100 Fantastic and Fun Ways to ‘Travel’ Without Leaving Home
So many people are feeling “COVID Fatigue” (we are too!) after such a long time of being asked to stay at home and limit our outings.
The strangest part for me has not been the self-isolation (I’m an introvert so I don’t mind as much as Jeff “the extrovert” does)…but I’ve been feeling a strong longing for Paris. It feels like Saudade (a Portuguese word meaning a longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost). It’s strange to feel this so strongly because I know I’ll go again when the pandemic is under control. In the meantime we can all travel virtually!
To help take your mind off it, we’ve rounded up 100+ ways you can distract yourself until you have the ability to travel again.
One of the interesting side effects of the pandemic is how quickly we have adapted to the technology available to us. I’m embarrassed to say that I was pretty much a Zoom newbie when the pandemic started…and now I’m joining virtual parties and learning how to make gin cocktails from an English Bartender and hanging out with sheep in New Zealand! I’m proof that it’s easier than ever to travel from your couch!
See Famous Attractions Around the World
1. Great Wall of China
2. Eiffel Tower
3. Wilson Island
4. Mount Everest
5. Palace of Versailles
6. The Catacombs of Paris
7. The Pyramids of Giza
8. Buckingham Palace
9. The Colosseum in Rome
10. Times Square
11. The French Alps
12. Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo
13. Temple Bar in Dublin
14. Niagara Falls
15. Prague
16. Abbey Road Crossing
17. Antarctic
18. Temples of Angkor
19. Taj Mahal
20. Stonehenge in England
21. Ambrym Volcano
22. Venice, Italy
23. The Great Barrier Reef
24. The Acropolis in Athens
25. The Galápagos Islands
Try an Airbnb Online Experience
They are relatively inexpensive with options to fit any budget. The list includes experiences I personally paid to do. You can find my review here.
26. Learn to make Sangria
27. Creative iPhone Photography
28. Easy Bread Baking from Scratch
29. Ginspiration
30. Meet Woolly Sheep in New Zealand
31. Learn The History of Tarot and Receive a Reading
32. Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Tart) Baking Class
33. Harry Potter Virtual London Tour
34. Follow a Plague Doctor Through Prague
35. More Airbnb Experiences
Take a Virtual Tour of a Museum
Some of our favourite experiences when traveling have been visiting local museums. Now you can explore them online without the crush of tourists.
36. The Louvre
37. The Vatican
38. J Paul Getty Museum
39. The Met
40. Van Gogh Museum
41. Musée d’Orsay in Paris
42. National Portrait Museum
43. The São Paulo Museum of Art
44. Dalí Museum
45. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
46. The 7 Wonders of the world in one place
47. Sistine Chapel
Live Zoo and Aquarium Cam
It’s fascinating and strangely relaxing to sit and watch the animals. Even if you can’t see the orcas on the webcam, you can often hear their eerie (yet beautiful) underwater calls.
48. San Diego Zoo
49. Houston Zoo
50. Monterey Bay Aquarium
51. Georgia Aquarium
52. National Aquarium
53. Tembe Elephant Park
54. Grace Gorillas
55. African Watering Hole
56. Manatees
57. Orca Whales
Parks and Adventure
Adventures while couch surfing are still fun. I’ve been particularly impressed with some of the work that google maps has done to make you feel like you are at famous sites like Petra in Jordan.
58. Yosemite Park, USA
59. Inca Trail
60. Northern Lights
61. Carlsburg Caverns
62. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
63. Go on a Safari
64. Grand Canyon
65. Machu Picchu
66. Petra, Jordan
67. Sagrada Família
68. Son Doong Cave
Travel Documentaries
There are so many different documentaries out there to immerse yourself in a place or culture. Here are a few to get you started and where you can watch them.
69. Expedition Happiness
70. Down To Earth with Zac Efron
71. Encounters at the End of the World
72. Children of the Snow Land
73. Street Food
74. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
75. Rick Steve’s Europe
Movies and TV Shows
76. Gordon Ramsey Uncharted
77. Amélie
78. Alice in Paris
79. Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown
80. Somebody Feed Phil
81. Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father
82. Departures
YouTube Channels worth Binging
We’ve curated a list of channels we enjoy. They are a mix of channels both in the number of subscribers and the time that they’ve been on YouTube and traveling. We’ve tried to pick channels that have diverse approaches to travel. Some are really quirky, others have huge production value. All Look for the playlist section for each of these channels and pick a theme or a country to start watching. Just be careful or you could spend your entire day binge watching. In no particular order…
Brenda
This post is amazing. Love the choices, the creativity and the inspiration.
DENISE
THIS IS AN AMAZING POST! 100 THINGS TO EXPLORE. I CAN’T WAIT TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THEM. THANK YOU FOR SUCH A COMPREHENSIVE LIST TO TAKE US AROUND THE WORLD!
Nanci
This list is amazing! Thank you for taking the time to compile it. Can’t wait to “visit” and “travel”!
Morayma
What a wonderful list! I’ve been missing travel so much…but will bookmark this so that I can go on some of these adventures from home with my kids over the holiday break! Thanks for this inspiration!
Shannon Turske
What a comprehensive list! I can’t wait to go on one of these great adventures while in my PJ’s Love it!
Christina Mathers
I love this! Thank you for this extensive list! I will be checking out these places as they are fun and educational!
Carmen
This is such an extensive list to experience some amazing places virtually. I can’t wait till we can travel again!
Alaia
These are so perfect for the times! Thank you for sharing this!
Alaia
These are so perfect for the times! Thank you for sharing!