What to Do When You Can't Travel
I’m getting major wanderlust. I haven’t been able to plan any new travel since my husband lost his job and we had to pack up the house to move. Everything is on hold until our house sells and we find another place to live. He, thankfully, has a new and much better job.
Life throws things in our way and we don’t get to do the things we want to do and we have to put things off. Sometimes it’s a money thing like a lost job. Maybe it’s the health of a parent, spouse or your own health. Maybe it’s just not being able to find the time because you are in a transition, like me. Whatever it is, it’s okay.
What travel does is take you to a new place and a new place can be closer than you think. Not everyone can or wants to trek around Indonesia for a month. You don’t have to go that far to have a new, cool experience.
If you are in the same boat as I am or just don’t feel like making big journeys anymore, you can still get out of your routine and out of your own head.
Try a restaurant you’ve never been to before.
Walk in a park or neighborhood that’s new to you.
Walk in your own neighborhood. Find new trees, new people, new pets.
Take a day trip to a neighboring town.
Do your grocery shopping in a different store.
Spend a weekend learning to cook a dish from another country.
If you like photography, do a photowalk around your town or even your house looking for new angles.
To work up to a photowalk, take a day and make a photograph every 10 minutes. Set a timer and when it goes off, find a new image to capture. You’ll be surprised what you come up with.
Be a host in your home. Rent out a spare room on Airbnb and have the world come to you. Make a guide to your city for your guests.
Travel is just seeing things with new eyes. You can do that anywhere.
