Struggling for ways to keep your travel dreams alive during lockdown? The travel industry has been hit hard by the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Hotels, tourism boards and many others have seen sharp falls in their income and many have had to close for the foreseeable future.
It’s especially hardfor those who hold travel close to their hearts. It’s not looking like we’re going to be able to jet off for some time either. So that begs the question… How can we keep our inner wandelrust satisfied?
I’ve put together a quick guide on the top 5 ways to keep your travel dreams alive during lockdown!
PLAN YOUR FUTURE ADVENTURES
Nothing beats planning a new adventures! With plenty of spare time during lockdown, now has to be the perfect time to sit down and finally plan that special trip you’ve always wanted to take.
Why not set up a new savings account and start setting your money aside for the trip of a lifetime. Once you have a budget or savings target set out you’ll have plenty of time to get down to the nitty gritty of reaseaching; hotels, flights and insurance. It’s always a good idea to make sure you plan a rough itinerary so you don’t miss out on the must see attractions!
Check out the best rates on hotels here!
Maybe it’s not quite the same in the fact that you might not want to book your plane tickets and hotels right now due to the uncertainty of what the next few months hold. I must admit, there’s nothing that gets me quite as exited to travel again than sitting down and planning my next big adventure! Where’s next on your bucket lists? The last place I managed to visit before lockdown was Copenhagen, if you’ve never been before check out my guide to the top 10 places you must see in Denmark’s Capital City.
FIND A NEW TRAVEL BLOG / PODCAST
The intenet is littered with blogs these days, and its not hard to find a post on pretty much any travel topic. Maybe you’re looking for a destination guide, some inspiration for a new trip or you just want to pass some time reading about new and exciting adventures. There’s some great blogs out there and you’ll find a certain few that will keep you coming back for more!!
Here are some of my favorite travel content creators at the moment;
Run by 20 something year old Jackson Groves. Travelling the world since 2015 Jackson takes you on all kinds of ‘adventure travel’ journeys. You’ll find him hiking and running his way up stunning mountains and diving into deep beautiful lagoons. He writes a weekly blog and shares guides and travel stories from all around the world.
Dan is based in Nottingham, UK (did the name give it away). He spends a lot of his time travelling with his Partner Beth and they go on some pretty crazy adventures. Most recently they visited Lapland which looked incredible! He shares some beautiful content on Instagram from all around the UK and Europe too! Check out his Instagram here!
If reading isn’t your thing then why not try a new podcast. There are plenty out there that dive into all kinds of sub-niches of travel. Some are just a great laugh and others are much more fact based but both are just as entertaining.
Some of my favourite podcasts are;
Hosted by Jason Moore. Jason hosts a weekly show where he dives into the ins and outs of the nomadic lifestyle. Origionally from the USA Jason now lives in Norway with his family. You’ll get interviews from guests around the world who share their travel stories and tips on how you can live a life full of travel. He shares listicles and give basic tips and tricks on saving money whilst travellng. Jason has been a major inspiration of mine and in the past couple of years listening to his podcast I’ve learnt a hell of a lot about the world!
Hosted by Jorden Tually from Australia. Jorden has been travelling the world on a budget for a number of years now. Jorden combines his travel experiences and his comical approach to life to tell stories and ‘waste your time’ as he puts it. Jorden’s podcast is fairly new but hes got me hooked with his hillarious stories!
Reading new travel blogs or listening to podcasts can give you some great inspiration for new adventures. It really gets me itching to travel again!
TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE Great Barrier Reef
Nothing will keep your travel dreams alive like this one.
Have you ever dreamt of visiting the Great Barrirer Reef? What if i told you that you can and it’s absoloutley free! You can now take a virtual tour of Australia’s beautiful Great Barrier Reef with none other that Sir David Attenborough himself. The website linked above has been set up so you can explore the reef at your lesiure.
With over 2 million visitors per year, the reef is one of Austrailia’s biggest tourist attractions and you don’t have to look far on the internet to see why!
Diving into the depths of the Australian ocean and embark on a journey of education and delight. The interactive site teaches you all about the 1500 different species of fish and hundreds of corals. You’ll learn how coral grows and forms the stunning habitats that keep the underwater eco-system alive.
Don’t worry though, the sharks can’t bite you from your sofa!
ADOPT A HOSTEL
A lot of travel companies and tour operators have been hit hard by the recent Covid-19 Pandemic. Many hotels and hostels have been forced to close for the foreseable future and many will be lucky to continue to operate at all. If only there was a way we could help out… oh wait a second… there is!
Adopt a Hostel is a scheme that aims to help hostels in this great time of need. It was set up by my friend Kash over at BudgetTraveller.org. Kash has visited hundreds of hostels all over the globe and provides some amazing reviews, guides and inspiration for anyone who’s looking for budget friendly travel. He’s also spent his fair share of time in many luxury hostels too if that’s more your cup of tea!
The ‘Adopt a Hostel‘ concept is simple, you pay a small fee (the usual cost of a nights stay in a hostel) and in return you’ll recieve a virtual gift card for a future stay at the hostel of your choice. There’s also the option to make donations of your choice. All proceeds go directly to the hostel as this is a non-profit scheme. (I’m looking forward to my stay in Norway)!
Hostels are very close to many travellers hearts as they offer affordable accommodation in expensive cities and a real opportunity to meet amazing like minded people. Many of the hostels are family run businesses and are located in some of the hardest hit areas such as Spain and Italy. It would be a shame to see them dissappear!
You can find out more or adpot a hostel here!
If you adopt a hostel be sure to use the Instagram / Facebook template above to help spread the word!
INSPIRE OTHERS WITH YOUR TRAVEL STORIES
So you’ve had your fair share of adventures. You’ve met new friends, discovered the best local coffee shops and places you never even knew existed. Why not share your stories with others? One of the best ways to learn about new and exciting places is to hear about it from other people.
Sharing your stories with your friends and listening to their adventures can be really satisfying. Now more than ever people are reaching out to old friends and catching up. Remember that super cool guy you met backpacking in Asia 3 years ago, that’s always posting amazing photos on his Instagram? I’m sure he will have some great stories to get you longing for your next trip!
So now you’ve caught up with all your old buddies, finished off all your DIY projects and youve run out of things to do. Why not start your own travel blog or Youtube channel? Posting about past trips and sharing your adventures is possibly the best way to bring back happy memories and inspire other to make their own travel plans.
Hopefully you’ll find your way through what is a diffuicult time for all of us. I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am to travel when this is all over!
Hopefully I included everything you’ll need to keep your travel dreams alive during lockdown. As always let me know in the comments below if you think I missed anything and stay safe.
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