5 self isolation tips for travelers who can’t leave the house

Hey guys! It’s a bit morbid at the moment isn’t it. If you’ve not been able to book a holiday yet this year, you’ve probably had your booked holiday cancelled, which is, well, crap. If you’re stuck in isolation with nothing but an unfilled longing for getting the heck outta here, I feel ya. Here are 5 self isolation tips for travelers who can’t go very far for a while.

1 – Plan your next big adventure

Go back to the drawing board, and imagine your next big adventure.

At some point in the future, we’ll all be free to travel as we please. The travel restrictions right now aren’t forever. So, whilst we’re stuck indoors with itchy feet, get planning your next adventure!

Do you want to hike through the Canadian landscape, or escape to a tropical paradise, where the only things you have to worry about are reapplying your SPF and wondering where you’re headed for breakfast?

Are you after a high-adrenaline adventure that involves strapping yourself to another human being and jumping out of a plane, or do you want to explore the busy streets of your favourite neon city?

Dream big, and plan your next adventure from start to finish, to give yourself something to look forward to.

Order a travel guide

Order a handy travel guide to help you plan your trip in more detail, or simply read through it to get a feel of the place you want to head to. It might just give you that extra spark of excitement that you need to get through these next few weeks!

The beauty of your own guide book are the notes and annotations that you can include, and the fact that you can pack your guide book and take it with you on your journey. These things always come in handy.

Tip: When on the hunt for travel guides, don’t just check the sites like Amazon, order from a local independent book shop if you can. A few good customers could really help small businesses stay afloat in times like this.

Use the World Wide Web to help

Of course, not all of us are in the position to be buying guide books right now, which is why we’re blessed in this day and age to have access to the internet.

You can find everything you need to know about your next destination online. Check out articles, blog posts, review sites, anything that can help give you a better picture of your next destination. Just don’t forget to jot everything down so you don’t forget it when you go!

2 – Lose yourself in literature

If you’re an avid reader, losing yourself in made up world is probably one of your best tactics for breaking out of the mundane day-to-day life of self isolation.

If you’re obsessed with a country or culture, get your hands on some of their literature and escape into a world full of adventure and excitement.

Novels not your thing? How about a memoir or travelogue from someone who’s adventured in close proximity to your next bucket list destination?

A few great books to get stuck into:

• Anything by Bill Bryson
• The Beach, Alex Garland
• On The Road, Jack Kerouac
• Around the World in Eighty Days, Jules Verne
• Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
• Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift
• The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

3 – Set up a home cinema and travel the world from your sofa

What’s your favourite film about travel? Adventure? An amazing journey?

Whilst you’re stuck inside for the time being, pull the curtains, dim the lights, grab a snack, and lose yourself in the magic of the big screen. There are tons of films on the subject of travel, or from the viewpoint of travelers, and they’re all there to help you unwind and get excited for adventure.

A few great films to settle down to:

• The Beach
• Cast Away
• Wild, A Solo Hike
• Eat Pray Love
• Catch Me If You Can
• Midnight In Paris
• The Darjeeling Limited

4 – Learn a language

Now’s the time to brush up on the Spanish you’re going to need in Mexico, or the French you’re going to be using when you order your lunch in Paris.

It’s time to be a responsible traveler and learn a few key phrases that are going to help you get from A to B, and to show locals that you’re interested in their culture.

There’s an app for that

There’s an app for everything. Learning a language on your own phone is one of the easiest (and most common) ways to get to grips with a few key phrases that may just save your bacon if you get into trouble, or simply need directions to the closest pub.

DuoLingo is arguably the best app out there for travelers who fancy learning the lingo, so get it downloaded (it’s free, there’s no excuse) and take yourself through the basics. No one’s going to hear you stuttering over words either, and by the time self-isolation is over, you’ll almost be fluent.

Order a phrasebook

If you’ve got a few spare pennies, enjoy old school learning methods, and like to have a pocket sized book on you at all times, invest in a good old phrasebook as a helpful aid for when you can finally use your new found skills on the world.

Again, if you’re going to go down this route, I’d suggest hitting up a local, or independent bookstore who could really use the money right now, rather than adding to Jeff’s billions, but of course, you do you.

5 – Finish that scrapbook or photo book you’ve been meaning to make

We’re all guilty of it (well I am, anyway).

Taking photos on your holiday is, like, the best part. Putting them together, in order, in a nice, presentable book… well it takes time. Time that most of us don’t usually have.

Well, lucky us, now we can scrapbook to our heart’s content.

Putting our memories into a beautiful book, or printing out photos to stick into an album, can help remind us of the beautiful memories we’ve got, and the wonderful places we’ve seen. It can be incredibly calming, and satisfying, turning our memories into physical things that we can look back on for years to come. Now’s the perfect time to get started.

The final word

Self-isolation is difficult for many of us, but it’s responsible, and it’s the right thing to do right now.

It’s not forever though, and one day soon, we’ll be free to do as we like.

Do you have any tips for the best travel films and books to help grow the lists? Pop them below, I’d love to know!

Until next time!

Doei! Simone xxx