3 Simple Treatments to Cure Your Travel Itch at Home!

Got the travel itch and nowhere to go? Being stuck at home during the Coronavirus does not have to be all bad. We are all in this together! For the first time in our lives we have more spare time on our hands than ever before.  

Here is a handful of simple ideas to treat your travel itch and better prepare for your next overseas trip.

1. Cocktail Happy Hour

Part of the joy of travelling is trying new cuisines and sampling delicious beers and cocktails. With the current COVID-19 pandemic restrictions – pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants were forced to close to stop people from gathering in large numbers. Although these restrictions have social implications, social distancing is proven to slow down and stop the spread of the virus. Yet at a time when we need our family and friends more than ever many of us are experiencing feelings of isolation and uncertainty.

Staying Connected | Using Video Conference Apps

Clever people are coming up with imaginative ways to stay connected and developing daily rituals to help fill in the long days. Free video conferencing apps like Facebook Messenger have come to the rescue and helping to reduce anxiety caused from being separated from family and friends.  Those of us who enjoy socialising in pubs and bars are meeting up online for happy hour via Facebook Messenger, Skype, QuarantineChat or premium apps such as Zoom and HouseParty.

No one enjoys drinking alone and with a smartphone and internet connectivity, you can still drink with your mates. Seeing a friendly face and sharing a laugh at the after a day of isolation can lift your spirit and give you something to look forward to. Why not make an extra effort and dress up for the occasion, do your hair and put on some lippy. That alone will help you to feel better about yourself.

This form of communication can be easily expanded to people in your community and other services such as healthcare professionals, book clubs, eLearning groups and more. Doctors and health advisory organisations are especially encouraging patients to stay at home and to use video conference calls rather than visit medical facilities. Just about every service available is embracing technology in some way to limit any unnecessary risks. There is no need to feel alone, you can spend time with people you love and care about.

TIP: Avoid eating noisy snacks when chatting unless you want to drive your family and friends mad. Perhaps that why noise cancelling headphones were invented!

2. Virtual Tours | Ways To Travel The World While Self-Isolating

Travelling nomads are taking virtual tours in a bid to get their travel fix while self-isolating at home. At a time of travel bans and border closures, travel lovers around the world are in search of ways to quench their thirst for travel. Luckily with virtual tours, we can now travel the world from the comfort of our own homes.

Online Attractions, Virtual Tours and Live Cams

Tourism organisations all around the globe are transporting would-be travellers to their bucket list destinations. Today we can step inside Museums and Art Galleries and view masterpieces and antiquities without paying an admission fee.

The Tour Guy Virtual Tours

Learn together with The Tour Guy Virtual Tours at home for a small fee and help save tourism in Europe. You can see and speak to tour guides online, who are excited to answer your questions and provide more in depth information to enhance the virtual experience. These interactive virtual tours of famous landmarks in Rome and Paris included quizzes, polls and live Q&A sessions. A fun way for the entire family to learn from the comfort of the lounge chair.

View animal web cameras from Zoo Cams from around the world or explore cities such as Rome and learn about its history and architecture by walking around a 3D digital model of the ancient city of landmarks. Nature lovers can take a virtual hike along the Great Wall of China without breaking a sweat.

3. Learn a Foreign Language

It’s true children do learn languages easier than adults but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Unfortunately, when it comes to learning a new language, our English-speaking heritage is very lazy! There are many good reasons for learning a foreign language, it is the gateway to new experiences – job opportunities, improved brain health, personal development and relationship building. Once you can speak another language, it can open so many doors.

Let Technology Help

Learn to speak like a local! Sign up to an e-learning language classroom online and learn a new skill and a foreign language. Knowing how to speak a few common sentences in another tongue enhances the experience of international travel and your life in many ways.  Today, you can learn a new language and prepare for a trip overseas in the comfort of your own home.

eLearning Language Apps

Learn quickly by joining an online classroom or download to your smartphone one of the dozens of free or premium apps. Premium apps like Babbel are usually advertisement free. They offer personalised learning and structured lessons for each individual.

It’s best to speak with a native speaker to accelerate learning a new language. Tandem is an online language exchange meetup app connecting likeminded people who want to practice their respective languages with a learning partner. HelloTalk and Bilingua are two other language exchange communities online platforms, where native speakers share your interests and able to help you learn and speak a foreign language. Berlitz offers live instructor-led online courses from private or group lessons scheduled around your availability. When signing up, most language apps ask a series of questions to help best match you with a native speaker that shares mutual interests.