Wanderlust [noun]: strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.
Also see: frenzy; hysteria; madness; temporary insanity; willingness to throw everything in your life away right then-and-there in order to get the hell out of town and see the world because, let’s face it, it feels like everyone and their mother is out there exploring RIGHT now except you.
Sound familiar? Unless you’re a long-term traveler or “digital nomad”, I’m sure you can relate to the feeling of being absolutely desperate to travel and see the world, but unable to due to some other commitment in your life.
Maybe you’re fully dedicated to your career, or truly enjoy having a stable income. Maybe you’re in a committed and location-dependent relationship. Maybe you’re waiting to finish school, or taking care of a sick family member. Maybe you’re waiting for your apartment lease to end, or to save enough money before you can take your trip-of-a-lifetime. Maybe you’re just not ready to take the leap of faith into full-time travel at this exact moment.
These are all totally legitimate reasons not to travel, but that doesn’t mean the travel-bug will just go away. If you’re anything like me, the desire to travel and explore is always there, even when you’re stuck at home.
Not being able to travel when you want to is the ultimate case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). So, how can you cope?
I was determined to answer that question for myself and my readers, and thus, my “6 Tips for Staying Sane When You’re Not Able to Travel” were born!
1. Keep reminders of past travels visible.
Whether it’s photos of your past trips or souvenirs that you picked up along the way, keep ’em out in the open! I love decorating my apartment with little keepsakes and reminders from my travels.
Both Derek and I have picked up various souvenirs on our travels, and we’ve now got them on display in our bedroom and living room. We also framed several of our favorite photos from our first international trip together (to Thailand) and set them up in our living room and kitchen.
Not only will these photos and souvenirs serve as a happy reminder of your travels when you look at them, they’re also fun conversation starters.
2. Decorate your home with worldly artwork.
My parents do a great job of this in their home, and I’ve enjoyed keeping up with the tradition in mine and Derek’s apartment. My parents’ house is filled with sculptures and chairs from Mexico, fountains made with rocks from Nepal, a Chinese gong, European paintings, and all kinds of fun treasures they picked up at antique stores or hand-crafted furniture stores.
Our apartment has very minimal space for artwork, but we do have a painting of a London pub, a Mexican milagro (religious folk charm) given to me by my sister, and a pack of decorative cards from Austria that my parents brought back from their trip there several years ago. Even though I’ve never been to these particular places, I love the worldly feel that they bring to our home.
3. Sample new international foods.
Maybe this is just me, but I think that one of the best parts of traveling is getting to sample all of the delicious international cuisine! But, you don’t have to travel to feel like you’re eating your way around the world.
Derek and I eat a lot of foreign food; we’re lucky in the sense that Houston has a surplus of international restaurants, and many of them are within walking distance from our apartment.
Just last month, we had upscale Portuguese tapas, multiple visits to phở and Vietnamese noodle shops, lots and lots of Thai and Japanese food, Mexican food (more times than I can count, actually), and Indian food…just to name a few. Be adventurous and try something new from the menu, even if it’s a restaurant that you visit frequently!
Also, you don’t have to go out to take advantage of this tip; a few weekends ago, Derek and I spent a rainy Saturday night snacking on fresh mozzarella, crackers and a bottle (or two) of wine, while watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi on Netflix. Voila, Italian and Japanese culture, all in one night at home!
4. Read books or watch movies that inspire travel.
Even if you can’t get lost in a new country or city right at this moment, you can easily pick up a book or download a movie that will make you feel like you’re off exploring a distant land.
Do a quick Google search for “movies filmed in Thailand” or “books about Italy” or “movies that take place in India”. You’ll be able to see the scenery or the culture of your location of choice, even if it is only through a TV screen.
Books that inspire travel:
- On the Road
by Jack Kerouac - The Beach by Alex Garland (Thailand)
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Spain, North Africa)
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (USA)
- Unaccustomed Earth (Vintage Contemporaries) by Jhumpa Lahiri (Indian culture in America)
- Q & A: A Novel by Vikas Swarup (India; the book that inspired Slumdog Millionaire)
- The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (France)
The above books are some of my favorites, and are sure to inspire wanderlust and (temporarily) fulfill your need to escape.
5. Take a day trip.
I remember a time when I truly believed that if a location didn’t require a passport stamp for me to get there, it wasn’t worth it. How incredibly foolish!
I guarantee that no matter where in the world you live, there is somewhere in your area that is wanderlust-worthy and doable in just a single-day trip.
Even if you’re not able to take an extended trip, make some time on a Saturday to explore a neighboring city or natural attraction that’s within a three hour drive from your house. You’ll need money for gas, one or two meals, and any entrance fees or optional purchases. But, no hotel or flight fees, so it won’t break the bank or take time away from school or work.
6. Plan your next trip.
Ask anyone who knows me well: I’ve always got multiple getaway itineraries running through my head, and it’s because I genuinely enjoy researching new destinations and planning out possible trips. I’ve never been to Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, or Guatemala, but I already know exactly where I’d go if I were to visit, because I’ve already done some research on them.
Strange? Obsessive? Maybe, but I love it!
However, I do have a word of caution: this last tip will absolutely make your wanderlust stronger in the end, but at least you’ll have a temporary escape in the meantime!
What do you do to stay sane when you’re not able to travel?
Great ideas for helping to keep the wanderlust at bay when you can’t travel as often as you’d like! The constantly planning a trip is something I like to do because it always gives me something to look forward to.
Ashley Lillis recently posted…Weekend Wanderings- Chicago {Part 2}
Thanks! I love having something to look forward to as well, so I’m pretty much always planning something.
I can totally relate! I don’t want to give up my career, but it is SO hard to stay at home when all you want to do is travel around the world. For me what works best is researching informations about my next trips, but thank you for giving me so many great ideas!
Andrea @GreenandTurquoise recently posted…10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT JAPAN RIGHT NOW
That’s exactly the problem that I have! I agree, researching and planning my next trip is the most helpful thing for me.
A wonderful list, Kelly! The new theme looks great, by the way. I must have missed the transition 🙂 Happy travels! I am very much looking forward to your trip to Germany!
Thanks so much! I’m really happy with the new theme, it’s quite colorful but I think it suits my personality 🙂 And I am SO excited for my Germany trip!!
Love these ideas! I’ve got photos and trinkets from our travels all over our house – in fact we’re running out of wall space! I also have a huge world map on the wall with pins in everywhere we’ve travelled but all that does is make me stare at it wondering where to jet off to next!
London is fabulous for getting that foreign feel and there are soooo many restaurants from all over the world here to try. I’ll have to check out some of your book recommendations too 🙂
Ayla recently posted…My First Taste of Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin
I love the map idea, that’s so great!
This is great! I think this feeling is something everyone can relate to at least once in their lives…or for some of us, it’s how we feel most of the time! Love your book list too.
Haha, so true! And those books are some of my favorites!
Hmm, 5 and 6 are certainly good ones I think. However I’m not sure if the others are just adding to the agony of not being able to travel.
I can certainly relate to your opening paragraphs. In my early to mid 20s I was stuck studying away developing my career after university and had little outlets for travel. Holidays were more time for studying for professional accounting exams than long stays on beaches. However, it has worked out well in the end. Over the last 15 years my career has developed into one of global travel on a near monthly basis. I’m certainly far from alone in this privilege, numerous careers can offer this whether it be journalism, translation, acting as a PA, engineering, finance, legal, sport and so on. I think many career choices can provide an option to travel if you know where to look.
I hope that you are able to satisfy your insatiable wanderlust to some degree soon 🙂
The Guy Who Flies recently posted…Burleigh Heads Attractions And Things To Do On The Gold Coast
Haha true, I don’t think the agony ever reallyyyy goes away though, no matter what you do! And that’s a great point, careers can definitely be a great way to sneak some more travel in.
Thanks for the book suggestions! I’ve never heard of the hedgehog one. 🙂 If you like those, you might enjoy Tales of a Female nomad by Rita Gelman or A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.
Thanks! I’ll look into them–I’m always on the lookout for a good new book to read.
It’s mainly the last one for me, it gives me something to look forward to and I find travel planning almost as exciting as traveling itself! I read a similar post recently that also suggested learning a foreign language, dance, type of cooking…not a bad idea either!
Camille recently posted…Wanderlust Instagrammy Awards: Bolivia in 30 Amazing Pictures
Those are great suggestions too, although they all require a bit more mental stimulation/effort than the ideas on my list haha which is probably actually a good thing!
Hello, YES to your entire introduction. I am so glad you can speak right to my feelings. Daydreaming about travel in class is probably one of my favorite past times. I also love love love decorating my apartment with treasures from places I’ve been. My Christmas ornaments are almost exclusively travel related, so it’s always fun to decorate for the holidays. Even if I can’t go anywhere!
Amanda | Chasing My Sunshine recently posted…US Road Trip Stop: The Grand Canyon
That’s such a cool idea with the travel-themed Christmas ornaments! I’m picturing a Christmas tree filled with keepsakes from the places I’ve been. SO cool, I just might have to steal this idea!
I try to sane by looking at pictures of my travels – but they often only make me want to return abroad. However, I do think the best way for me to stay sane is read books that remind me of my travels.
Rashaad recently posted…Home Sweet Home – Graduation
That’s one of my favorite ways too! Those are my favorite type of books to read.
These are great!! I have about half of those books on my reading list and the other half are now added!
My friends and I have come up with a fun way to bring culture and travel to our front door by having themed potlucks! Every other Sunday we reach into a jar and pull out a country or region. We spend a week planning and researching our country and everyone gets a dish to make (appetizer, entree, desert and beverage) The following Sunday we get together and bring all the ingredients to make our dish. We turn on music from that country or region and sometimes even dress up and decorate. It’s an amazing time together as a group learning about new places, cultures and food without the expensive airline flight. This is one of my favorite ways to travel without leaving home!
Oh my gosh, that is THE coolest thing I’ve ever heard of! Seriously, what a fun and creative idea!
I was looking at the picture of the travel-inspiring books you have – the ones by Alan Brennert, Moloka’i and Honolulu, did you like them? I’m aching to get back to Hawaii and was wondering if these reads will keep me “sane” for the time being? 🙂
Amanda | Lesson Plans & Layovers recently posted…DIY Harry Potter Quilt â¡
I did like them! To be honest, they were a little “heavy”…definitely not a light read, they were pretty deep and had a good bit of historical detail. But both super interesting and insightful!
Great ideas, most of them I also do and they tend to help. Another idea that I use is to print a selection of your favourite photos and put them into albums. I find some of the magic of memories gets lost a bit when you’re flicking through photos on a digital device, but taking your time with an album, and even physically removing a photo to get a better look, satisfies that hunger to get away again a little bit more 🙂
I totally agree, I love having printed photos to flip through!