As the COVID-19 virus spreads across the globe, these are troubled times for the travel industry. Airlines are grounding flights, governments are closing borders and travellers are being forced to rethink plans for dream trips they can no longer take – for the time being at least. At some point, the coronavirus and its impact on travel will ease, but in the meantime, how do you satisfy your urge to travel without leaving home?
Take a virtual tour
Just because you can’t physically access a place doesn’t mean you can’t travel there. Take a virtual tour to some of the world’s most incredible museums. The Louvre in Paris, for instance, has these virtual tours on its website, enabling you to enjoy its Egyptian Antiquities collection or explore its mediaeval moat. The New England Aquarium posts regular videos on its website, allowing visitors to enjoy feeding time with turtles or learn about sting rays. If you have a favourite visitor attraction or museum, check out their social media feeds as new photos and videos are posted regularly.
Play around with Google
If you long to stretch your legs and wander without much of a plan, then you can still do so – via Google Maps or Google Earth Pro. Enjoy a walk through a summery Central Park in New York City without the long flight to get there. Explore Cusco’s Plaza de Armas without having to worry about the discomfort brought on by the city’s high altitude. Tackle the historic sights of London, Rome or Paris without the present-day traffic. Stop and look at the elephants in Kruger National Park or watch the boats on Sydney Harbour. Stroll along the white sands lapped by the Caribbean on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. You can go anywhere and it will cost you nothing. Where will you go first?
Look back over past trips
if you’re fortunate enough to take several trips a year, you might find that you never seem to find the time to process what you’ve seen before starting out on your next adventure. Take this opportunity to use the time you would have spent visiting new places to look back over past trips. Catalogue those many photographs you took. Put together the scrapbook you promised you’d make. Find a home on a shelf or a wall to display the souvenirs you brought home.
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Recreate a trip in your own home
If you can’t go to the holiday, let the holiday come to you. Did you enjoy delicious food on your trip to Mexico, Italy or India? Recreate those dishes in your own kitchen. What about that concert or festival you went to? Stream or download opera, classical, pop or rock music and you’ll be right back there. Take a nature hike in your own garden. Switch on a TV documentary and imagine you’re in a museum or ancient monument. Grab a travel book and immerse yourself in a favourite destination via someone else’s words.
Plan for the future
Travelling might be off the cards for now, but there’s nothing to stop you planning where you’ll visit when restrictions are lifted. If you find it hard to decide where to go, take advantage of the many magazine articles and blog posts on the internet to help you create a shortlist. There’s a wealth of information on the Mundana site, from travel tips to city guides. Many of the world’s top destinations have been covered by our knowledgeable writers, from the many highlights of Australia to our recommendations for Zanzibar. We’ve also previously published round ups about the very best drives on the planet, the world’s top river cruises and unmissable luxury train trips.
How are you satisfying the urge to travel in these unprecedented circumstances?