places at comfort of your home. loved other options too suggested by you.
For travel addicts the virtual trips are the best alternatives during lockdown. 360° virtual tours are also interesting.
Agree about the 360degree tours. Another good way.
Oh, yes. This year is being largely about globetrotting via the Internet.Totally love this visual trip. 🙂 We had to cancel a trip & this still felt better.
Actually we too had to cancel a trip and digital travel helped me feel better to some extent.
I don’t know if that works for people. For me it makes me crave more to travel.. 🙈
Great ideas to travel virtually but I spend my time more with family and kids and other hobbies! Wana travel soon after the pandemic
I agree with you, right now the safest way to travel is virtual. Every weekend we look at our old travel pics and videos, it gives such relief. I wasn’t aware of virtual tours, will check them out.
You won’t believe, I did one of these things during the lockdown. I googled beautiful places of the world and read about them. It was so pleasing to see pictures and trying to visualize myself there.
Wow thats so cool. It’s lovely I agree. I do this often too.
I’ve found some interesting experience on freebirds.co, perhaps you can add them to the list!
And… waiting waiting waiting for the restrictions to lift!!
Okay, this was a different topic. As much as I appreciate the thought behind this, I am not really sure if this works on me. hehehe the more pictures and videos I see, the more I want to travel.
On the other hand, my little one is truly enjoying the virtual tours her school organizes every week.
Had no clue about virtual tours. I am definitely checking that out. And also waiting for the cursed lockdown to get over so we can travel safely, if no where else or exotic location but to meet my parents.
This lockdown certainly took all of us on virtual trips, reviving memories of old tours and vacations to feed our travel thirsty cells – I so loved this word.
The VR and pleasing pictures certainly brings the much needed smile and refreshes the mood. Nice post.
Loved the concept of digital travel. I guess a new term. Well, in lockdown or when most of the places are under restriction this is the best one can do isn’t it. And if we look into the lives of our parents and grandparents this is how they travelled most of the times…through postcards and pictures. Like your blog. Keep the wandering spirit going. All the best.
#MyFriendAlexa #ContemplationOfaJoker #Jokerophilia
Thank you for your words.
Thats such impressive advise to all of us yearning step out!
I watch lot of travel videos on YouTube , so it’s a kind of virtual visit to those places 🙂
In the current times, this is all we can go if we want to travel. And make plans of course. I love the concept of digital travel.
Technology has been a big blessing during this lockdown. From working to virtual traveling, all have been made possible thanks to tech and the internet. I really enjoyed reading your post.
Nice list, limited to Instagram feeds and recently focusing on the travel board websites for such virtual travel tours… though it cannot compensate actual travel, trying to compensate for now 🙂
Transporting self to the place through images is a good idea and we need to this till this pandemic ends. I like watching tour travels in Travel xp
Me too! I like Travel XP!
Scenic pictures and travel stories really do allow us to do some armchair travelling if not real.
Yes Nils, this is exactly what I do. Going back to memories is the best way to relive those days. But sometimes, they make you emotional and urge you to just get up and go.