Life took an unexpected pause when COVID-19 happened. It was difficult to adapt to the new normal without virtual travel. Prohibition of people’s movement, fear of transmission of disease, mental anxieties, and a lot of monotonous schedules made everyone anxious. The only way one could travel between countries was by using virtual mediums.

As a travel enthusiast whose bucket list of “New Year’s Resolutions” was filled with expedition destinations, pandemics made me quite frustrated. Honestly, it ruined all my plans for voyaging on the journey of exploring places. However, in these ten months of strict lockdown, I applied virtual travel alternatives to keep up with my plan. Here’s how I traveled across places virtually during the ongoing lockdown. You can also try these virtual journeys to your planned destinations if there’s still a lockdown in your country.

Flipping Old Travel Diaries and Blogs

Excursions and expeditions are an extraordinary experience of learning in an open environment that is quite entertaining and imprinted on memories for a lifetime. I had a habit of writing about the places of my visit, which I went through during this lockdown. You can also start writing if you haven’t started yet. You do not need to be a travel writer to write about your journey.

A habit of safari writing in one’s language about the individual’s experience not only improves your writing skill but also helps to relive the moments and keep you captive about the sightseeing destination across the mind. This can be your memo diary for a few years later, where you relive those days again. How cool is that?

Going through old photo albums or videos

Every picture has a story to tell. The touring photos of you and your mates can truly relish your memory cells. Not only yours, but a voyage photo of anyone else is enough to bring out your childlike curiosity. The interesting cultures, memories, and beauty of that place are enough to take you to the place it attracted you to. I got goosebumps when I went through my old virtual travel memories. All the jungle walks, city tours, and Nepal trekking would roll through my mind and bring a smile to my face.

Watching documentaries and Travel Vlogs

Some documentaries are worth watching free of prejudices that evoke the essence of the local place, community, and perception. The travTraveltaries bring out the best to inspire travel by presenting the creative side beyond the real exchange of lives. Some of the best travel documentaries online will brainwash you to travel immediately.

Similarly, there are countless travel vloggers on YouTube and other social channels. You can enjoy their drone shots, amazing videography of mountains, and local ethnic lives. I followed popular travel vloggers in Nepal, as I would have returned from an Upper Mustang tour if COVID-19 hadn’t occurred.

Trying different ethnic and local dishes

The best part of travel is not just the art, culture, natural beauty, and heritage; food also makes up a major part of lifestyle, culture, religion, classes, and way of life. You can prepare the taste of specific dishes from certain communities at home and rejoice in the taste buds of your tongue while sending nerve impulses to the brain back in travel time.

There are a lot of cuisines being served in your local surroundings, and you can prepare many in the home itself by seeing them online. I tried almost all the local Nepalese food at home. I followed the cooking heroes on YouTube and would do the same as they said. However, I couldn’t bring the real local taste to the food, but trust me, it was fun cooking local traditional dishes.

Read travel magazines and books

To keep your travel inspiration alive, there are tons of travel magazines and books that you can use for your entertainment or research purposes. Many of the hidden aspects of a particular place that guide you to be motivated towards different traveling places are the result of beautifully written travel books and magazines. I read almost every travel magazine I had bought before lockdown. Likewise, the ultimate guide to Everest Base Camp helped me learn about the EBC Trek.

If you are a travel fanatic, then you can browse travel magazines like Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, Afar, Condé Nast Traveler, Backpacker Magazine, Outside, Wanderlust, Heaven Himalaya (to get info about Nepal), etc. on the web. You can choose to follow any of them or else buy ebooks on Amazon, eBay, and other e-commerce sites. Otherwise, there are interviews with travel bloggers and their stories. Here’s a travel blogger interview with Michelle.

Travel-themed living room

The place where we spend most of our time with ourselves is the living room for sure. There are a lot of varieties of options to choose from to experience journeying sitting right in the living room. The awe-inspiring interiors and designs based on travel themes manifest the worldliness of your favorite travel destinations as per your desire. I have my room decorated with pictures from the mountains. If you are a travel enthusiast, you can decorate your room with the things you get while traveling to different places.

Virtual Travel tools via digital technologies

Technology is revolutionizing every aspect of the world, including travel itself. It has made traveling more thrilling, budget-friendly, eco-friendly, informative, and whatnot. Digital technologies have created an amazing atmosphere, creating an alternative way of traveling. I have a VR headset that I use to watch some travel VR videos on YouTube; that’s the closest thing I enjoyed while on a mission to travel virtually to my to-do list of vacation destinations. Likewise, I used Google Earth to learn about Nepal’s geography and the roadways of the places I wanted to travel to.

Listening to travel podcasts

Travel podcasts can either bring you the money of adventure or excitement in some form, or they might give you pro tips, hacks, etc. based on their personal experience and research about the place information that you need. They can be an important asset for any kind of wanderlust. That’s a fresh feeling you get while listening to others describe a place or a local thing.

Although the experience of travel cannot be substituted with virtual travel, the above things helped me learn about places, cultures, and geography. If a sudden change in the plan occurs and even if you have less time for travel, Then, no worries; you always have these alternatives to keep you updated. Gone are the days when you must quit your plans for travel. An optimist always gets his or her things done amidst the chaos. Nothing can take away your freedom from the voyage.

How did you cope with the lockdown when you wanted to travel somewhere? Share your virtual travel ways in the comments below.

Happy Travelling!

Article by

sanjib adhikari

Sanjib is a seasoned adventurer and a tourism expert who has spent the past 6 years immersed in Nepal's vibrant travel industry. He has trekked through Nepal's iconic landscapes in the Everest, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Langtang regions. He now spends his time writing about different places in Nepal and helping others travel effortlessly.