Still got the travel bug and itching to see new sites? Despite sensibly staying home, there are still many ways to nourish our wanderlust.
Travelling is not completely off the cards, although it really might seem this way right now. Quite simply, we must adapt how to ‘travel’ within the safe limits of our homes. We can do this as we have seen amazing examples of human resilience and initiative during this time. Human beings are resourceful, creative creatures!
A brilliant way to travel from home is to sign up to a virtual walking or travelling group. I signed up to one that is centred around the natural beauty of the Danube Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
And I am SO glad I did.
There I was, with mum and my dog sitting in our garden, with a steaming hot chocolate in hand, being virtually toured through a beautiful, faraway village. Zebegeny is a lovely village in Hungary, next to the Danube. We got to see a parish church designed by a Transylvanian architect, all the way from England and without moving a single muscle! It was so refreshing to be part of a virtual travelling community, whilst simultaneously, being told all about this wondrous place by a village local, via livestream.
If you do a virtual ‘walk’ you can either sit down at home or have a walk in your garden (if one is available to you). That means you will get some exercise in while witnessing some extraordinary scenery. Also, there will be no chance of you getting too close to people; so just enjoy and be in the moment during your journey!
There was a real sense of community and exploration. That left me feeling refreshed and positive at the end of my day, in lockdown but with an energised, wandering mind.
The locals showed us their kayaks next to the lake and even their local pub! This pub, as I was told, is an extremely important pub! I will definitely have to pop in one day and go kayaking – I cannot wait.
On top of this, there is also a WhatsApp group, to keep us all connected throughout the week, and wherever we are. These amazing people are largely from England, Slovakia, and Hungary. If you are interested, you can find this particular group by clicking on the link below. Also, there are so many groups like this out there, so it just takes a little bit of research. All this virtual travelling will be a true source of inspiration, for when we can ‘really’ travel again.
Now onto movies (Yay woo! I hear you say :P). I do not want to sound bossy or anything… but you absolutely HAVE to watch ‘Thelma and Louise’ which follows two best friends as they, not so smoothly, drive from ‘Arkansas through Oklahoma and Colorado to Arizona’. Their journey is full of action, beauty, wonder, and highs and lows. I could not recommend it highly enough to feed that travelling spirit, as well as your hunger for some captivating drama. Enjoy. Oh, yes! And another IMPORTANT point to mention is that Brad Pitt is in it… although he doesn’t turn out to be a great guy ☹… sorry for the spoilers!
Something that I must mention is that Google is offering world tours of the world heritage sites. So, from your sofa, you have access to the towering pyramids of Giza, Egypt, and the ancient Carpathian forests. What’s not to like?
Or if that doesn’t take your fancy, you could instead explore ancient caves, such as Chauvet Cave and Carlsbad Caverns.
I will provide all the links below. So, you won’t miss a thing.
Take care everyone, fellow travellers. And most of all, enjoy your journey and please leave a comment below if you would like to share your virtual travelling experiences.
Find out even more about virtual travel. Go for it!
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/virtual-trips-travel-tours
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/travel-guide/exploring-europe-through-virtual-travel/
This article was written by Jess, volunteer at Sunrise Project France since April 2020. Jess lives in England, but she is also a global citizen. She LOVES travelling, languages and meeting people from around the world. She believes in cooperation and kindness!
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