These days or weeks, we have had to entertain ourselves at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and manage to quarantine in the most enjoyable way possible. But let’s see, instead of despair, we must take advantage of this time to do things that we always postponed due to a lack of time. You can resume some learning, hobby or why not, travel the world through what you have at home.
So get inspired, let your imagination run wild and travel to wonderful places in your house, this time there are no limits or borders. Are you ready? Let’s go on a trip…
Through books
I believe that there is no better way to escape reality than through literature. Books are our window to the world. It is enough that the character of a novel is described walking the streets of London to move us through our imagination to its neighborhoods.
Through gastronomy
Do you have to entertain your family too? Choose dishes from a country you have traveled to or would like to travel to one day and have a theme night. It does not have to be complicated, you can make a simple Italian menu, something easy and delicious. For example, I would love to make a Turkish menu or learn how to cook Lebanese food.
Framing photos of your travels
I don’t know if this is your case, but I return from my travels with hundreds of photos on my cell phone that end up on a hard drive. I have been thinking for a while about selecting some to put in the living room and I always postpone my home projects due to a lack of time. So now is the time to relive all those wonderful trips you have taken, put your photos in order or finish the projects you had planned with them.
Learn a typical dance
If there is something that is not missing in this world, it is tutorials on YouTube. Now that we are all in quarantine, there are more people who are sharing their skills on the networks, even famous people. So if you want to learn samba, sevillanas, Bollywood dances or just went to Hawaii and fell in love with their dances, now is your time to learn Polynesian dances. It is even a great work out and takes out stress in a fun way.
DIY with your souvenirs
Just as with travel photos, the same happens with some souvenirs that unfortunately end up in the trunk of memories. I really like buying lithographs in museums, sculptures at bazaars or books that remind me of the country I visited. Despite the fact that each souvenir has a travel story to tell, I confess that many have remained for years in drawers or suitcases.
My pretext is the lack of space, but I have spent two years -to be exact- planning the design of a bookcase that I want to make myself, to place all those souvenirs that I have brought back from other parts of the world. Although it is true that right now there must be social distancing, I have proposed myself to take measures, design this bookcase very well to accommodate everything and once we are back to normal, send it to a local carpentry or store, to support small businesses.
Watch international movies and series
Obviously, the most visual way to see other cities or countries is to watch shows and movies that expose the location where it was filmed. We will always find a movie filmed in New York, the favorite city of so many travelers, that will surely bring back memories to all those who have visited it or will further awaken the interest of those who dream of visiting the Big Apple someday.
Well actually, they do not have to be international, for example I just saw a Netflix show (Desenfrenadas) where the state of Oaxaca comes out so beautiful, that if you see it, all you want to do is travel there.
It is also more exciting to watch movies and shows in their original language. I can’t imagine watching Amélie, Good Bye, Lenin! or even Parasites dubbed into Spanish. Also, the point of this post is that we would travel abroad from our own home, okay?
Create an international music list
We all have moods, even for music. For example, I have a list of my favorite international songs (old and new), another list of only Spanish songs and obviously one that I love, with music that I listen to when I want to read and write.
I like to be constantly adding international music, not only to listen to it during my trips, but also because I feel like I travel when I am calm at home, like at the moment.
On one occasion, a reader shared his travel music list with me and I loved it. If you like, we can share lists or international songs in the comments section.
Plan an international drinks night
Finally, I think that we have all taken advantage of this quarantine to organize video calls with friends. If you are planning on having one, you can make it thematic and have each participant prepare a drink and share the recipe. It does not have to be something elaborate, it can be a wine, a beer or a mezcal.
Thank you reader for sharing these minutes with me, always at a distance but in the same circumstances. I wish you health and let’s try to stay positive. Everything will pass.
