*(Disclaimer - if you are leaving your home to visit any places, I strongly (and obviously) advise you to follow and respect local and state, as well as CDC guidelines. This allows you to protect yourself and others)*
2020 has been wild, y'all. If you're like me, you haven't left the house much. Even if you are out and about, you probably haven't taken a trip in a while. For the last 3 years, I typically am on the road every weekend - if I had even a few free days on the calendar, I would feel anxious and had an urge to fill the emptiness with a to-do road trip.
Well, that ain't that case now. I haven't taken a trip since the first weekend in March 2020 (4 months ago!). When the quarantine life started, I selfishly thought of how my favorite hobby and lifestyle would come to a screeching halt. And it took several weeks of teaching myself to slow down.
Between a global pandemic, quarantining, social distancing, job loss, pay cuts, etc., travel isn't what it was 5 months ago. However, we still crave that need to get out and discover what is out there for us.
So how can we still get a taste of the world, without risking our health or breaking the bank? Here are 5 ideas I have for you:
Go Local
What's in your backyard? It's natural to want to see places that are across the country or world - it's the classic "you want what you can't have". However, there are SO many things near you that are worth the short trip. This is something that I've learned since the quarantine. A day trip is easy and still allows you to hit the reset button after a long/stressful week. Save money by not staying in a hotel, and pack a lunch + snacks for the day. It's a nice way to learn about your locale, and it gives you a go-to spot for when your family or friends are visiting from out of town.
Not sure where to start? Go to Google Maps and look for state parks/areas of interests within a 2-hour radius, or look at Atlas Obscura for quirky things in your area.
Beautify Your Area
Are you ever walking down a sidewalk or at a park and see trash on the ground? Does it piss you off? (It should). If so, what are you doing about it? Beautifying your space is a great way to invest in your community, feel good about yourself, and inspire others to do better. My Fiance and I walked through a park and picked up over FORTY pounds of trash in one outing. It quickly became a friendly competition of who could pick up more. As we walked back to our car, I can't tell you how many people stopped to thank us. Many of them said, "I usually complain about the trash, but haven't considered actually picking it up". When we went back a few days later, we didn't see any new trash laying around. This is a quick way to boost your sense of purpose!
There are plenty of ways to beautify your space - write something positive in chalk on your front sidewalk, clean up your local park, compost your food, recycle, etc.
Review Old Trips
Once again, this is a new one for me since the quarantine started.
Unfortunately, our lives are so fast that we typically don't dedicate much time to reflecting on things. This includes trips. We go go go the whole time - drive/fly to the destination as quickly as possible, check off items of places to see, take a million pictures/videos, share a few of them, drive/fly home as quickly as possible, and then march on through life. Kinda sad when you think about it. Many of those memories slowly drift away as our lives fill up with the day-to-day stuff.
So a take a night this week to relive an old trip. If you have a casting device, cast the pictures that are on your phone/tablet onto your TV - it makes it COMPLETELY different - trust me. Pop some popcorn, and just slide through the whole journey. You'll be surprised at some things from the trip that have already slipped your mind; an inside joke, the amazing food you ate, or the sunset you watched the night before heading back home. This trip recap will put a smile on your face.
Plan a Trip
Where is the first place you'll go once this craziness is over? Maybe you know where you'll go when we are back to a somewhat normal (and safer) environment. If not, let's get planning!
When planning a trip, it's best to start with the Where, What, and When? You may find some pointers in a previous article I've written on getting started from scratch. There are plenty of great resources to get started as well - Yelp, AirBnB, Trip Advisor, Google Maps, Atlas Obscura, etc. I recently bought a giant dry-erase map that sticks on any wall - I've been using this to plan out future trips and the driving check-points along the way to make the trip as efficient as possible. As soon as we're back in business, I'll be ready to hit the road.
Take a Virtual Trip
It's free to dream. Whether you plan to take an actual trip once we are back to a somewhat normal (and safer) environment, or you have always wanted to visit a place that maybe you can't afford at the moment - take a virtual trip!
There are plenty of ways to see the world from the comfort of your couch. My advice? Watch some YouTube videos! There is a great chance that you'll find dozens of videos on places you may be interested in. If you are interested in visiting National Parks, my favorite channel by far is the Americas Parks Channel. If you want a virtual tour of some of the National Parks - Google Arts and Culture has an immersive virtual experience here. It is so important to keep that dream alive! What is your number one bucket list destination spot?How long would you stay there? What restaurants would you go to? Where are you staying? It is fun to get lost in an online adventure. And you never know, you may make it there one day...luckily you have already created the itinerary.