Travelling is awesome, I think most of you will agree with me there. But unless you’re rich or one of those lucky few who get to travel for a job, then it’s not something you get to do all the time. And somehow it always seems that when you’re stuck at home, ALL of your friends are off on awesome adventures, posting drool-worthy photos on social media that are enough to make you green with envy! In the last week I have been seeing photos of some of my best friends back home swimming the Great Barrier Reef (and horse-riding in the ocean – major jealousy) while another Aussie blogger I know has just been on an epic road trip around the Netherlands seeing all the sights on my to-do list that I haven’t got to yet! While these sorts of images and stories flooding your news feed can be enough to make anyone feel stuck in a rut and like you’ll never get to travel again, here are the ways I have been getting out of that funk; maybe they can help you too!
Plan Your Next Trip
The best way to get over travel jealousy is to plan your own next adventures! Whether or not you actually get to take them or if they’re just in the future, the act of planning and dreaming about places you want to go can be very satisfying. Start a Pinterest board full of ideas about a destination, make a scrapbook of articles from travel magazines, or just look at an atlas or Google Earth and plan the ultimate around-the-world trip. I have a folder full of articles from travel mags I have kept for this reason and I regularly go through my Lonely Planet books and put sticky notes on the places I most want to go. Why not check out my post on where to travel in Europe based on your favourite Game of Thrones house or quirky places to visit like the Paris Catacombs for some inspiration?! My Pinterest account is filled with boards of places I want to visit, looking through the photos and lists of sights and activities is a very satisfying way to curb my feelings of missing out!
Remember Past Travels
While it’s easy to feel sad about awesome trips people are taking that you’re not, it’s also important to remind yourself that you have been to amazing places and had awesome adventures before, and you will again! Go back and make a photo collage from your favourite trips in the past to look back over whenever you’ve got itchy feet or just want a dose of nostalgia. You could even…
Write A Blog Post
There’s no better way to reminisce about an amazing place and past experiences than by writing about it, so why not write a blog post about one of the great places you have been to remind yourself of the fun you had while also giving others an informative taste of a destination to fuel their wanderlust? You could also write about the places you are planning to go or just general travel hacks and how-to’s in order to stay in the swing of things when you feel like you’re not getting out enough. If you don’t have a blog (and aren’t interested in starting one) you could also write a journal about your past travels instead.
Learn Something New
If you’re feeling like you’re stagnating and wishing you were jet-setting why not channel that dissatisfaction into learning a new skill? Take a free online course in travel photography so the happy snaps from your next trip will be NEXT LEVEL or one of the multitudes of other free online courses that are out there. Depending on what takes your fancy you could learn how to make a killer website, design stationery, use photoshop or sew your own clothes. You will have fun, learn something useful and might even be able to earn some money from what you’re doing…
Add to Your Travel Funds
If low funds are behind you not getting to travel as much as you would like, then look into ways to save up more for travelling. If you have followed my last point about learning a new skill you might even be able to convert it into a small cash flow. You could sell crafts at local markets, sell your old clothes on eBay, open up an Etsy shop or join a website like Fiverr to offer up services for something you’re good at. I am currently planning out a travel e-book that I hope to sell in the near future to gain a little extra income, keep your eyes open for it when it’s done!
Read About Somewhere Awesome
If none of these things are cutting it then why not get lost in a good book about somewhere exotic? Make a cup of tea or coffee, curl up somewhere comfy for a few hours and travel to amazing destinations in your imagination, one of the cheapest ways to experience life in other places! For some inspiration, you could check out my post on my favourite travel books here!
Explore At Home
While you’re drooling over other people’s vacation pics don’t accidentally overlook what you have going for you where you are right now. Go out where you live and find a park or cafe or beach that you have never been to and explore it. Look up what new restaurants or shops have recently opened and check them out. Take a photo and Instagram it! Have a ‘staycation’ at home and drive to a nearby town or attraction you’ve never actually been to before. If it’s summer lie on some rugs outside in your garden and have a picnic or roast marshmallows over the bbq at night and watch the stars. Stop and take a moment to appreciate where you are and what you have. Make yourself a little holiday where and when you can and take the time to savour it.
Do you have any other ways you stave off your travel jealousy? Let me know. I hope some of these might be helpful for you when next you get struck by the green-eyed travel monster 🙂
Leave a Reply