We are all about the travel, even when we’re not travelling. It’s our passion and the thing that drives us to live.
We are also aware that not everyone desires to live a life of travel, nor has the means to travel as much as they’d like. Travel blues is also real, and anyone who has just come back from a massive trip will tell you about their reverse culture shock experiences and desires to hit the road again.
Any life can involve travel, and it might sound strange to you, but you don’t have to physically leave home to enjoy the lessons, experiences, and adventures that travel brings.
Travel isn’t about jetting off somewhere, travel is a journey into the unknown. It’s about finding yourself, trying new things, getting out of your comfort zone, learning about different cultures, diversity, and ways of life, and being more connected to this good Earth.
To prove my point, I’ve prepared this guide on how to travel without travelling, for you insatiable wanderlusters who dream of travel adventures, but can’t pack up your bags and leave tomorrow.
Here is how you can arrive at exotic destinations, without hopping on a bus, train, or plane!
Try something new
I had a friend who told me she couldn’t come out for a night out because she was starting her first knitting group.
My friend is a chic and trendy art director living in Sydney. She travels, paints, parties, and participates in wild and crazy activities like Adventure racing.
“Knitting? On a Friday night? You?” It was the last activity I could picture her doing.
Her response changed my perspective; “Yes, it’s a dying art. I’ve always wanted to learn and I’ve been talking about it for years, so I finally decided to do it. I’ve got friends coming over and we are going to knit together and drink wine.”
As bizarre as that picture of my friend knitting was, I realised that she was taking a journey into the unknown. A journey to a place she had never been before but had always wanted to go.
My friend was going traveling.
Where is that journey for you? Have you always wanted to try something but never got around to it?
Don’t wait any longer. Call up your friends, bring in the wine, and get started.
It doesn’t matter what you do; whether it’s attend a language exchange, join a book club, start a book even, or learn to play an instrument – these experiences are a journey into the unknown, which is what travel is all about.
Live through others
Living vicariously through others grants you the permission to dream big.
This is why I always advocate to never hide the great things about you away. I believe that when you really let your light shine, by doing so you unconsciously allow others to do the same.
When you start to live through others you begin to see what is possible for you.
By listening to the crazy adventures our friends have done, whether abroad or even at home, it instills a sense of wanderlust in me and makes me dream big.
Wow, maybe I’d like to try bungee jumping one day, or hike up a volcano, or host a presentation in front of a room full of strangers and boost my self confidence while doing it.
It is simple things like this that allow you to travel without leaving your seat. By listening to others, you can take a journey into a world that is unlike your own.
Talk to someone new
Every day you are running into someone new, be it the lady who serves you in the corner store, the man walking the dog down the beach, or the stranger who sits next to you on the train.
Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with a new person. I feel as if the teachings of “Stranger Danger” have made us all too paranoid and fearful to extend a smile or a few kind words of friendship.
When you are travelling you are always meeting new people, and you soon discover that talking to strangers is pretty easy and a lot of fun.
Why is it ok to approach someone in a hostel and invite them for coffee, and no one thinks anything weird about it – but when you do it at home, people think you’re strange? It’s time to rewrite that narrative. Who’s with me?
Don’t be afraid to make a new friend. Find out about the life of another person, and you just might learn something new, learn about a new culture, and enrich your life because of it.
Discover your own backyard
Since moving to Raleigh in North Carolina, we’ve been making an effort to take time exploring our own backyard.
What I mean by this is – rather than jetting off on a plane, pack up the car and drive 1-2 hours out of town and see where you end up.
This is a way of travelling without taking a long trip around the country, or a two week holiday in a new destination. It can be as simple as hopping on a train to a new town to discover what life plays out in their streets, or spending the day at the beach.
Look around your backyard. What new things are there for you to explore and enjoy?
We discovered so many cool places in North Carolina because of this.
Live your reasons for travel
What do you travel for? Think about that question for a moment.
Everyone has a different answer to it. Some people travel to learn new cultures, some people travel to discover amazing nature sites, some like to go diving or engage in other activities they can’t do at home.
Think about what your purpose for traveling is, and see if you can find it at home.
If it’s nature you love – go for a hike in the woods. If it’s diving, find local diving enthusiasts and share your experiences together (MeetUp.com and other sites are a great way to find communities in niche areas).
Laugh, Laugh, Laugh
The statistics and research is there to prove the benefits that laughter brings into your life.
Laughter is a journey into joy.
It is pure uninhibited travel.
Laugh every day.
Are you struggling for things to laugh at? Go look at your self in the mirror and pull funny faces. You are so ridiculous isn’t it funny.
Sit with someone you feel comfortable with and take it in turns to give your loudest most ridiculous laugh.
Pretty soon you will find yourself laughing uncontrollably – for real.
Spend time with children
This is probably something I never would have spoken about before I became a mom – my wild and pleasant place.
Kids transport you into an imaginary world. Their curiosity, their wild imaginations, their “I don’t care what people think of me” mentality, is something all grown ups can learn from.
They take you to a place you had long forgotten about.
Life to them is new, it’s interesting, it’s joyous, it’s simple, it’s loving, it’s laughter, it’s pure. And this is travel.
My daughter has me crawling on the ground amazed at bugs, and she has me trying to touch the sky with my toes on a swing. We dance with reckless abandon, we live as princesses and princes in the world of our creating, and we scream out our frustration and in a minute they are gone.
When we look at life through the eyes of a child, it becomes so simple, so easy, so loveable.
Children are more connected then we are and they speak wisdom through their eyes and their words: “Be nice give me chocolate.” (copyright Kalyra Makepeace)
Read travel books
This comes back to the “live through others” mentality. You may not have a lot of travel friends, or perhaps your friends are travelling right now and it’s not so easy to communicate.
You can find more travel friends through books.
Travel memoirs and adventure travel books are a great way to spark your sense of adventure without the need to leave the house.
Some of my favorite travel memoirs that have ignited my sense of travel are:
- The Expedition by Jason Lewis, about a man who circumnavigated the world by foot power (told over three books).
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, about a man who walked in the desert of Andalusia and met an alchemist and learned about his meaning for life (it’s quite spiritual).
- In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson, a hilarious travel memoir about Bill Bryson’s journey in Australia. As Australians, we love hearing other people’s experiences of our home land.
- Wild by Cheryl Strayed, an inspiring novel about walking the PCT
- Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, a classic novel about a middle-class college student who traded it all to live in the wild, to consequently meet his death…aside from the death part, it’s pretty inspiring and there are some lessons about living minimalist, exploration and discovery in there.
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, another classic and one that all women should read. It’s about a woman who gave up her white picket fence and husband for a life of travel.
Write your bucket list
A bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die. I sometimes find the idea of a bucket list depressing because it reminds you of all the things you haven’t done…but it can also be inspiring, and remind you of all the things to look forward to.
As bloggers, we are always thinking of the next great adventure and our bucket list seems to grow larger with every item we cross off it.
Here are some inspiration posts on bucket lists so you can start thinking about your own:
- Top 20 Places in Australia For Your Bucket List
- 25 USA Bucket List Adventures For Families to Rave About Forever
- Don’t Miss These 20 Bucket List Destinations for 2024
- The South America Bucket List: 16 Places To Rave About!
- 18 Festivals Around The World To Add To Your Bucket List!
- 20 Places to See Before You Die: The Ultimate Bucket List
Look at old photos
We’re often living for the future, and reflecting on the past, and rarely remember to live in the present. That’s just how life is.
But looking back on the past is necessary for learning and reminding yourself of your mistakes, of the things you loved, of the things that impacted you.
Go back through your old photos and relive those fond memories again. Not just former trips, but fun times you’ve had.
This is learning about yourself, this is travel.
Learn a language
Learning a language is a useful skill whether you travel or not. Download Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, or any other language apps, and give it a go!
You can also attend language exchanges in your area, or watch movies with the subtitled on so you can learn through translation.
Join online communities
What would we do without the age of social media? It’s both a blessing and a curse.
One of the good things about social media is it can create community. On Facebook, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Facebook groups dedicated to travelers looking for inspiration.
The Solo Female Traveler Network is a group that has over half a million solo female travelers in there – HALF A MILLION – and it’s highly active, so if you’re looking for inspiration, or to find a fellow traveler, this is a great place to start.
You can also find groups dedicated to specific places that you want to go. Look for expat groups or dedicated travel info groups, and join them to see what people are sharing.
It’s a way to live vicariously through others and scratch that travel itch.
Watch travel movies
Similarly to books, movies and documentaries can transport you to another place without the need to leave your seat.
Some of my favorite movies about travel are The Beach, starring Leonardo di Caprio (also a book, which is quite different from the movie), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Motorcycle Diaries and Lost in Translation.
Some travel TV series that I recommend are:
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
- Travels With My Father by Jack Whitehall (on Netflix)
- Long Way Round
- An Idiot Abroad
- Race Across the World (we’d love to do this one day!)
Some documentaries that we’ve enjoyed are:
- Dark Tourist
- Anything by David Attenborough
- 14 Peaks
Watch the documentary film Baraka
Also, if you really want to inspire your mind and see the world without leaving your seat, watch a movie called Baraka.
It means “blessing” and it’s essentially an hour and a half movie about all the most beautiful landmarks on this Earth. It came out in 1992 and was the first movie to be shot in 8K resolution.
It has phenomena shots from 24 countries across six continents. Even today, it’s just phenomenal.
Try new food
Another reason to travel is to try new cuisines. If you’re bored of your local cuisine, try a new one!
Whether you want to try Thai food, sushi, tacos, or pizza – all of these foods come from different cultures and countries.
Virtually explore places using Google Earth
Lastly, another great way to explore without really going anywhere is to do a virtual tour from your arm chair using Google Earth.
Or go to Google Maps and click the street view button.
There are not many places on this good Earth that has not found itself on Google Earth, even the far reaches of the Solomon Islands.
Wander through Chichen Itza in Mexico, or marvel at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, or gaze upon the Acropolis in Greece.
Watch our Youtube Channel
Yes, we have a YouTube channel where we have shared videos of our adventures for the past 15 years!
You can see our road trips across Australia and the USA, our trips to Europe, and much more.
great post, guys! very inspiring and, whether we travel or not, we should all be trying to live this way everyday. oh, and by the way, i believe knitting is all the rage in the US over the past year or so. it has become totally hip! i actually saw a group of early twenty-something girls sitting around in a pub, knitting. i couldn’t believe my eyes!
That’s funny! Time to buy some knitting needles and give it a go. I really don’t think I’d have the patience for it.
I love it, thanks for this wonderful post!
The world doesn’t have to be a big place, just look around and enjoy. Keep on traveling like this!
Emiel
Thank you for commenting Emiel and appreciating the post. You can travel no matter where you are.
Loved this post. Its always one of the hardest things to do when you get back home from a long stint of traveling as well. We always try to incorporate a number of things that we would do on the road. Like taking a different route to work or like you said, speaking to complete strangers. Great inspiring post guys!
Thanks Anthony! You really have to force yourself to do these things when you get home from travelling. It helps you to get over the doldrums and feel like you are living again. I played touch football for the first time last night and I really loved it. I felt that travel buzz return.
Very inspiring post, Love it! True, Traveling is not just the act of displacing yourself from one place to another; it can also be the physical and mental exploration of what intrigues you and of your surroundings.
I’ve found that randomly talking to people is a good way to explore new things. I’m shy by nature, so sometimes it’s hard for me to start a conversation with a random person, even when I would love to. But, on the other hand, I project myself very approachable, so people tend to talk to me first. I guess I should push myself more to talk to someone new every now and then. Lots of interesting conversations and opportunities have come from this.
Thanks Norbert. I used to be really shy as well, so did Craig actually. I think the more you throw yourself out of your comfort zone the further that stretches and the easier it is to approach people. I think projecting yourself as approachable is so important.
Love when serendipity happens, just started my blog kind of about the same thing, finding ways to still be a traveller when I’m not actually traveling in the traditional sense. One way is to read great travel blogs like yours. Thanks for the reminders.
No worries. Thanks for commenting. Look forward to reading more of your posts.
Everyone has different hopes and dreams. It doesn’t mean that because your dreams don’t involve travel they are any less than mine or not worthy of talking about.
SO nice to read that on a travel blog! I feel like a lot of times the travel community looks down on people who don’t want to travel full time. I have a job that enables me to travel (wedding photographer, we do weddings all over) and I actually LOVE having a home base to come back to. I wouldn’t want it any other way! But sometimes I feel like I am less of an authentic traveler because I do that….
Anyway, great writing, very inspirational!
Travel means different things to different people. I don’t think there is one set definition for it. I certainly understand what you say about the travel community looking down on those who don’t want to travel full-time. It really is not something that is for everyone. Different strokes for different folks as my good Irish friend used to say! Thanks for commenting Kyle.
Great ideas. Not everyone can travel, even if they can afford the time and money as they may be disabled in some way.
I’ve got a really inspiring reader of my blog who has severe arthritis and can only just walk, but loves travelling with me through my writings. So we bloggers are doing it for them , and with them.
That’s right. Bloggers can bring the world to those who can’t travel for whatever reason.
I don’t know about knitting but I learned to crochet, does that count? Great list of self exploration tips though.
Absolutely! If it is new little monkey it sure does count.
This is such a beautiful post. It’s something I think avid travellers really get, though we often need a reminder to remember to ‘travel at home.’ For me, laughter is a very important one. When you’re stuck in one place dealing with the daily grind, it helps to keep a good sense of humour. Every single one of these points resonated with me – fantastic advice!
What a lovely post, guys. Truly inspirational advice, for those of us who aren’t travelling, and those of us who are.
Thanks Camden!
Excellent post! Keep an open mind,cast your eyes so you see things differently, and just let it all happen! Cheers!
Thank you Gillian! an open mind is so important to a happy and peaceful life
FANTASTIC post guys! My friends who are working and/or married with children always tell me that they’re jealous of all the traveling I do and I’m constantly telling them that they can still have adventures in their daily lives that don’t involve traveling! Thanks so much for reinforcing that! I’m going to have them all read this post!
Thanks Connie!! I think I have to get a lot of my friends to read it soon. You can travel wherever you are- it’s an attitude more than an actual event
Great post – and such an important reminder. You don’t need to go to the other side of the world to enjoy your life!
Wonderful post, someone once said that we travel to marvel at the people who we wouldn’t pay attention to at home. Interesting thought about keeping the travel spirit in our daily lives.
That really is interesting. I’m just wondering who from my home was I not marvelling at when I should have been. Something to think about
Great advice! So often we just get stuck in a rut without even realizing it, when our own city has so much to offer, but we’re just too blind to see it.
Absolutely. We are starting to regain our sight.
Wonderful life inspiration as ever. Now I don’t feel so bad for glueing my arse to the sofa!
Laughing and hanging out kids are my favorite ideas on this list. I haven’t been able to travel for a couple years now and have learned to enjoy the undiscovered around me. Great post!
Thank you Joya! There is so much around us to enjoy
I love these kind of posts and the idea of “traveling” when you’re not traveling. Especially discovering your own backyard. People always forget the restaurants, sights, and nearby cities that they can explore. Whenever I move someplace new, I ALWAYS end up doing more things than people who have lived there for years. It’s really sad!
I loved this post! You’re very right about inspiring others….Gary Arndt uses the word “travel porn” when discussing his travel photography because people love to view his photos and in a sense live vicariously since they probably won’t ever get to do the kind of traveling he is doing. I recently read a quote that traveling begins when you step out your door, so I like your suggestion of exploring your own backyard!
Thanks Emily 🙂 I’m so glad you appreciated the post. Photos can be such a powerful source of inspiration. It’s funny how we’ve noticed some talk going on lately around the web that some people think bloggers who post photo essays are taking a cop out- which I think is ridiculous. Most of the time its pictures that inspire us to go somewhere- why wouldn’t you share them?
Love this post! I live in Manhattan and treat my MetroCard as my passport – jumping on the subway and heading to a different neighborhood is just like jumping on a plane and heading to a foreign country – there is so much to discover. You don’t have to cross an ocean to travel just cross your street and observe your surroundings as if you were in a foreign country for the first time! Happy travels!
Absolutely Shannon. We are off to discover a new area not far from us today as well. You can easily keep the travelling spirit no matter where you are. We published a post yesterday with photos along our local coastal walk. It was just as good as any walk I take overseas
Awesome post! When not traveling, we try to live by this philosophy with our two year old. Even something as simple as trying a new playground or setting up a tent in our living room can bring adventure every day.