How to travel the world during the COVID-19 pandemic

It started out as a great year. And then the coronavirus pandemic came along and everything changed, perhaps leaving you stuck on a ship or forced to have the longest staycation of your life.

The first priority was (and is) to make sure you’re safe. So if you’re still far from home or stranded at sea, contact your embassy or travel provider. But if you aren’t (or weren’t) able to travel, there’s a lot you can do to experience the world from your living room.

HOMEWARD BOUND

If you can afford it, treat yourself to a travel subscription box. But if you want to watch your spending (which is a good idea for most people right now) listen to travel podcasts, play travel music, read travel books, browse travel magazines, or watch travel films and TV shows. 

Another way to get a taste of your favourite destinations from home is to sign up for cooking tutorials with global chefs and perhaps learn how to recreate your favourite cafe drinks. You can also sign up for one of the many free online classes and resources that give you a deeper look at travel destinations and even learn how to make travel accessories at home.

REIMAGINING TRAVEL

Indeed, there are many ways to explore the world without leaving your home, from Disney theme parks to the UK’s biggest landmarks, plus natural wonders like the amazing tulips of the Netherlands and Sir David Attenborough narrating a tour through the complex and complicated world of the Great Barrier Reef. Google even has several city walking tours as well as a curated guide of art and culture around the world.

Ultimately, it’s hard to know how hard the coronavirus will hit the travel industry, when countries will open the skies for post-COVID-19 tourism, or what travel will look like in the future. All we can do is start making plans (more on that in next week’s post!) and look forward to a brighter future where, as David Cain writes, a million nameless joys await: 

“In an era when it feels as though we’ve somehow seen everything already, or at least photos of it online, it’s comforting to know that out there, just beyond the boundaries of our own routines, await subtle flavors of joy we can’t conceive of.”