Have you been craving to explore the world some more? It’s been difficult—if not outright impossible—to go on a vacation due to the pandemic, and many are feeling the effects of being stuck at home. Many studies show that being cooped up at home will have negative effects on people’s mental health long after lockdown is over.
That said, there are ways to get out of the house without, you know, actually leaving. Think of it like tricking your brain into thinking you’re leaving the house for a while! Today, let’s go over four ways you can explore everything the world has to offer from the comfort of your home.
4 Ways to Travel the World from Home
1. Using a Virtual Reality Headset
Just because you can’t leave your home doesn’t mean you can’t change scenery every now and then. If you can manage to get your hands on an Oculus Quest 2 (or any other wireless virtual reality headset), you can tune out of your home and explore the world from your couch!
From 360-degree videos that take advantage of a VR headset’s head tracking to games that take place in real locations and allow you to explore, there’s no limit to what you can do in VR.
Be warned, however, that Oculus Quest servers are not available in every country, so some content will be limited. However, by connecting to a VPN, you can bypass these geographical restrictions.
2. Taking a Virtual Museum Tour
Traveling doesn’t always require you to hop onto a plane and visit new countries. No, sometimes all you need is a quick trip to a museum so you can witness the history of the world for yourself. Visiting the museum has been made difficult; however, due to the effects of the pandemic, most museums have been forced to close until further notice or only open for a limited time.
Fortunately, most major museums offer virtual tours for all of their exhibits. From American institutions like the Smithsonian to the world-famous British Museum in London, you can take a virtual tour at any time. All you need is a decent internet connection and a semi-decent laptop!
3. Taking Online Cooking Classes (And Learning a New Language)
Speaking of virtual tours, why not take a few online cooking classes? There are dozens of online cooking classes dedicated to preparing dishes from all corners of the world, from classic Italian cuisine to complicated Mediterranean dishes!
Most reputable online cooking classes—ones headlined by renowned chefs—are paid and are often taught through websites like Udemy. There are a few free classes out there, of course, but if you are serious about learning new recipes, it’s worth going for the paid options.
If you don’t like cooking, why not try to learn another language? This goes double for those of you who like to travel to countries where your native language just won’t be enough for more than simple greetings and goodbyes.
Learning a language is hard, takes a long time (months to years, depending on language learned), and often requires paid materials (books, tutors, etc.), but it is worth it. By slotting 20 minutes a day for language learning, you’ll become fluent in no time; you’ll be ready before your next trip!
4. Watching Old Travel Videos of Yours
If you’ve exhausted all of your options or just aren’t that interested in learning a new language and spending money on a virtual reality headset, don’t worry. You can always go over pictures and videos of old trips and vacations!
Watching old videos of past trips will not only give you a kick of nostalgia, but it will also help cull that feeling of travel sickness you may be harboring. After all, what better way to fight off travel sickness than replaying old trips in your head?
You can even go a step further and chat with friends about trips you all used to take together if that is an option. When in doubt, look to your friends to uplift your spirits!
Conclusion
It will be quite a while before you’re free to travel again. However, there are more than a few ways you can explore the world while cooped up at home. Until travel restrictions are lifted, you can relive old travel memories, learn a new language and learn how to cook up a new dish, or even dish out some money on a virtual reality headset. The possibilities are truly endless!
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