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75+ Armchair Travel Experiences: Virtual Tours & More!

We live in crazy times. Our big beautiful world is facing challenges the likes of which we have never seen or experienced before. From global warming to global pandemics, fires to floods – and even locusts (!), the extinction of animal species, exponential population growth and diminishing natural resources (just to name a few – and all of which are too big to deal with here!) And when it comes to exploring this incredible world, mass over-tourism (until the start of 2020) was and is threatening to destroy some of our most loved and cherished sights and cities. As a response to our current situation armchair travel is becoming more and more important – both to our sanity and the tourism industry!

The term armchair travel has been traditionally used to refer to seniors and the elderly, unable to travel and so attempting to see the world from their living room; with virtual travel being used for the younger crowd, and even more so with the improvements in VR (virtual reality). But at times like this, terminology doesn’t matter. What does matter is that while domestic and international travel has been banned by governments around the world, the tourism industry has stepped up to try and offer some virtual relief in the form of live streams, webcams and 360-degree virtual tours. However finding then can be a bit of a hit and miss affair depending on how well they are marketed.

And that’s where we come in. As someone who is currently in lockdown myself, and looking for ways to virtually travel from home , live streams of incredible places in the world have become my daily escape. From ‘diving’ the Great Barrier Reef in Australia to Walking along the Great Wall of China; from going to the Ballet in London or watching Baby Goats in Indiana. I love that I can hop online and see our beautiful world continuing on around us. And I hope that by putting together a directory of armchair travel live streams and virtual tours and travel experiences in major destinations around the world, you will find a little bit of escapism too.

*QUICK TIP* Looking for something specific? Use the table of contents to narrow down by country, state and region or use CTL+F to search by text!

Armchair Travel – A Complete Guide to Live Streams & Virtual Travel Around the World

*Editors note: Whilst we are all in lockdown and unable to travel, the natural world is showing signs of recovery (improvement in air quality in China and Europe , pollution levels in New York are down, wildlife is making a resurgence etc) but many human-centric industries are suffering in its wake – including the tourism industry. For tourism businesses such as hotels and tour companies, restaurants and airlines, travel agents – and travel blogs – a global lockdown has been catastrophic on a scale no one could have predicted, and dependant on how long this crisis lasts could be the reason some of these organizations and travel companies don’t exist when we return to some semblance of normality (although I would encourage everyone to think about exactly what parts of ‘normal’ they want to bring back ). 

As a way keep tourism alive and to support those in the industry local to you there are a few things you can do: use takeaway options from cafes and restaurants (direct from the supplier if possible), shop small/shop local via online stores and share small businesses that need help with your friends. And for those further away, postpone don’t cancel your reservations; buy gift certificates for future travel experience, leave online reviews from past stays (they may not help now, but will certainly help build confidence when the industry starts to recover) – and please please please keep reading your favorite travel blogs ( like this one! )

Keep planning those dream vacations and click through your favorite websites for travel inspiration, because when the world opens it’s doors again, you might want to be ready and excited to jump back into travel as soon it is safe to do so. (I know I will!)

But until then, let’s keep travel alive through armchair travel, virtual reality and 360 degree tours – and if you know of a great virtual travel resource or live feed that we haven’t included in this list, let us know in the comments below so we can add it in!

In This Post

• 1.2.1 Melbourne & Victoria
• 1.2.2 Northern Territory
• 1.2.3 Sydney & New South Wales
• 1.2.4 Queensland
• 1.2.5 Western Australia
• 1.4 Cambodia
• 1.10 Israel
• 1.12 Maldives
• 1.15 Russia
• 1.16 UK & Ireland
• 1.17.1 Arizona
• 1.17.2 California
• 1.17.3 Colorado
• 1.17.4 Florida
• 1.17.5 Georgia
• 1.17.6 Hawaii
• 1.17.7 Indiana
• 1.17.8 Montana
• 1.17.9 New Mexico
• 1.17.10 New York
• 1.17.11 South Carolina
• 1.17.12 Tennessee
• 1.17.13 Washington D.C.
• 1.17.14 Wyoming

And if that’s not enough, you could virtually hike Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro !

Melbourne & Victoria

• Take virtual tours at both the Melbourne Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
• Spend an hour at the symphony: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra broadcast live & delayed performances
• Zoos Victoria have a range of live webcams to watch our furry friends, from snow leopard cubs (eep!) to koalas, lions to zebras and quite a few in between.
• Take in an aerial tour of the 12 Apostles and other natural features along Australias favorite coastal drive at The Great Ocean Road
• Take a peek under the coastline with ReefCam at Port Phillip Bay – or the view from above

Northern Territory

• Be virtually guided around the indigenous sacred site of Uluru , learning all about the sights and sounds that make it so important.

Sydney & New South Wales

• Take a virtual tour of Sydney itself; or
• See inside an icon with the Sydney Opera House 360-degree Tour
• Rewatch a classic performance by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
• Zip Line through the trees with Illawarra Fly
• Explore the Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough on an interactive journey; or
• Track some of the most incredible sea creatures found on the Reef with ReefTracks by Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef
• Get a dose of cute Aussie wildlife when you check in on the Koalas via Koala-cam at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Western Australia

• Go Whale Watching and see Orca’s, Blue Whales and Whale Sharks on these incredible virtual tours.
• Explore the stunning Karijini National Park in HD

• Grab a Caipirinha and transport yourself to Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro in one click.

• The temples of the incredible Angkor Wat complex have never been so accessible. Explore in VR here & here .

• See the Northern Lights from Churchill, Manitoba
• #VirtuallyVancouver is bringing travel-worthy stories and experiences right to your fingertips.
• Explore Old Québec City in 360° in under 3 minutes!

• Take a virtual walk along the Great Wall of China
• Explore China through a Virtual Reality Tour of the Forbidden City
• Get an aerial view of the impressive Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge in 360° and 8K

• Take a virtual tour of the Louvre’s impressive art collection .
• Wander through history with a virtual tour at the Paris Catacombs
• Enjoy the beautiful Palace of Versailles on a virtual tour
• Get a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower – anytime day or night (we recommend sunset if you can swing it!)

• Virtually Visit the impressive Taj Mahal that typically sees millions of visitors each year.

• Take a cooking class with a real Italian Nonna !
• Tour the archives of the Vatican Museum – including the Sistine Chapel – without having to get dressed.
• Venice has a rolling live stream with cameras around the city showcasing views of the Rialto Bridge, St. Mark’s Square and Grand Canal

• The Inbal is a luxury hotel in Jerusalem, overlooking the old city – and their rotating webcam gives you a birdseye view of the holy city from dawn to dusk.
• The Postcards from Israel YouTube series takes would-be tourists on a virtual tour on this incredible country, with different sites in each video.

• Japan went all out when they started to focus on armchair travel and you can see the whole country in Virtual Reality!
• There is also a webcam of the famously busy (but currently very quiet) Shibuya Crossing ; and
• Webcams of the Niseko Snow Village

• Hit the beach with a live stream from Kuredu Island Resort . Those clear blue waters and white sands are enough to make everyone’s days a little bit brighter
• Take a virtual aerial tour of the Maldives with AirPano

• Virtually do something millions never can or will: Explore Everest Base Camp in High Definition!

• Explore Machu Picchu in HD (without the 4-day hike to see one of the worlds most beautiful sights)

• Explore the amazing Catherine Palace in virtual Reality.

UK & Ireland

• Explore London every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a 20-minute virtual tour with LookUpLondon live on Instagram
• Take a peek inside the Queen’s house with this virtual tour of Buckingham Palace
• Wander where giants once roamed on this virtual tour of the Giants Causeway in Ireland
• Stock up on your Shakespeare at the Globe Theater (performances available for a small fee)
• Explore Historical & Cultural sites: Take a virtual tour of the British Museum or the Tower of London
• Live at London Zoo – head on over to the webcams to check on our animal friends
• Virtually ride the London Eye (for free!)
• Have a night at the ballet with shows recorded and shared on YouTube by the Royal Opera House
• Use Google’s Art&Culture App to virtually explore The Natural History Museum
• Take a wander through the historic Edinburgh Castle (home to the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo )

• Witness the majesty of the Grand Canyon without leaving your sofa with GoogleEarth!
• See the animals at San Diego Zoo with live streams of polar bears , giraffes and more !
• Watch the Jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
• See the Bald Eagles at Channel Island National Park
• Take in the natural beauty of Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park
• View the Webcams at Rocky Mountain National Park
• Escape with stunning Drone Footage from the Garden of the Gods
• Immerse yourself in stunning imagery from Colorado National Monument NP (the prettiest National Park you’ve never heard of!)
• Take a Street Art Tour of Colorado
• Head to the Theme Parks and hop on a rollercoaster! YouTube channels such as CoasterForce and iThemePark allow you to tour the parks and virtually ride the coasters without needing to leave your living room (or buy a ticket!)
• Leave the planet entirely with the Housten Space Centre app – offering interactive tours, virtual reality experiences and various app-based exhibits to help you get among the stars.
• Need a little beach time in your virtual life? Check the webcam at Clearwater Beach and enjoy this little slice of paradise from your sofa.
• Watch the underwater world of the Georgia Aquarium , or check-in via webcam on a whole heap of sea creatures.
• Hit the beach with the Waimea Bay Live Webcam . Sand, sunsets, and waves. Apart from actually being there, what more could you want?
• Who knew you needed a live stream of baby goats in your life? It’s cuteness at a click whenever you need a boost!
• Explore the turquoise glacial lakes and rugged mountaintops in Glacier National Park
• Take a virtual tour of Carlsbad Caverns National Park with Google Earth

• Virtually walk through Central Station or Central Park learning about their history and cultural importance to the city
• Take a helicopter ride above New York City and see all the major sights
• Take a virtual tour through MOMA , the Museum of Modern Art thanks to Googles’ art and culture initiative.
• Have a giggle: Standup NY and Magnet Theater are both live streaming comedy performances.
• The ‘ Tourist in Your Own Town ‘ series of videos takes you through some of New Yorks’ lesser-visited sites and attractions.
• Broadway & Musicals in Your Living Room: Whilst there is a paid service for this (BroadwayHD) – YouTube can be a great resource, and help you save money at the same time. Tune into The Shows Must Go On for free for a new musical each weekend.
• Find yourself smack bang in the middle of New York’s Times Square in just one click.
• Tour the Guggenheim Museum on a virtual tour through its amazing halls.
• Go to the Met! The Metropolitan Opera is hosting nightly encore performances of some of its most iconic shows with free streams available from 7.30 pm each day and available for 20 hours after the performance.

South Carolina

• Walk through Charleston on a virtual Ghost Tour of the city every Friday and Saturday night.
• How cute are Otters?! Watch them frolic on OtterCam at the Tennessee Aquarium.

Washington D.C.

• Watch as the Cherry Blossoms bloom along the National Mall with BloomCam
• See the Pandas care of The Smithsonian at the National Zoo
• Take a virtual tour the National Portrait Gallery
• Discover DC in 360° – with virtual tours in and around the city.
• Tour the Smithsonian Natural History Museum with a selection of virtual tours.
• Get ready to watch Old Faithful spray in Yellowstone National Park (there’s a handy predictor on there too!)

And that’s a wrap folks – for now at least(!) We hope you have found some exotic place to virtually travel to or just by clicking a few of the live-stream links listed here you are getting the hang on modern-day armchair travels! And if you know of a travel-inspiration worthy virtual travel experience or 360° virtual tour from around the world please let us know, and we will add it to this list. We hope that this will turn into the most complete armchair travel resource on the web – which will be useful even after the global travel ban!

And if you know of anyone going stir crazy at home (who isn’t at the moment?!) or has got a travel itch they just can’t scratch – be sure to share this post with them or on social media. It can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard or, by grabbing the image below, Pinterest. Hopefully they can virtually travel to their dream destination with the help of this list and scratch that daily travel itch!

And if you liked this armchair travel guide to virtual tours and virtual travel experiences throughout the world, take a look at the other recent posts, packing tips, travel accessories, travel resources, travel guides, travel tips, ultimate guides and packing lists in this series:

• The Ultimate Road Trip Packing List – & Road Trip Playlist (!) keeping you and your care happy, entertained & healthy on the road
• The Ultimate Ski Trip Packing List – packed full of ski essentials to help you have the best time on the piste
• The Best Time to Visit Iceland + How to Pack for Iceland (in Summer OR Winter) – Iceland can be cold and unpredictable, but our list will have you covered whatever season you plan to visit.
• Get Eco Friendly on your travels: The Best Solid Toiletries (that you can take in your carry on) and Eco-Friendly Gifts for travel lovers.
• Travel Gear: Travel Backpacks & Carry On Luggage , travel tripods , camera backpacks , passport holders & travel yoga mats !
• Get ready for the World’s favorite shopping holiday: Black Friday Deals for Travel 2020

Hi There! Thanks for reading my guide to Online Travel & Armchair Travel: 75+ live streams, virtual tours & virtual travel experiences to help you travel without leaving home while the world is closed! I just wanted to let you know that this post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something after clicking any of the links we may earn – which is at absolutely no cost to you . If you enjoyed this article and are going to be searching for some of the things I mention anyway, I would love it if you could click through from the links above & thank you in advance! Read my full Disclosure here .

And thank you for reading the MakeTimeToSeeTheWorld travel blog.

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Wowzitude! ‘Armchair Travel’ – Budapest, Hungary

May 2 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Wowzitude’s Award-Winning Travel Club, designed for armchair travelers, takes you on LIVE, guided virtual walks around the world from the comfort and safety of SeniorsPlus. Interactive, virtual, live-streamed walking tours feature expert hosts and trained local guides eager to Zoom in and introduce us to their favorite spots. Walk-ins welcome. Check out SeniorsPlus on Facebook for Wowzitude updates.

Thursday, May 2 from 11am to 12pm

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Armchair Travel: 16 Ways To Travel The World From Home

Got the wanderlust but you’re not able to travel anywhere at the moment? That’s okay – you can become an armchair traveler and explore all the places you want from the comfort of your bed.

You’ll need a computer or a smartphone, a good internet connection, and an idea of a place you want to explore. Nothing else is required for armchair travel, and if your interest is peaked, you can read all about armchair travel right here in this detailed guide!

What Is Armchair Travel?

Armchair travel is kind of like a staycation, but instead of exploring the local attractions, you don’t even have to leave the house. It’s discovering new places from the comfort of your chair, hence the term armchair travel.

It can include anything from looking over photos from your past trips to spending hours on Google Earth, walking around the streets of a city you’ve never been to. It’s pretty much just detaching yourself from your current surroundings and immersing yourself in things related to a different country so that for a moment you actually feel like you are there.

It’s as simple as reading a book about Paris while listening to Edith Piaf and eating a croissant.

16 Ways To Travel The World From Home

Technology has come far enough to allow us to travel the world from the comfort of your own home. Well, not quite, but it’s almost there – you can explore the streets of any country in the world from the comfort of your bedroom, you can learn about the best restaurants, and you can even do virtual tours of museums and other famous attractions – you just have to zoom in enough on the world map. That’s the beauty of living in the age of virtual reality and 360-degree images.

I’m just getting started, and here are even more armchair travel ideas that will help you explore your dream destination from home!

Read Travel Blogs

Just because you can’t hop on an airplane and head to a new destination doesn’t mean you can’t learn about it and explore it. Reading travel blogs is a good way to explore new countries through the eyes and lenses of other travelers.

It’s a form of virtual travel that allows you to draw from other people’s experiences. The key is to find a travel blogger you can relate to and whose content you enjoy reading. Immerse yourself in their content, and sooner than you know it, you’ll become an expert on a destination you’ve never even visited.

There are thousands of travel blogs run by people from all around the world, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find at least one that you enjoy.

Virtually Explore US National Parks

Most US National Parks offer virtual tours that are absolutely perfect for an armchair traveler. You can explore any national park you want from the comfort of your home, and you can even peek inside museums and other unique attractions that the national parks have.

Of course, it’s not the same as reaping the benefits of a hot spring inside a national park, but it’s a great way to explore nature and get to know more about the national parks. There’s also the added benefit of not having to deal with snakes, bugs, and the changing weather that’s so common in the NPs.

Head to the Google Arts & Culture website to see all the 52 national parks and historic sites from the US that have made their collections available for digital exploration. You can also see loads of other famous attractions from countries all over the world here, but more details on that later.

Read A Travel-Related Book

If you’re a bookworm, this is the easiest way to become an armchair traveler. Find some travel-related books that you enjoy reading and allow yourself to live in their worlds for the next few days.

Also, a travel-related book can be anything. It could be the autobiography of your favorite artist who recounts all the places life has taken him to, a proper travel guide to a different country, or even a fiction novel set in a foreign country.

Travel guides and coffee table books related to travel are the safest options if you’re not an avid reader. From travel guides through the US to detailed exploration of Italy’s best beaches – there are countless travel books out there, and you just need to search for one that’s about the destination you’re most interested in.

Those who prefer fiction have even more options. I can’t help myself and I have to recommend Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series – the popular crime novels are set in Norway, primarily Oslo, and the detailed descriptions of the city’s top sights will truly transport you to the Nordics for a moment.

Listen To Travel Podcast

Not a big fan of reading or watching TV? Put on a travel podcast then and listen to other people recount the details of their latest trips. You’ll hear some fun and interesting stories for sure, but you may also learn about the inconveniences that might arise should you choose to travel to the same destinations.

We Travel There is a great podcast hosted by Lee Huffman. He interviews locals from all around the world, so every episode is about a different city. The local attractions and best places to visit are usually highlighted in each episode, making this podcast worth checking out even when you’re planning a travel itinerary.

Where To Go is also a great podcast, mostly because it’s hosted by the team behind DK Eyewitness travel guides. They’re some of the best travel guides out there, and the podcast episodes truly give them a run for their money.

Watch Travel Vlogs On Youtube

There are countless travel vloggers trying to make a living by doing the one thing they love most – traveling. You can support them and help them make their dreams come true by consuming their content and exploring the different countries of the world from the comfort of your own couch.

Finding a travel vlogger you like shouldn’t be too challenging, especially with so many different options out there. The key is to find a person you genuinely enjoy watching, otherwise, you won’t be able to focus on the travel destinations!

You can also find live camera streams on YouTube from countries all over the world. They usually include short snippets from various cameras, but it’s a great way to get a glimpse of distant landscapes and everyday life in foreign countries in just a few minutes. Plus, if you see a stream that you particularly like, you can always just find that specific live camera and refer to it whenever you want.

Enroll in A Travel-Related Course

If you still enjoy learning and you’ve particularly interested in travel, why not enroll in a travel-related course. Working on yourself and furthering your education is always a good thing, and you never know what opportunities may present themselves after you’ve completed the course.

I’m not saying enroll in a five-year college course about tourism, but you can take various online and offline courses on a myriad of topics relating to travel. The best way to get started is to get acquainted with all the different diplomas and certificates that are relevant to the tourism industry.

There are dozens of them, and there are many ways to earn them, from attending free online courses to enrolling in MBA degree programs.

Learn what it takes to become a travel agent, get a certificate that allows you to be a tour guide in your hometown, or complete a flight attendant training program. There are countless travel-related courses you can take, and you just need to see which ones interest you the most. This can also increase your chances of getting a job with one of the travel companies if that’s something you are interested in.

Additionally, you can also enroll in language-related courses. They usually include learning about the culture, literature, and history of the country whose language you’re learning, plus learning a new language is always a great idea.

Cook Your Favorite Dishes From Around The World

Exploring a new country means exploring its cuisine and getting to know all of its different flavors. So, if you’re feeling like traveling somewhere but you can’t actually go to that country, you can try to make it – or at least a tiny bit of it – in your own kitchen.

Turn to YouTube or one of a million different recipe websites, and find a dish you enjoy from the cuisine of the country you want to visit. Tacos will immediately fill the room with staple smells from South America, a good curry can never not remind you of India, and sushi is entirely self-explanatory.

So, if you can’t go on a trip right this minute but you’re desperate to at least feel like you’re traveling, just make your entire kitchen smell like a street full of food vendors from that country!

Watch TV Shows Related To Travel

Sometimes it’s enough for a show to be filmed at the right location for it to become extremely popular. Emily in Paris proved that – despite the fact that the show was criticized for a number of different things, it remained extremely popular and mostly because of the fact that it’s filmed in Paris.

People love to tune in to see Lily Collins strolling down the cobblestone alleys of Montmartre and enjoying croissants with a fabulous view of the Eiffel Tower, and I have to admit I’m also guilty of binging both seasons.

It doesn’t have to be a show about one specific city – there are countless travel shows that will satisfy your wanderlust for a moment, and many of them feature a different city or country in every episode. Put on some of Anthony Bourdain’s classics – No Reservations and Parts Unkown are still some of the best shows that combine food and travel!

The Grand Tour is another gem that covers remote destinations from around the world, and it’s particularly interesting for car lovers. But you don’t have to be into cars to appreciate the humor of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, and you certainly don’t need to know anything about vehicles to admire the spectacular landscapes that are featured in the episodes of this humorous travel show.

Watch Travel Movies

If you don’t want to commit to an entire TV show, you can just put on a travel movie. Into The Wild is a textbook example of a travel movie, and probably the best-known film in the genre. But a travel movie can be almost anything, as long as it’s set in the place that you’re yearning to visit.

I get the urge to travel to Sicily whenever I watch Godfather, and I doubt anyone would consider that a travel movie. But the beautiful landscapes that Al Pacino escapes to are so fascinating that, for a moment, it’s entirely possible to forget you’re watching a movie about mobsters.

The entire Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight trilogy showcases the beauty of spectacular European cities – Vienna, Paris, and Greece, in that order. Mamma Mia also depicts the beauty of Croatian and Greek islands, and it’s a great film to put on if you’re dreaming about a beach vacation.

Wild, starring Reese Whitherspoon, follows an inexperienced hiker setting out on the Pacific Crest Trail. The entire movie was shot on location, so it features the actual highlights of the iconic US long-distance hiking trail.

Go On A Virtual Tour of World’s Famous Museums

Some of the most famous museums in the entire world offer free virtual tours, and you should take advantage of that. J Paul Getty Museum, London’s Natural History Museum, and Musée d’Orsay in Paris have all made their collections available for virtual exploration.

Head to Google Arts & Culture again to go through the collections of these museums. You can even browse the various digital collections they have by genre or time period, so finding a collection curated specifically for you is easier than ever.

Learn A New Language

Learning an entirely new language is the best form of armchair travel. Not only does it get you closer to the culture of a country you’re fascinated by, but it’s also a way of developing a new skill that you can use for the rest of your life.

Learning a new language isn’t exactly the easiest thing you can do to satisfy your wanderlust, but it’s certainly the most useful one. You’ll particularly be happy you took up that happy if you manage to travel to the country whose native language you’ve mastered!

Also, keep in mind that learning a new language usually includes learning about the history and culture of that country, as well as reading a few books written by the nation’s most prominent writers. So, you’re not just learning how to talk to locals on your next trip, but you’re also getting a complete guide to the most important landmarks and attractions of the country you choose!

Plan Your Next Trip

Do you already have a destination in mind for your next trip? Then why not start planning it right now. You don’t have to purchase airplane tickets if you’re not sure when you’ll be able to go, but it’s a good idea to start researching other details that will come in handy during your trip.

Look at hotels and AirBnBs to see where you would like to stay and be sure to check out all the top tourist attractions and things to do at the destination. You can even make little maps for any future trip, and you can refer to the map when you actually arrive at that destination.

If you often go on road trips, you already know just how much planning goes into them, if you want things to go smoothly. You can get a head start on your next trip right now – it will get you excited about the trip, plus you can plan out a good chunk of the road trip.

Reminisce About Your Past Trips

Nothing can transport you through time and place quite like a personal photograph. Blow the dust off your online albums and take the time to go through all the 2365 photos you took on that trip to Rio de Janeiro. It can’t be just me that takes a million photos wherever I’m in a new city, and it can’t just be me that never looks at them again.

Take the time to go through the old photos and choose your favorites. You can even print them out if you like and create a travel collage to hang on a wall. Or you can just turn them into a throwback post.

You can also use this opportunity to make room in your phone for photographs you’ll take on your upcoming trips. Delete any blurry shots, images you don’t like, or images that you have a dozen copies of, and create some space for the photographs of places you’re yet to visit!

Create A Travel Scrapbook

Now that we all have amazing cameras in our pockets, it seems like we’re always taking photos, but never taking the time to go through them. Do you remember going through your childhood albums, and how happy you’d be when you saw that one photo you have a great memory of? Or when you looked at images from your travels as a kid?

You can still do that now, even if you’re a full-blown adult. You can even create an album if you want, but a travel scrapbook is a bit more fun. Go through the photos of the last (or any) place you visited, and select the ones you like the most and you want to have in your travel scrapbook.

If you need some travel inspiration, why not dedicate a few pages to every destination you visited. Print out your favorite photos with your friends and family, but also of the landmarks you liked and any places that stood out. Put all the photos in the scrapbook, and be sure to write little captions beneath the photos.

If you do go through with this, two decades from now, when your travel memories start to fade, you’ll be thrilled every time you lay eyes on your little travel scrapbook.

Play A Travel-Themed (Board) Game

Why not try a travel-themed board game to satisfy your itch for a quick trip? Trekking The World is one of the best-selling board games out there, and it’s great for families and friend groups of up to five people. You play the game by racing to visit as many countries in the world as you can and you collect souvenirs along the way. It’s extremely fun, and a great way to learn about some of the most popular destinations in the world.

The World Game is a travel-themed card game for up to five players. It tests your knowledge of geography by asking you to name the capitals of countries, point them out on a map, or guess their flag. It’s a fun card game, but only if you’re into geography.

It’s worth noting that board games aren’t the only types of games you can play that are related to travel. If you’re into gaming, you’ve got even more options when it comes to armchair travel! Many recent AAA games are set in existing cities, and most of those open worlds are incredibly detailed and pretty true to life.

Not all the details will be identical, but it’s important to point out that the reconstruction of Notre Dame will be done with the help of Ubisoft’s drawings that they used to recreate the iconic church in their Assassin’s Creed Unity game.

You can walk through the streets of London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Tokyo, and many other cities if you’ve got a computer that can run newer AAA games. If not, just try Geouesser – the online game is one of the best things for armchair travel, especially if you want to explore places off the beaten path.

Socialize With Fellow Travel Enthusiasts on Social Media

If all else fails, turn to social media. Go on Reddit, Instagram, or even Facebook and find a group of like-minded travel enthusiasts with whom you can share travel stories and photos. This is also a great way to meet new people and make friends, and you could potentially travel with those people sometime.

But it’s a way of armchair traveling that only extroverts will consider, so it’s definitely not for everyone. You could be one of those people that lurk around the groups and forums, taking in all the stories and images, but not sharing anything with strangers.

About the Author Anna Timbrook

Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.

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Wild Junket

Armchair Travel: 45 Fun Ideas to “Travel” Without Leaving Home

Last Updated on June 9, 2020

Sometimes travel isn’t an option — whether that is due to illness, financial issues or personal circumstances. 

Right now, it’s a global pandemic that is sweeping across the world, putting a halt on travel.   Whether you are stuck at home in a lockdown or a self-imposed quarantine, there are some creative ways to feed your travel addiction . 

From joining online travel communities to taking virtual tours of UNESCO sites, here are my armchair travel recommendations to help you “travel” without leaving your home.

Table of Contents

How to Travel Without Leaving Home

Explore museums virtually on your laptop, take a digital hike around america’s national parks, take virtual tours of the world’s unesco sites, read travel books, read travel blogs, join an online travel community, take an online travel-related course, learn a new language, watch travel-related shows on netflix, watch travel vlogs on youtube, indulge in travel movies, start scratching your world map, make a travel scrapbook, get a travel coloring book, make jigsaw puzzles or models of your favorite places in the world, entertain your kids with travel games and books, create multicultural crafts and activities, cook exotic dishes from around the world, order food delivery.

Many of the world’s musuems have been forced to temporarily shut their doors. But that doesn’t mean that we’ve lost access to the countless treasures housed by these great museums.

Thanks to the extensive  Google Arts & Culture project, we can now access more than 2,500 art spaces from around the world online, and many offer virtual tours. This is the perfect armchair travel activity for museum buffs.

Remember that COVID-19 still poses a threat while you’re surfing the web at home. Hackers are creating thousands of fake pandemic sites to steal your personal information. Make sure to use a COVID-19 scam site checker  before going to any suspicious sites.

Here are some museums worth checking out virtually:

• Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam —   View over 164,511 pieces of artwork from the revered art museum in high-definition. The museum’s most famous art pieces include Vermeer’s  The milkmaid and Rembrandt’s  Self Portrait.
• The Tate, London —This respected museums houses the foremost collection of British art dating back to the the Tudor era and including a large holding of J.M.W. Turner’s work.
• Guggenheim Museum, New York — This contemporary art and architecture museum has over 200 works viewable through Google’s portal.
• The MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art), New York — One of America’s best museums has 26 virtual exhibits and over 200,000 documented works of art from nearly any era.
• Musée d’Orsay, Paris —Check out the virtual exhibitions and 278 pieces of art from 1848 to 1914, including include Van Gogh’s  Bedroom in Arles .

Google Earth has rolled out virtual tours of some of the most beautiful national parks in the United States. The map and satellite imagery masters at Google Earth have put together a series of guided virtual tours of 31 national parks around the country .

Now you can literally travel without leaving your home and take a digital hike on Google Earth. It may not be the same as lacing up your hiking boots and inhaling the crisp clean air of the wilderness, but they’re pretty neat nonetheless. Here are the national parks offering virtual tours:

• Acadia National Park
• Arches National Park
• Badlands National Park
• Big Bend National Park
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Bruce Canyon National Park
• Canyonlands National Park
• Channel Islands National Park
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• Death Valley National Park
• Denali National Park
• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Everglades National Park
• Glacier National Park

Not just that, Google Earth has also recently launched  Heritage on the Edge , an online experience that uses 3D maps to showcase a handful of UNESCO World Heritage sites facing the looming threat of climate change.

The goal was to digitally preserve the legacy of the landmarks. For now, you can enjoy a zoomed-in view of the moai on Rapa Nui  (Easter Island), the ancient city of Chan Chan in Peru, and the coastal city of  Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania .

Not only will you be able to interact with 3-D models and 50 exhibits, but you’ll also have access to expert interviews and information on how to conserve these historical sites – an important lens, self-isolating or not. Check out this list of best virtual tours around the world .

The best travel books are often the ones that have the power to transform you as much as a journey does. My love for travel books was probably the reason why I became a  travel blogger and writer .

I have always been obsessed with travel books, especially biographies of adventurers who have embarked on extraordinary journeys.  Reading George Orwell’s Burmese Days when traveling in Myanmar made the trip all the more special. And reading Escape from Camp 14 before my trip to North Korea definitely piqued my interest in the hermit kingdom.

If you have a long list of books you’ve been wanting to read but never had the time for, this is the best time to hit that list. Check out my massive list of 50 best books on travel .

• Escape from Camp 14 (by Blaine Harden)— One man’s remarkable odyssey from North Korea to freedom in the West.
• Desert Flower (by Waris Dirie) — A true story of Waris’ escape across the dangerous Somali desert to London as an internationally renowned fashion model; and ultimately to New York City, where she became a human rights ambassador for the U.N.
• The Kite Runner (by Khaled Husseini) — A fictional book about the struggles of a young boy Amir amidst the backdrop of an unstable Afghanistan.
• Burmese Days: A Novel (by George Orwell) — A story of the waning days of British imperialism, by an Englishman living in a settlement in Burma.
• Into the Wild (by Jon Krakauer) — The remarkable story of a young man’s solo adventure in Alaska.
• Gratitude in Low Voices: A Memoir (by Dawit Gebremichael Habte)— A man’s true story of how he fled his homeland  of Eritrea during the war to find solace and success in America.
• It’s Our Turn to Eat (by Michela Wrong) — The story of a Kenyan whistle-blower

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TIP: I recommend getting a Kindle Paperwhite if you don’t have one. You can store a ridiculous amount of books on it and read it at night without ruining your eyesight. You can buy books individually or  sign up to Kindle unlimited (first month is a free trial).

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The pandemic has affected many small businesses, travel companies and websites. I am one of them — my blog’s readership and income have dropped by over 80%. It’s heartbreaking to see all that I have worked hard to build in the past 12 years be reduced to nothing.

Of course I’m not the only one. So many travel bloggers are worried about possibly losing their livelihood. I ask for your support — just read travel blogs and websites whenever you can. There’s no need to make any purchase; just reading and scrolling can help us out at times like this! 

Here are some of my best travel stories:

• World’s Most Remote Islands
• ​ Spirits and Spells: Voodoo Culture in Benin ​
• ​ 12 Interesting Facts About Madagascar ​
• ​ A Photo Essay of Tajikistan ​
• ​ Iraqi Kurdistan — The Other Iraq ​
• ​ Travel in the Caucasus: Where East Meets West
• ​ Asmara, Eritrea: An Art Deco City in Africa

Other travel blogs and websites with brilliant narratives and inspirational stories:

• Roads and Kingdoms
• Uncornered Market
• Atlas & Boots
• The Candy Trail
• Candace Rose Rardon

Looking to connect with like-minded travelers virtually? There are plenty of online travel communities catering to specific types of travelers, from solo female travelers to extreme travelers who like to veer off the beaten trail.

• Extreme Travel — A Facebook group I set up to connect with curious travelers seeking out the extraordinary in unusual places like North Korea, Iran and Sudan.
• Every Passport Stamp — A Facebook community of travelers planning to travel to every country in the world. They have strict rules and requirements, so please join only if you share the same goals as everyone.
• Travel Community — This massive Facebook group caters to all travelers from different parts of the world. Currently, there are quite a few positive discussions in light of the pandemic.
• Wanderful — This is a leading network for female travelers. The brand is currently giving away 500 free one-year memberships (typically $69/year).
• Girls Love Travel — A Facebook group for female travelers covering all kinds of travels and destinations.

If you have always been interested in travel photography or sketching, this is the best time to sign up for a travel-related online course. There are tons of virtual workshops and courses on Skillshare and Udemy .

Here are some interesting travel-related courses worth checking out:

• Travel sketching — Take an adventure into your imagination with illustrator and children’s book author Mike Lowery.
• Oil painting — A fun and informative course that will teach you basics of mark making, glazing and oil painting.
• Travel street photography — Learn popular street photography techniques, as well as composition, lighting, and photo editing for visual storytelling.
• Drone photography — Up your skills from beginner to professional drone photography with this step-by-step vide guide.
• Travel writing class — Learn to write travel tales readers (and editors) will love and sell your freelance writing to newspapers and magazines.
• Travel poster illustration : Design your favorite city and place in Procreate5. 

I have always had a special interest in languages — they are the best way to connect with locals and cultures when traveling. My first experience learning a foreign language was in college, when I took French and Spanish classes. Eventually I took intensive Spanish courses in Madrid. I also took Arabic classes after that, and recently finished my 6-month Dutch course here in Amsterdam.

Technology has made it really easy to learn a language online these days. Here are some apps and online courses I recommend:

• Duolingo — A language app that helps beginners to build up vocabulary. It is free to use and has many languages available.
• Mindsnacks — Another app that offers free language-learning games to help you learn vocabulary, grammar, practice your listening.
• BBC Languages — Free online language lessons, with crosswords, videos and quizzes accompanied by audio. Courses covering 40 languages, including Urdu, Icelandic and Slovak.
• Verbling — Interactive language lessons with a native teacher over video chat. You can choose the teacher you prefer, schedule the lesson and pay her hour.
• Lingoda — Similar to Verbling, Lingoda also offers video lessons with native teachers. But it offers monthly plans and a free 7-day trial.

Many of us are turning to Netflix to entertain us and feed our wanderlust. Forget depressing series like Outbreak, check out the following travel-themed shows that will sure to uplift you in hard times like these.

You can even use the new Google Chrome extension  Netflix Party  to watch these shows with your friends online. Just click the extension button to create a “party” and share a link to the event with whoever you want to watch the program with. The extension also allows all party members to group chat about the show in real-time.

• Dark Tourist — Definitely top on my Netflix’s favorites list, this show covers lesser-known areas and unfamiliar cultures. Check out the episodes on Pablo Escobar’s hitmen, vampires in New Orleans, and Japan’s suicide forests.
• Larry Charles’ Dangerous World Of Comedy — Another of my favorite shows (cos I love travel and comedy), this travel show follows film director, Larry Charles, around the world seeking out how comedy is done in war zones, in slums, and beyond.
• Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner — One of the many foodie travel shows on Netflix, this is what I’ve been binge-watching lately. Chef David Chang brings big-name celebrities around the world and dives in local food scenes, from Phnom Penh with Kate McKinnon to Marrakech with Chrissy Teigen.
• Conan Without Borders — One of my favorite talk show hosts, Conan O’Brien, gives a non-traditional and humorous take in this travel series. He lightens up the mood before delving into serious topics, like the humanitarian crisis in Haiti or the war in Israel.
• Our Planet — This nature series is Netflix’s very own  Planet Earth, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Don’t have a Netflix account? Youtube actually has some high quality videos from vloggers and videographers who are out there doing some great stuff. Here are some of my favorite Youtube channels:

• Drew Binsky — This unique vlogger brings viewers to unique places and he always has an interesting story to tell. Some of his videos are insightful and educational, such as these ones on Equatorial Guinea and Congo.
• Karl Watson — Karl produces quality travel documentaries that are professional and definitely inspirational. His videos tend to cater to younger millennial looking for some adventure.
• Migrationology — Foodie travelers have to check out his awesome food-focused videos. He’ll bring you on street food tours in Pakistan, feast on home-cooked food in Iran, and try top-notch Wagyu beef in Japan.
• WildJunket — Shameless self promotion here: I’m not a Youtuber or vlogger, but I do have some short travel videos on my Youtube channel. Watch me jump off a canyon in New Zealand , drive around Iceland on a campervan , and l earn about voodoo in Benin .
• Eva Zu Beck — This girl has interesting vlogs from the world’s least visited places, including Syria, Pakistan and Yemen. She shows us some of the world’s most beautiful hikes, remote islands and delicious food along the way.

And for movie lovers out there, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to movies about traveling . I have been inspired to go to certain destinations thanks to these travel movies, and I hope they will inspire you too. Check out my giant list of 60 best travel movies of all time !

• Secret Life of Walter Mitty — Embark on an adventure with magazine writer Ben Stiller (as Walter Mitty) as he goes in search of a photojournalist from the streets of Manhattan to Greenland and the Himalayas.
• The White Maasai — Based on a non-fiction memoir, this German movie sparked my interest in Africa almost 12 years ago. It tells the story of Corinne’s trip from her home country of Switzerland to Kenya , where she met and fell in love with a  Maasai  warrior and builds a home with him in the savanna. 
• The Motorcycle Dairies — This movie traces back to where it all began for Ernesto “Che” Guevara (Gael García Bernal), whose road trip across Latin America with his pal Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) opened Che’s eyes to political injustice.
• Slumdog Millionaire — One of my all-time favorite movies, this Oscar winner tells the story of an Indian Muslim from the Dharavi slum in India. He is a contestant on “Who Wants to Be a  Millionaire ?”, and is one question away from the grand prize. 
• Wild — This movie follows the journey of Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed, as she treks 1,100 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail after the devastating loss of her mother.
• Tracks — Another non-fiction movie based on the adventure of Robyn Davidson, who traverses across the r ugged landscape of Australia with only four camels and a beloved dog for company.
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — A story about a group of aging Brits who follow advertisements and arrive in India, with the promise of a second act.

This is the perfect time to reflect on past travels, and think about how far we’ve come.  Get a scratch map and spend time scratching off the places you have been! It’ll bring back some beautiful memories and get you excited about future travels.

I have a scratch map myself and it’s great fun to come home from a trip and scratch off a new country each time. My friends got me this scratch off world map when we moved to Amsterdam and it’s the best travel gift I’ve ever gotten. I hang it on a cork board with push pins, where I also pin souvenirs or memoirs (like bus tickets) from each trip. It’s such a great way to keep travel memories alive!

Another awesome thing to do to bring back beautiful memories is to make a travel scrapbook. The scrapbook could be based off one epic trip you’ve done. Perhaps an awesome adventure in Southeast Asia , or a Silk Road overland trip . It could also be a collection of all your travels from the past.

Since Kaleya was born, I’ve been wanting to make a special travel album packed with photos, postcards, brochures and stubs I collected during our trips together. It would be an awesome thing to look back on with Kaleya when she grows up. Perhaps now is the time to start making one!

I have my eye on this vintage style scrapbook album ,  but technically you can use any notebook to create an album of travel memories.

Coloring is scientifically proven to have countless health benefits for adults. It can help relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala, and help you stay calm and mindful.

I enjoy coloring with my daughter when I get the chance. It not only soothes me, but also brings back wonderful memories from places I’m coloring.

Here are some excellent travel coloring books designed for adults:

• Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel Coloring Book
• ColorIt — Around the World in 50 Pages
• Travel Between the Lines — Inspirational Coloring for Globetrotters and Daydreamers
• Crayola City Escapes — Color Your Favorite World Cities

Growing up, I did lots of jigsaw puzzles with my family during our free time. It was how we spent quality time together.

You can easily find jigsaw puzzles of all kinds for both adults and kids, whether that’s 3D puzzles of iconic landmarks or traditional puzzles of landscapes. I love making 3D puzzles with my daughter!

• 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of world’s greatest attractions
• CubicFun 3D puzzle of Notre Dame de Paris
• LEGO built-it-yourself kit of New York city skyline
• ROKR 3D wooden craft puzzle of an airship

Now that school is closed in many parts of the world, parents who are stuck at home with kids will need as many resources as they can. To keep your kid engaged, here are some travel-related ideas to pique their interest in the world.

• The books from Lonely Planet Kids are educational, interactive and fun. Kaleya has a few of this Let’s Explore series of sticker activity books  and she absolutely loves them.
• Inspire your kids with this book, Explorers: Amazing Tales of the World’s Greatest Adventurers , written by yours truly!
• Teach your kids geography with the Beginner’s World Atlas  from National Geographic, suitable for kids ages 5–8. 
• An  interactive world map  is a fun and engaging way to teach kids about the world. It has over 1000 facts about countries, capitals, oceans, and languages, that your kids can learn through interactive quizzes!
• Join online read-alouds and activities organised by your kids’ favorite authors — here’s a full list .

Another fun thing to do with kids that can pique their interest in travel is creating art and craft or products from other cultures. My daughter loves making Japanese origami and it always brings back fond memories from Japan for both of us.

Adults can also enjoy making multicultural crafts together — it’s a great way to learn about a culture and engage with it without actually traveling. Here are some other ideas:

• Make Mexico’s Day of the Dead masks
• Make Japanese origami
• Make a Native American rain stick
• Make a Japanese karp kite
• Learn Aboriginal dot painting from Australia

Food is one of the best ways to engage and connect with a culture and destination.  Some of my favorite dishes I’ve tried around the world, include the Moroccan chicken tajine (slow cooked stew), Hungarian beef goulash, and the traditional Japanese ramen. I’m not a great cook, but I enjoy making Mexican tacos, Vietnamese pho, and Indian prata from time to time.

But you don’t have to travel to tickle your tastebuds — sometimes you learn even more about a cuisine by making it in your own kitchen. Here are some great websites that provide excellent recipes from around the world:

• All Recipes
• BBC Good Food
• Serious Eats

Can’t cook or don’t enjoy cooking? I recommend looking at your local takeaways and trying something brand new. If you live in a multicultural city like I do, there are lots of international cuisine to choose from: from Nepalese to Mongolian, Ethiopian to Peruvian.

Support your local restaurants and give them some business to help you make it through the pandemic! This is seriously armchair travel at its best.

What other things are you doing at home to get that “travel” experience? Share your armchair travel ideas with me in the comments field below!

Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links. That means I get a small commission when you purchase anything through my links. AT NO EXTRA COST to you. Thank you for your support!

Inspired? Pin it!

Nellie Huang

Nellie Huang is the founder of WildJunket. Originally from Singapore, Nellie has traveled to over 150 countries across 7 continents. She is a book author and Lonely Planet guidebook writer. As an adventure travel blogger, she has a special interest in unusual destinations and deep experiences. Follow her travels on her Facebook and Instagram .

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Marc Latham

Comprehensive fun list, but I have one more… I virtually travelled via the internet and wrote fiction books creating a storyline (vegetarian werewolf protagonist looking for its origins years before Missing Link did similar with a bigfoot) using real celebrities and places along the way, with Simpsons inspiration. I think it helps you find new places, learn more about places, and remember them; for me it was nostalgia too, as I virtually travelled places I’d passed through, but didn’t know much about at the time.

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Mastering Armchair Travel: 10 Ways to Enjoy Travel from Home

Last Updated: April 1, 2021

*FYI - this post may contain affiliate links, which means we earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase from them. Also, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out our Privacy Policy and Disclosure. for more info.

In a time when the farthest I travel is literally from my desk to my fridge, antsy has become my middle name. And as a travel blogger unable to travel, I suppose you can say I’ve kinda been fired. From a job where I’m the boss.

Despite this setback however, I have discovered the wonders of armchair travel, and wow – what a world.

You heard me – armchair travel, as in the art of vicarious travel from the comfort of your armchair, bed, bean bag, or hey, even the toilet (I’m not here to judge).

And I mean sure, armchair travel may not command the same glittery glamour as necking aperitivo in Milan or gliding through Switzerland by train , but it’s travel you can do in your underwear AND nobody will even call the cops. 

So, if you’re feeling weary from gazing blankly out the window or simply want to read something that will distract you from the bleary news ticker, here’s a guide to the wonderful world of armchair travel, with 10 (actually satisfying) ways to enjoy travel from home. 

Editor’s note : the following methods will feel more like real travel if you are also cradling an infant-sized margarita. My jokes may also seem funnier. Carry on.

Save this guide to armchair travel for later!

You’ll be very glad you did.

1. Binge travel blogs & videos

Let’s begin this post with a Christina signature move, shall we? Pure desperation.

Please, if you find yourself in need of some mindless entertainment while weathering this dystopian storm, try to support independent creatives as much as you can.

Reading blogs (if you’re here right now, wow you’re super ahead) and watching YouTube videos is an incredible free way to help keep your favourite creatives’ businesses afloat.

So yes, allow me to quickly hurl my YouTube channel at you real quick. Catch!

It’s a tough time for businesses and individuals all around the world, but freelancers and small business owners are especially feeling the pinch (particularly in the travel industry), SO if you crave something to fill your boredom gaps, please consider supporting the many bloggers, vloggers and creatives in your life.

We need you more than ever! And we’re free. SO FREE. * relentless sobbing *

2. Snoop around on virtual museums and apps

For my fellow museum lovers, there’s an easy way for you to get your fix while nestled in the arms of your own comfy bed.

Many of the most famous museums in the world actually have virtual tours that you can do, including the Louvre, the MET, the British Museum, and more. Click here for a huge list I put together.

To get your culture fix, I can highly recommend the Google Arts and Culture website and app . It’s filled with interesting articles about art, culture, and history intrigue.

PLUS it has the most incredible feature called “Art Selfie” where you snap a selfie and they compare it to their archives to find your fine art doppelgänger. See below for the fair maiden I supposedly resemble.

Download for iOS | Download for Android

3. Find the hidden gems of the world with Secret Door

So this is a really clunky website that screams early 2000s, but I am still mildly obsessed with it.

Long story short, Secret Door is a site where you open a virtual door and it randomly brings you to a hidden gem of the world via Google Street View. Imagine Chat Roulette (throwbackkk!) but for quirky places around the world. Much like a girls’ outing involving tequila, you never know where you’ll end up.

For example, one visit brought me to an eerie art museum in Spain, another brought me to a colourful Willy Wonka inspired candy shop, and my last visit dropped me off RIGHT on the train tracks of the Bernina Express !!

NOTE: I find that the site can be a little glitchy, so I usually have to reload it each time I want to re-open the door, otherwise it won’t work properly… but still, give it a try here ! It’s cool.

4. Explore a random place on Earth with MapCrunch

In a similar vein, there’s another website called MapCrunch that ALSO drops you off in a random Google Streetview location, except it doesn’t necessarily focus on unique/hidden gems… it literally drops you off anywhere.

You might be thinking “why would I want that, Christina? Why?”

WELL, besides getting to catch a glimpse of daily life somewhere completely random in the world, this site was actually the source of a viral internet game of the early 2010s… basically, if (on desktop) you navigate to the MapCrunch Options tab, you can check a box on the bottom the says “Stealth” which will drop you off in a random Streetview location without telling you where you are…

The objective of the game is to pretend you woke up in this random location and somehow navigate your way “home” by finding the closest airport. Tough right? Can you imagine? A great game to play with friends if you want to race. Might be more fun if you’re mildly drunk, but what in life isn’t?

5. Spy on worldwide webcams 

Okay, this fact might either be really cool or really creepy depending on your persuasion, but did you know the world is covered with cameras that stream everything live to webcams 24/7?

(Alright, I admit it does sound a little creepy when I put it that way)

Nonetheless, checking out these webcams is prime armchair travel material. Sites like EarthCam have live HD webcams from all over the world, so you can quickly check in on Times Square  or the balmy waves of the Maldives all while eating guacamole by the fistful in your other hand. In fact, I’m writing this article while watching sunset at the Eiffel Tower! (I will save my guac for later.)

NOTE: While not live, if you get tired of staring at webcam footage, you can also go for an HD view of the world by checking out Full Screen 360 where there is plenty of 360 degree eye candy from interesting places around the world, from beautiful Cinque Terre to even my beloved Munich!

6. Stream some wanderlusty movies or TV shows

In the world of streaming, Netflix is of course king, but if you want to expand your horizons (or take advantage of something free!), you can register for a free one month trial of Amazon Prime Video and binge their huge library of free content (or otherwise rummage through their very extensive paid offerings).

In terms of recommendations, I have a list of great travel movies to watch here.

Show-wise, here are some quick recommendations:

• Departures – One of my favourite all-time travel shows. It’s about 2 Canadian guys that hit the road and travel the world through personal connections/friendships, so you get a good mix of tourist sights and local secrets/know-how. It’s a little dated now (originally recorded in 2008), but guess what? These legends have put a lot of full episodes on YOUTUBE for FREE! Check them out here.
• An Idiot Abroad – A hilarious and mildly offensive show that’s great if you want something a little different than your standard travel programme. It’s a documentary series that follows Karl Pilkington, a guy with zero interest in travel and global cultures…. being forced to travel by his friends Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais. If you like Ricky Gervais humour, this is a must-watch. Watch it here.
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – Like many travel enthusiasts, I adore everything from Anthony Bourdain, but there’s just something about Parts Unknown with its incredible visuals and storytelling that makes it my favourite. Watch it here.

7. Cook up global inspired dishes

If you often find yourself traveling for food, sending your tastebuds on their own lil voyage might be the most delicious form of armchair travel you can enjoy right now… all the better if you’re learning to make it yourself (because then your gluttony can be disguised as self-actualization.

Trust me, I’ve been doing it for years).

Where can you get free ideas and tutorials for recipes?

Honestly, YouTube is such a wealth of information these days that I can guarantee you’ll find a video teaching you to cook any foreign dish of your choosing!

If you’re feeling especially fancy though, you can also purchase online cooking classes! This is an amazing way to support local businesses who might be suffering otherwise due to the dip in tourism.

8. Enjoy a country-inspired night in

Combining points 6 and 7, for extra dorkiness points, consider hosting a country themed night-in. Simply pick a special film that’s focused on a destination and cook a meal (or order one in if you feel like it) related to that destination.

You can even have a watch party with friends on Skype (or do a group viewing on Netflix Party ) and all tackle the same recipe together before/after.

Some ideas for your country inspired soirée:

• Watch Parasite and make ramdon – not the most wanderlusty combo but this is the best movie I’ve seen in years so I have to recommend it
• Watch Amélie and have roast chicken + creme brûlée – you’ll see why if you watch the movie. Bonus if you buy some fresh raspberries to eat from your fingers
• Watch Eat Pray Love and Pizza Napolitana or Spaghetti all’Amatriciana – truthfully, the spaghetti will probably be easier to make from home…
• Watch Crazy Rich Asians and dumplings or Hokkien Fried Mee – in addition to wanderlust, a bonus side effect of this movie is it will make you feel incredibly poor and alone

9. Cozy up with a good travel book

At a time when we’re constantly bombarded with one distressing headline after the next, boyyy does it feel good to curl up with a nice book far away from the horror-show that is social media.

So, treat yourself to some wanderlusty reads! Blogs are great, but there’s something unbeatably satisfying about holding a book.

Now, while I prepare myself for excommunication from the League of Extraordinary Bloggers for saying that, let me think of some recommendations… 

I’ll be very honest, I haven’t read a ton of travel memoirs, but one hilarious classic I can wholeheartedly recommend if you’re looking for a good laugh is What I was Doing While You Were Breeding. Otherwise, if you want something more conventionally travelly (but a tad cliché), I did also enjoy Eat Pray Love. Please let me know in the comments if you have any travel memoirs that you would highly recommend!

Otherwise, if you’re looking for some non-travel related reads, I’ve been really into memories from awesome female comedians lately, and both Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Bossypants are great.

NOTE: If you don’t mind reading off a Kindle, you can click here for a free month of Kindle unlimited… all you can read!

10. Try actual virtual reality

Lastly, despite being a millennial who works on the Internet, I am shockingly out of touch with technology and how far it has come. Did you know for instance that virtual reality travel is a thing now?

Like, not just in testing phases, not just a clunky pixellated prototype, you can literally just buy an entry-level headset online that uses your phone?

… I only discovered this while researching armchair travel options for this article, and I have to say this one might just take the cake.

There are all sorts of apps that you can download on your phone (both free and paid) that allow you to enjoy really cool virtual reality travel experiences all around the world.

Better yet, there are full-blown YouTube videos now that can be watched in VR mode, which is how I spent my lockdown Spring in Europe taking a taxi ride through New York City, enjoying an overwater villa in the Maldives and even gliding through space , all of which I just did in my pyjamas in Munich.

If you’re interested in this, I got this set for really cheap and it works great!

Any more ideas for armchair travel?

I’m all ears! I hope you enjoyed this read… and safe travels (from the couch).

My Go-To Travel Favourites:

🧳 Eagle Creek: My favourite packing cubes

💳 Wise: For FREE travel friendly credit cards

🍯 Airalo: My go-to eSIM

🏨 Booking.com: For searching hotels

📷 Sony A7IV: My (amazing) camera

✈️ Google Flights : For finding flight deals

🌎 WorldNomads: For travel insurance

🎉 GetYourGuide: For booking activities

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Armchair Travel: Budapest Through the Eyes of an Architect

On Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 1pm, join us on Zoom for a virtual trip to Budapest, with guest host Judy Bennett. Budapest is sometimes described as the heart and soul of Central Europe. It is also the capital of Hungary and of parliament and the country’s government. The city is split in half by the Danube River and is located over thermal springs. You can find medieval, baroque, baroque revival, neoclassical, art nouveau, and gothic style buildings; a great building around every corner. The city has several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It has castles, historic cafes, ruin bars, opera, scenic bridges, an amazing zoo, thermal baths and spas. Come join us for a view of Budapest through the eyes of an architect. Registration is required. Contact the Council on Aging to sign up and get the Zoom link.

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The world is full of wonders that are waiting to be explored. However, not everyone has the time, resources or physical ability to travel to distant lands and experience different cultures. Fortunately, armchair travel offers a way for anyone to explore the world from the comfort of their own home.

Travel the world... from home!

Where you want when you want

With the choice of travel from your armchair, you can explore the world without leaving the comfort of your own home. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can experience different cultures, landscapes, and environments through virtual tours and travel videos. From the bustling streets of New York to the serene beaches of Lake Como, the world is at your fingertips. You can even visit famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China without ever buying a plane ticket. This option is perfect for those who are unable to travel due to health concerns, financial constraints or simply wanting to see the world from a different perspective. So, sit back, relax and embark on a virtual journey to your dream destination!

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Armchair Travel: How to Go Places Without Going Places

by janecanapini | Mar 29, 2020 | Attractions , Museums , Trip Planning

Just because you may not be travelling right now doesn’t mean you can’t go places. Armchair travel has come a long way since we had to wait for our monthly National Geographic to show up in the mailbox. Thanks to streaming services, online virtual tours, museums with digitized archives, and of course, books (remember those?), there are plenty of ways to tour the world without leaving your own home. Here are a few ideas.

Armchair Travel: Movies That Take You Around the Globe

Whether you find them on Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, or in your DVD cabinet (go on and dust them off!), here is a list of some all-time awesome movies if you want to engage in a little armchair travel. Grownup Travellers, you’ll recognize some of these classics from way back.

Out of Africa (sweeping vistas of the African plain) Born Free (the true story that stuck with me as a kid and made me want to go on safari in Africa ) Casablanca (“Play it, Sam”. You realize that Bogart never actually says “again” in that quote, right?) The Gods Must Be Crazy ( for something goofy and fun)

The Last Emperor (when the Forbidden City was a different kind of off-limits) Slumdog Millionaire (who doesn’t love an underdog and a Bollywood dance ending) The Beach (Thailand’s beaches. Enough said.) Memoirs of a Geisha (beautiful to look at and also a fantastic read if you prefer to armchair travel with a book) 7 years in Tibet (because Brad Pitt, that’s why) Lara Croft Tomb Raider (the first film allowed to be filmed at Angkor Wat)

Australia & New Zealand

Australia (this is a no-brainer with Nicole Kidman who does the best accent of her career – ha-ha) Crocodile Dundee (go for the first, the classic) The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (this movie ‘drags on’ in the best of ways) The Lord of the Rings Series (because the real landscapes are as impressive as the computer-generated ones)

Under a Tuscan Sun (swoon-worthy scenes of Tuscany) Only You (from Venice to Rome to Positano, with Robert Downey Jr. What’s not to love?) Roman Holiday (my all-time favourite Italian movie) Mamma Mia (only Meryl Streep can make you want to cry as she sings an Abba song on a picture-perfect Greek island) In Bruges (quirky dark humour in this city of canals in Belgium) Chocolat (Johnny Depp and a French village: ooh la la!) Star Wars: the Force Awakens (windswept Ireland stands in for a galaxy far, far away) Before Sunrise (for anyone who has ever backpacked through Europe. Go for all 3 flicks that include Before Sunset and Before Midnight to tour even more of the world) Amélie : Paris, Paris, Paris. The City of Lights is more than just a supporting character in this film. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (we all remember the book, but this is set in Iceland for an added bonus!)

Central and South America

The Motorcycle Diaries (a five month, life-changing trip for Che Guevara) Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Iguazu Falls makes an impressive appearance)

The United States

Sideways (because wine.) Thelma and Louise (who will ever forget that final Grand Canyon scene?) Forrest Gump (if ever there was a box of chocolates, it’s the USA!)

One Week (a motorcycle trip across Canada from Toronto to Tofin o: it doesn’t get more Canadian than this) Anne of Green Gables (there’s a bunch of movies out there, and all of them do a great job of showing off the beauty of Prince Edward Island ) The Shipping News ( lard, tunderin jaysus! a story set in Newfoundland) Brokeback Mountain (yep, betcha didn’t know it was filmed in southern Alberta! Watch it for the men or the mountain views, whichever is more beautiful to you)

Armchair Travel: 10 Books That Immerse You in Other Countries

There are thousands of books set in exotic locales, from romance novels to murder mysteries. Here are 10 reads that take you to places far and wide, in no particular order.

In a Sunburned Country (Bill Bryson is hilarious no matter which country he is writing about, but this one in Australia is particularly fun) Eat Pray Love (the book is better than the movie by far: sorry, Julia Roberts) Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (same as above, but this time, sorry Nicholas Cage!) Memoirs of a Geisha (a fictionalized glimpse into this exotic part of Japanese culture) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (charming and funny expats in India) Like Water for Chocolate (mystical Mexico with a side of sweetness) A Year in Provence (a popular memoir of a 50-something ex-adman who moves to France) The Lost City of Z (history, biography and travelogue in the Amazon jungle) A Year of Living Danishly (funny, and for fans of Copenhagen especially) The United States of Laughter (Comedian Andrew Tarvin’s 50 stories from 50 states – because we could all use a laugh right about now!)

Armchair Travel: Virtual Attraction/Museum Tours You Can Take

Thanks to technology in every form, from 360-degree interactive tours of museums to drone footage of historic attractions and sites, armchair travel has never looked so good! Here are a few places to check out from inside your own home.

Machu Picchu : Views and commentary as you scroll around the ruins on top of the mountain. No climbing required and no altitude issues.

The Louvre in Paris : From the latest exhibitions to the permanent collections, here are a series of virtual tours you can explore in Paris’ most famous museum. Follow the arrows to move through the museum, use the magnifying glass symbols to zoom in , and ‘read’ the information on each masterpiece. No crowds at all!

How about a Live View inside the Georgia Aquarium ? See jellyfish blooping around in their tank, or watch Beluga Whales on their live web cams.

Visit t he Vatican Museums without the crowds. You’ll never see the Sistine Chapel as empty as in this virtual 360-degree tour. Plus there are the Raphael Rooms, and more to see.

We visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C . and it was amazing . These virtual tours are the next best thing.

If you are a fan of the Renaissance painter, Raphael, this Musement site has collected all his works in one place. Search by museum or just click on a photo for its name and a closer look.

The Google Art Project : Google partnered with 1200 or so cultural institutions to document their works of art and create virtual tours of landmarks, museums and more. Check out some of these, where you can zoom in on Monet paintings, follow a tour of Queen Victoria’s Indian-inspired palace rooms or walk around the top of the Eiffel tower . It’s a great way to spend a day ‘travelling’ to some of the best museums in the world.

The Next Best Thing to the Real Thing

Although there is no substitute for actually being there, armchair travel can be a good option and does have certain advantages: there are never any crowds, the admission is always free and you can go wherever you’d like without ever getting out of your pyjamas! So sit back, find a movie, pick up a book or wander the virtual world of art and nature, and keep your wanderlust alive!

Jane Canapini is a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada and the North American Travel Journalists Association. She established GrownupTravels.com in 2014 to share information and tips based on personal experience so her readers could get the most out of their travels.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like these:

Such a great selection of travel-related things to keep us busy. I plan to put a dent in the movie list, most of which I’ve seen before and want to see again.

If you have any other movies you’d suggest, feel free, Carole. I’ll add them to the list!

Excellent suggestions to keep people interested in travelling during this shut down

Thanks Wanda. Feel free to add a favourite or two of yours if you’d like!

Beautiful. Love the list of movies especially and you hit so many that I’ve loved over the years. Once I lived in Juneau, Alaska and the weekly movies were such fun. ‘Where are we going this week?’ was our refrain.

If you have any other movies you’d like to add, Elaine, feel free I would love to keep adding to this list of travel alternatives!

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Ultimate Armchair Travel Guide: Experiencing Travel at Home

April 3, 2020

Anna Hammerschmidt

There is nothing like traipsing the globe; hopping from Milan to NYC to Sao Paulo in mere minutes. No, I’m not talking about teleporting. I’m talking about armchair travel. I have been armchair traveling for years and I didn’t even know it. If you are a travel addict like me, chances are you have been armchair traveling too. We just didn’t know there was a name for it. No need to pack your bags for this trip. We are delving deep into how you can experience travel without leaving your home.

Table of Contents

Armchair Travel Meaning

At this point, you may be wondering what exacting is the meaning of armchair travel? Armchair traveling is experiencing a destination without actually traveling there. This can be done through various virtual travel experiences such as virtual reality , travel books, and movies.

Why Should You Consider Armchair Traveling?

There doesn’t necessarily need to be a choice between actual travel and armchair traveling. If you have the opportunity and are able to travel, by all means, go see the world! But oftentimes, we can’t travel as much as we would like, whether it is for financial issues, time off or a global pandemic. These restrictions don’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to experience travel. If you love to travel, you should be able to experience it as much as you would like.

Personally, I wish to be engrossed in travel 365 days a year. But realistically, I can’t actually be traveling that frequently. So, I turned to armchair travel. I spend time learning about different countries and cultures. I virtually tour cities and tourist destinations. And I am always gathering inspiration for my next trip, knowing full well that there is no possible way I could travel to the thousands of destinations I have virtually experienced. But it’s nice to dream and to learn about other destinations.

Armchair travel is also a great way to plan for future trips. Before visiting a destination, I like to learn as much about it as I can. I delve through the internet searching for blog posts and videos about the destination. I create virtual “vision boards” on Instagram of photo spots I want to see. And I always make sure to pick up my favorite travel guide. This helps me feel prepared and fully knowledgeable about the destination, so I can truly appreciate everything I am seeing.

Interested in travel at home? Check out this guide to the perfect staycation!

Ways to Travel From Home – Armchair Travel

Travel blogs and guides, guide books.

A tried and true way to experience travel from home is by reading travel blogs and guides. One of the most exciting parts about travel (aside from actually being in the destination) is the planning phase. I love planning trips. Scouring through travel guides and blogs builds up the anticipation for visiting a destination. Reading travel guides typically helps outline the best places to see in a destination.

But you don’t have to be going on a trip to enjoy reading about a destination. If you’re like me, you may already have a shelf of travel guides at home. I have a collection of Eyewitness travel guides for destinations I’ve never visited and regions I love. But there is something about reading these guides that fuels me with so much wanderlust. If you don’t already have a collection of guide books, pick one up for a destination you’re curious about. Maybe it will inspire you to visit one day or fill you with more knowledge about the destination.

One of my favorite things to do when I’m not traveling is to grab a handful of books from the travel section at Barnes and Noble and compare the different guide books. Be sure to grab a coffee and allow yourself to get lost in the pages.

Travel Blogs

I may be biased, but I love researching travel online. There are so many resources and incredible travel blogs. If there is a particular destination you’re interested in, simply enter your query into Google and you will find endless blog posts about the destination. Or check out the destinations your favorite blogger has written about and use that as the base for your armchair travel destination. (Pssst check out the destinations I’ve written about for armchair traveling)!

If you’re looking for armchair travel on a particular country or destination, there are plenty of blogs with a focus on specific places. For instance, you can find ample inspiration about Chile on Gringa Journeys and tons of posts about Madrid from Lauren on Location .

Youtube Videos

Youtube is a great source for experiencing travel at home. When I want to know what a place is really like, I head to Youtube. While reading about destinations is a great source of information (for us who like to be very informed), Youtube is on another level for experiencing travel at home. Seeing a destination through video allows you to sit back and enjoy the experience. The best part is, watching Youtube is completely free. Simply enter the destination in the Youtube search tab that you wish to virtually escape. There are various videos to watch from uncut clips that allow you to get a true glimpse of the destination, beautiful inspiration type of videos and entertaining travel vlogs. Some of these videos are on par with travel shows and documentaries on major networks.

After being so inspired by armchair traveling with my favorite Youtube videos, I decided to start a travel vlog. Check out my Youtube channel here! I will be adding tons of travel videos and armchair travel ideas.

If you are looking for some Youtube travel channels to get started with, check out some of my favorites. These are the channels I find myself looking forward to watching their new videos because they allow me to virtually experience the destination.

Check out these channels:

Sandy Makes Sense: Sandy is a bubbly host, who’s videos always leave me smiling. While she doesn’t always travel with friends, her videos make you feel like you’re experiencing the ultimate girlfriends getaway.

Happy to Wander: The host of this channel is a hilarious Canadian expat living in Europe. The videos on this channel are more travel guides than vlogs yet she manages to do so in an entertaining yet informative way.

De Ja Shu: The videos on Shu’s Channel are cinematically beautiful and she is a very charming host. Be prepared, after watching her videos you will leave hungry as she is quite the foodie.

The Life of Jord: Jordan’s videos will bring you to far-flung destinations you may never have considered visiting (perfect for armchair traveling)! His videos will leave you curious about places you’ve never heard of before.

Backpacking Bananas: The host of this channel, Christianne, is high energy and relatable. Her videos mostly focus on her backpacking trips around the world. Great for entertaining videos to fuel your wanderlust from home.

Come Join My Journey: If you haven’t checked it out already, I actually have a travel vlog that I started recently to further share my travels!

A unique and amazing way to enjoy armchair traveling is via webcams. There are webcams all over the world, where you can watch a live stream of a destination. When it comes to truly experiencing a destination via armchair travel, they are a game-changer! These webcams allow you to get a glimpse of what is really happening at that very moment in the destination. Webcams verge on feeling like you’re spying, but they are typically scenic webcams so you’re not getting an up-close showing the people walking around.

Search Webcams

It’s astonishing how many webcams you can watch online. If there is a specific location you wish to visit during your armchair travels, simply search “Destination webcam” and plenty of options will come up. (PS never do anything you wouldn’t want someone to see when you’re traveling because evidently there are webcams everywhere!)

Not sure where you want to go? Browse through some of the top webcams on these websites:

Skyline Webcams

Destination Specific Webcams

There are plenty of destination-specific webcams. After a trip to Ocean City, Maryland, we revised the ocean and pier at home with their various webcams . While we couldn’t feel the sand or the salty air, viewing those live cameras from our couch felt like those we were there for just a moment.

Wildlife Webcams

If you’re an animal lover, some of the best aquariums, zoos and wildlife conservatories even have their own webcams that you can watch. There is nothing quite like being immersed in watching animals to feel as though you are no longer sitting at home.

Google Earth & Street View

One of my all-time favorite forms of armchair travel is browsing Google Street View. I have been pretty obsessed with Google Street View since the introduction of Google Earth . (Yes, I have always been travel obsessed). Google Street View on Google Earth is one of the best ways to get a visual of a destination. You are able to click and virtually “walk-around” the destination, getting 360 degrees of streets and squares in the world. To use Google Street View, simply drop your icon on one of the blue lines in the destination you are searching on Google Earth.

Additionally, there are little blue dots that you can drop your icon on. These are photospheres, which will show you 360-degree snapshots from around a destination. These are especially useful when you are searching for a particular tourist spot that may not be on a street.

Google Earth even pulls an excerpt from Wikipedia for each destination you search for. This helps to learn a bit about the destination as you are getting virtually lost in its streets.

If you’re not sure where you want to virtually explore, there is a “Feeling Lucky” feature on Google Earth, which pulls up a random location on the map for you to check out. I’ve noticed that this feature tends to pull up locations I have never heard of, many of which don’t actually have street view information. But that just means you’re “traveling” to a place that many people don’t go to. Take the opportunity to research this destination and try to pull up videos and blog posts.

Secret Door

Similar to the “Feeling Lucky” feature of Google Earth, there is this very cheesy and amazing website called Secret Door . This website is slightly more satisfying than the “Feeling Lucky” feature on Google Earth because it brings you directly to a random spot on Google Street View.

The website is a little slow, however, it is so worth the wait! Each click through the door brings you to a unique spot on Google Street View. On one click I was inside of the White House and on the next, I was in Shackleton’s Hut in Antarctica. It is so fun to try and guess where you ended up!

Virtually Visit Museums

If you are a museum buff when you travel, there is the perfect app for visiting museums worldwide from the comfort of your home. Via the Google Arts and Culture app , you can visit over 2000 museums across the world. I have spent more hours than I care to admit on this app. For someone who doesn’t typically have a long attention span for museums, this app has been a game-changer for me. Each museum on the Google Arts and Culture app has online exhibits. These online exhibits give a background of what the exhibits are about as well as various photos showcasing the collection. These exhibits provide the perfect amount of information, they are informative yet not overwhelming.

To start off your armchair travels at the museum, I would suggest picking a city to start exploring and prepare yourself for a long day at the museums. Spend time reading about the exhibits, walking around the museums with street view and even virtually hanging art on your walls at home. Yes, you can virtually hang masterpieces on your walls! It’s fun, a bit cheesy and a great way to see the art up close. If you have a Google Cardboard or other VR headset, you can even take virtual tours of museums and cultural sites on Google Arts and Culture.

Virtual Reality

Getting a Virtual Reality Headsets

Virtual Reality is by far one of the most realistic and immersive ways to experience armchair travel. All you need is a virtual reality headset. The best part is, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg for a VR headset. You can get an entry-level VR headset for a reasonable price. I went with the Google Cardboard model as I didn’t want to overly invest in a headset. However, the actual Google Cardboard model was sold out. So I opted for this model . And it really works! I bought a virtual reality headset for under $8 and it works so well! Honestly, if you are using virtual reality for the first time, all you need is a cardboard model to start out.

If you have children or are planning to use virtual reality often, I would consider investing in something more durable. If you prefer a more durable model, consider getting an entry-level model such as this one by BNEXT.

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Virtual reality videos.

There are countless virtual reality videos and still images you can find online for free. After scouring the internet and apps, I have discovered endless places to visit in VR. With new virtual content being added daily, you will have no shortage of adventures during your armchair travels. Throw on your cardboard VR viewer and headphones and get ready for an adventure of a lifetime…from your couch.

Some of my favorite apps for travel virtual reality are the Google’s Arts and Cultures app, where you can virtually tour museums and cultural sites around the world and the Google Expedition app, where there are over 900 expeditions to choose from, including national parks and palaces.

A fantastic source of virtual reality videos is Youtube. Youtube has tons of high-quality virtual reality videos that are readily available. In order to use your VR headsets with Youtube videos, make sure you have the Youtube app downloaded and click on the “VR headset icon” on the corner of a virtual reality video. Some of my favorite channels for virtual reality travel videos include National Geographic and VR Gorilla . If you are looking for a particular destination, search for “destination virtual reality” on Youtube.

Travel Books

One of my favorite genres of books to read is travel books. These books tend to suck me into the destination the book is based on and fuel me with so much wanderlust. I find myself inspired by the author’s story and travels. A good travel writer will make you feel like you have stepped into the destination they are describing.

I love a good travel memoir! Some of my favorites are classics such as “Eat, Pray, Love” and “Wild” . The newest memoir on my virtual travel bookshelf is “Around the World in 80 Trains” . I use an e-reader for when I travel, so I’m not lugging around tons of books. You can also virtually check books out of your local libraries to use on your e-readers with the apps Overdrive and Libby.

There is nothing quite like having a good coffee table book. I have a few travel coffee table books that I often flick through for travel inspiration. One of my all-time favorites is “1000 Places to See Before you Die” , which is full of classic bucket-list destinations across the world. If you’re looking for a beautiful and inspiring hardcover coffee table book, add “Dame Traveler: Live the Spirit of Adventure” to your collection. This book is full of gorgeous photos and tips from female travelers. (PS I’m featured in the Dame Traveler book! I may be biased, but this is a great book!)

Subscribe to Travel Magazines

Similar to travel books, but the destinations you are visiting are a total surprise each month. There is something so special about holding a glossy travel magazine in your hands and flipping through the pages to discover a new destination the writers have covered each month. Travel magazines tend to be the beginning of my armchair travel binging. After reading a short article about a destination in one of my favorite magazines, Travel and Leisure or CN Traveler , I find myself scouring the internet to learn everything possible about the destination.  One of the best parts of travel magazines is that the stories are typically accompanied by beautiful imagery from the destination.

Travel Movies and TV Shows

One of my first inspirations for travel was watching movies travel TV shows. I lived for the Travel Channel growing up, watching my favorite series by Anthony Bourdain and Samantha Brown. Each episode of these shows brought a new destination with entertaining hosts. Now there are various travel shows on networks, streaming services and online. Some of my favorite travel shows include:

Check out the best travel movies here!

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown:  Who doesn’t love Anthony Bourdain? I have seen perhaps every one of his travel series, my favorite being “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”. You can stream this on Amazon, or you can watch “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” on Hulu!

Samantha Brown’s Places to Love: Samantha Brown is adorable and lively and showcases highlights of a destination from places to see to history. You watch all the episodes of Places to Love on PBS!

Get Lost in Travel Photos on Instagram

My Instagram feed is flooded with inspirational travel accounts. These accounts allow me to experience a destination through someone’s perspective.  I love following people who travel frequently or live somewhere interesting. Instagram is an especially great place to do this because it feels more personal and in the moment than other media. While Instagram feeds can still be quite curated, I love seeing how Instagrammers showcase a destination.

One of my favorite features of Instagram is Instagram Stories. It is interesting to see the more candid moments these travelers share on Instagram Stories, which often go along with the photos they are sharing on their feeds. After following some travel accounts for years, it feels as though I truly know the person and I’m excited to see where they go next.  I use my Instagram @comejoinmyjourney_ to document my travels, sharing curated travel photos with captions talking about my experience or thoughts about a destination. My IG stories tend to be more behind the scenes documentation of my travels.

There are so many talented photographers and Instagrammers on Instagram, that scrolling through your feed can feel like you are looking at a beautiful gallery of travel photos. Be sure to follow specific accounts of individuals whose travels inspire you as well as some feature accounts. Feature accounts allow you to discover new destinations and accounts daily. Some of my all-time favorite feature accounts include  @dametraveler , feature female travelers and @italy.vacations , which showcases different destinations in Italy.

            View this post on Instagram                         A post shared by Anna ✈️ Travel Blogger (@comejoinmyjourney_) on Nov 6, 2019 at 9:40am PST

Create a Vision Board on Pinterest

Pinterest is such a great way to find travel inspiration and to organize it. Pinterest is a great took to use for armchair travel. Think of Pinterest as a visual search engine. So it makes searching for travel information fun! After searching for a destination on Pinterest, you will find tons of beautiful photos and blog posts. I love using Pinterest because it is so visual. If you are drawn to the image, you can click on it to be redirected to a blog post or webpage to find out more information.

When I am browsing Pinterest, either for research for upcoming trips or travel inspiration, I organize these pins into destination boards. These destination boards serve as a vision board for the specific city, region or country. Once I save and organize these pins, I can go back and read all the posts I saved or look back at the photos for inspiration.

Cook Regional Dishes

If you are a foodie, a huge part of travel is trying different dishes from around the world. Trying local dishes allows you to further experience a destination. Yet, just because you can’t travel does not mean you can’t try food from around the world. Pick up a cookbook from a particular destination or look up your favorite dish you’ve had abroad and get cooking. While it may not be authentically made, trying food from different places that you don’t typically eat is a great way to experience armchair travel.

Not only is cooking different types of dishes a great way to escape your everyday routine, but it also helps you appreciate those local delicacies. Here are some great cookbooks to try:

“Made in Mexico” by Danny Mena: For those who love Mexican food!

“Vietnamese Food Any Day” by Andrea Nguyen: For delicious Vietnamese dishes!

“Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes” by Giada De Laurentiis: Because everyone needs Italian food in their lives!

Research History

While I have always enjoyed history, travel fueled my love for it. Visiting a destination that you have learned about makes it feel so much more real. I tend to find myself in a research frenzy about the historical significance of a place that I visit. Learning about the history of a destination makes me feel like I have a great understanding of it. Learning about history is such a great way to enjoy armchair travel.

There are various ways to learn about the history of a travel destination you are visiting. Many travel shows and blogs have a historical element. You can go on a Wikipedia binge about the destination you are visiting from home. Or you can pick up a history book about the destination you are visiting.

Practice Language Skills

Language is such a beautiful part of travel. I yearn for foreign tongues; languages and words that I have never heard before. There is something so rewarding about learning a new language, even if it is just bits and pieces of it. Before I visit a destination, I am sure to learn a few key phrases and words of the language spoken in the destination. And I feel so rewarded when I start picking up on the language while traveling.

Just because you are at home, does not mean you can’t learn language skills. Spend some time practicing your language skills with phrasebooks and language apps. Duolingo is a great app to use to learn a language for free! I use this app before traveling and when I’m at home. There are various languages you can learn on Duolingo. However, if you truly want to learn a new language , you may want to consider investing in Rosetta Stone .

If there is a language that you already know or enjoy listening to, put on a movie or tv show in that language. Even if it is just background noise, you will feel like you are in that destination.

Have a Destination Theme Night

Now that you have tons of ideas for different ways to enjoy armchair travel, you can bring them all together to have a destination theme night. This is one of my favorite ways to delve into travel at home. This allows you to truly immerse yourself in the destination. After picking a destination, do as many things as you can from this list of ideas for traveling from home. Do some research on the destination you want to virtually travel to, just as you would do for an actual trip. Then delve into the destination, making your favorite dish from the destination and enjoying an evening of watching Youtube videos and movies about the destination or enjoying a good travel book.

Some Travel Theme Night Ideas:

Paris Theme Night: Grab a glass of wine and a cheese tray and tune into “Midnight in Paris”. If you have a beret , throw it on to feel like you are in the City of Lights.

Las Vegas Theme Night: If you have a poker set , have a poker night. Start drinking whatever and whenever you want (because it’s Vegas, right?) and finish the night watching “The Hangover”.

Singapore Theme Night: Get a Singapore street food cookbook and create some delicious dishes. Then throw on your most extravagant outfit and watch “Crazy Rich Asians” .

Travel Photos

Who better to live vicariously through than yourself. Yeah, you! Chances are you have been on some pretty fabulous trips before. So, if you are unable to travel at the moment, might as well take this time to relive your past trips. I love having a chance to go through my old travel photos. This gives me a chance to remember the moment I took the photo and share the stories about my past trips with others. A few ways you can experience armchair travel through old travel photos include:

Show the photos to family/friends: Tell them all about your experiences.

Post your travel photos on social media: Now is a great time to make that inspirational travel account on Instagram!

Create a scrapbook: Making scrapbooks is a great way to showcase your travel photos and mementos in one place.

Write a Travel Bucket List

While armchair travel alleviates my need to travel right now, it still leaves me wanting to visit the destinations I have virtually traveled to. I have a mental list of places I want to visit that is constantly growing. A great way to continue dreaming about these destinations is to create a travel bucket list. While you may be stuck at home right now, there is no reason you can’t dream of visiting these places one day. By writing these destinations down on an organized travel bucket list or even pinpointing places you want to go on Google Maps, you may be able to plan a trip when you can travel.

1 thought on “Ultimate Armchair Travel Guide: Experiencing Travel at Home”

This is such an amazingly in-depth guide!! Proof that it’s not the end of the world that we can’t travel right now 😉 I’ll be using some of your ideas- thanks!!

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A Blissful Wanderer

Travel & Lifestyle Blog

Travel Inspiration · May 7, 2020

Armchair Travel: Virtually Travel the World At Home

For all my Blissful Wanderers out there, here are some fun and free ways to virtually travel the world while we safely stay home. I hope they bring you bliss and during this unusual time, and fulfil your wanderlust until we can travel again.

And to all of you, who have had to cancel vacations and dream trips, I feel for you. Ben and I were supposed to be spending the rest of the year travelling around the South Pacific (Sri Lanka, Bali, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands), but of course, all those plans have now been cancelled. First world problems? Absolutely! Above all, I am so grateful we are safe, have a comfortable place to live in Byron Bay, and we are healthy. And wherever you are in the world, I hope you are too.

Listen to Music from Across the World

Music is so interconnected to places in the world, and listening to it can mentally bring us to the destination. Plus, it’s a fun and easy way to virtually travel the world while staying home. For example, I personally find French music relaxing, Spanish music really romantic and Mexican music upbeat and happy. Here is a few fun Spotify playlists to take you somewhere else!

• Spanish Guitar Music
• French Jazz music
• African Music
• Italian Music
• Mexican Music
• Hawaiian & Reggae Music

Dance Your Way Around the Globe

Since you are already listening to international music, grab your quarantine buddy and get dancing! Bonus, this is a great way to bond with your partner and get in some exercise. Here are some international dancing styles for you to Youtube to learn:

• Salsa lessons from Cuba
• Hula moves from Hawaii
• Celtic dancing from Ireland
• Bollywood from India
• Tango from Argentina

Virtually Travel the World Through Yoga Classes

My next way to virtually travel the world at home is through online yoga classes! One of my favourite Youtube Yoga channels is Boho Beautiful . I love that she films all her yoga, pilates and meditation videos in beautiful places around the world. For instance, this morning I did a 25 minutes morning yoga class in Greece , and yesterday I did a 10-minute Pilates workout challenge in Indonesia . Not only will you be transported to a new place each day, but you’ll get in a great workout or stretch sesh in too!

Cook International Cuisines or Order Takeaway

Transport your taste buds and your meals with internal recipes or themed meal nights! For example, for taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo, we had a fun Mexican meal where we put on Mexican music, drank margaritas and ate tacos with fresh guacamole ! It was so much fun and actually lifted our spirits theming the whole evening.

The above photos are from Copenhagen’s trendy Meatpacking District. Read my Copenhagen 4-Day Itinerary to see & learn more.

Another delicious option would be an Italian night where you make your own pizza or homemade pasta ! Also, I saw one of my friends made homemade sushi rolls and ramen , which would be super fun and tasty.

But, if you aren’t into cooking, support a local restaurant by ordering takeaway! You may be at home, but all these international flavours will bring you somewhere else.

Make an International Cocktail

Quarantini anyone? Anyone else living for at-home happy hour these days?

And since we can’t travel, why not create a cocktail from another country?! Even better, do this over Facetime with your friends. This means you share the recipe in advance and at the beginning of the call you can mix up the new recipe together. Below are some super simple cocktails you can whip up for your next at-home happy hour. Cheers!

• White Port Tonic
• Pisco Sours
• Aperol Spritz

Revamp your Outdoor Space

Another way to feel like you are travelling at home is to revamp your backyard or patio to feel like you are on vacation! For instance, add some plants, lighting, sheepskin rugs or a splash of paint to transform your space and make it feel European, Tropical or Scandinavian. Here are some inspirational pins to help you get creative.

But if you don’t have the budget, just have a Parisian picnic on a rug in your living room or backyard! Use your imagination, put on the French playlist, eat a baguette with cheese and rosé, and Voila, you’re under the Eiffel Tower! For more inspiration, check out my Outdoor Spaces Pinterest Board .

Virtually Travel the World with Online Tours

Feeling a little stir crazy looking at the same 4 walls of your home? Take a virtual tour of somewhere you’ve never been before. There are lots of incredible museums and cities are offering virtual tours of their attractions, and some artists are putting on free shows. Here are a few to check out:

• Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
• Musee du Louvre in Paris
• The Vatican Museum in Rome
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
• The British Museum in London
• Vancouver Aquarium watch cute animals on a live stream

Virtually Travel the World

• Visit 113 national parks around the world with Google Art & Culture
• Tourism Australia has created 360-degree videos so you can visit the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbour, and Whitehaven Beach while you stay home.
• Watch a free Opera Concert or Ballet in Europe

*Alternatively, you can visit some of the countries I’ve been to by watching my saved Instagram Highlights at @amberstorie . On there you can see stories of Portugal, Greece, Croatia, and France . Plus many more!

Travel the World with a Good Book

Who doesn’t love curling up with a good book and a hot cuppa tea? Especially when they take you on a journey somewhere new! Light a candle or put on the fireplace and you have yourself a cozy afternoon. All these books listed remind me of travel, are about journeys or helped me understand a destination better by learning about their history.

Travel Books to Virtually Travel the World

• Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy ; By Kevin Kwan
• The Alchemist ; By Paulo Coelho
• Eat Pray Love ; By Elizabeth Gilbert
• A House In The Sky ; By Amanda Lindhout
• How Not To Travel The World Adventures of a Disaster-Prone Backpacker; By Lauren Juliff
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz ; By Heather Morris [Note: not necessarily a travel book, but one that I read while I was in Krakow, Poland and helped me understand their history better. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys history, romance, and learning about WWII].
• Paris, My Sweet ; By: Amy Thomas [If you love food and Paris, you need to read this girlie novel].

To see the full list of the best travel books for females, check out this blog post . Have I missed any must-reads? Make sure to share your favourite travel books in the comments below. (I would love some new ones to read).

Virtually Travel the World Through Movies & TV Shows

There are so many amazing shows and movies to binge these days. But the following are a few are my absolute favourites to virtually travel the world from the comfort of your couch. Be sure to make up some stove-top popcorn with coconut oil & butter (my ultimate favourite snack) and snuggle up to enjoy!

If you want to see my full list of 47 travel movies and shows to inspire your wanderlust, click on this blog post .

• The Holiday [I know it isn’t Christmas, but watching Jude Law in that adorable English cottage is worth it!]
• Eat Pray Love [New York, Italy, India, Bali]
• Midnight in Paris [Paris, France]
• Sex in the City Movie I &II [Mexico & Abu Dhabi]
• Harry Potter Series [Maybe not technically travel, but you do see snippets of London & you travel into a magical realm – what’s not to love!]
• Planet Earth [Plus, David Attenborough’s voice is SO calming].
• Netflix Show: Most Beautiful Thing [Based in Brazil. Great vibe, music and drop-dead gorgeous scenery!]
• Restaurants on the Edge [Each episode takes you to a new country and explores it’s food, architecture and culture all to help restaurants from going under].

Make a Photo Album or Develop Photos to Frame

You know all those amazing [travel] photos you’ve taken in the past? How often do you actually go back and look at them? If you are like me, not often enough.

This is a great time to go back down memory lane and find your favourite photos to develop and frame or put into a photo album that you can look back on often . Similarly, you could make a scrapbook style album, an old school photo album, or I’ve been interested in trying a service like Chatbooks , Papier , or Artifact Uprising . These are websites where you upload your photos, and you can style a coffee table book which is then printed off and mailed to you. 

Fun Idea : Print off multiple photo books or copies of photos to send to a friend or family member to cheer them up during this time!

Pinterest & Travel Blogs

Two things that always get me inspired are Pinterest and reading new blogs. Pinterest is a great way to find new blogs that have travel guides, recipes or style inspiration you are looking for. Also, Pinterest is where I have found a lot of other incredible travel bloggers that share their adventures and tips for travelling to places I want to go to.

In fact, Pinterest and Travel Blogs are the first places I look when I start researching for future trips . This is because, I normally find more up to date information and genuine reviews on where to stay, what to do, and even helpful itineraries that help me map out how long we should travel to various destinations. And the best part is, blogs are mostly free information that you can easily access anywhere, including on your trip. I’ve also used and read Lonely Planet travel books and, although helpful, there is a lot of information to sift through that isn’t always relevant to how I want to travel.

Make sure to follow my Pinterest Boards for Travel Inspiration and Guides, Personal Style, Motivational Quotes, and International Recipes.

Make a Bucket List

Dream now, visit later! Start dreaming by listing all the bucket list places you want to go around the globe. Take it a step further and also include the experiences you want to have or things you want to do. For example, two things on my bucket list are: to see the Northern Lights in Iceland and swim with whale sharks in the Philippines. What’s on your list?

Once you create your list, print it out and put it somewhere where you will see it often . Like on your fridge or above a desk. When the world re-opens their arms for travellers, you’ll be ready to pick from your list of bucket-list destinations and just book a flight!

Plan your Next Trip

I don’t know about you, but one of my favourite things to do is plan our next trip. Planning a holiday is sometimes just as exciting as the trip itself, and we could all do with a bit of excitement right now. Additionally, planning a holiday can take a lot of time and effort

We may not know when we can travel again, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t plan the following:

• Where you want to go next
• Regardless of dates, you can still start researching accommodations (dream hotels or Airbnbs you want to stay within your budget).
• Experiences and places you want to see when you are there
• Start researching restaurants or cafes you want to eat at
• Also, plan out your itinerary
• And figure out how much you need to save

Learn a New Language

How many times have you been on a trip and said, “this would be so much easier if I just spoke the local language” – I know I’m guilty of that! We’ve all had our fair share of miscommunications when it comes to visiting a country that speaks another language. But with all this extra time on our hands, why not learn a new language or two.

Free App for Language Learning

Since I am Canadian, I’ve been working to improve my French using a FREE app called Duolingo . It has little games you can play that help improve your vocabulary. On the other hand, there are tons of great YouTube lessons you could learn with. Another great way to learn a language at home is to watch one of your favourite movies in the language you want to learn. You can put the subtitles on and if you already know the plot or script you’ll be to understand what they are saying while hearing the pronunciation of the words. 

Practice your Photography Skills

I’ll be the first to admit that I have so much to learn about my camera and how to use it to its full potential. For example, there are skills like lighting, angles, and composition that can transform a photo, and all of these things can be learned with practice. Spend this time indoors mastering your craft and trying new camera settings and natural lighting at different times of the day.

Also, play around with a tripod or use a remote to take photos of yourself, by yourself. After all this practice at home, you’ll be nailing all the photos on your next trip. From experience, I recommend learning with:

Photography Learning Tools

• The Beginner’s Photography Guide book
• Or start saving photos on Pinterest and Instagram that catch your eye. Studying these and understand why they are appealing to you.

Additionally, I also recommend editing photos with a computer program called Adobe Lightroom. You can also use Lightroom with an app on your phone, but I feel you can make better edits with the computer version. If you’ve never used it before, now could be a great time to learn, and they are even doing a two-month free trial if you want to give it a try!

The Best Travel Books for Females to Read Right Now

Best Travel Movies and Shows to Inspire Your Wanderlust

30 Lessons I’ve Learned from Travelling

Why I Quit My Dream Job to Travel

Setting Goals you Will Actually Keep

PIN FOR LATER: VIRTUALLY TRAVEL THE WORLD

If you loved this blog post on how to virtually travel the world, then make sure to pin it for later and share it with a friend who would love it too! And if you try any of these fun ways to virtually travel the world at home, make sure to tell me about it in the comments below.

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May 28, 2020 at 8:55 am

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The explosion of armchair travel: how to do it ethically.

With the explosion of armchair travel that came with the recent global travel restrictions, there is one thing I have noticed. There is just as much unsustainable armchair travel as there was unsustainable travel before the coronavirus outbreak.

You want to travel, I get it! But keep the principles of sustainable travel in mind when you choose your mode of armchair travel. There is so much more to sustainable tourism than the environment. I like to consider 3 different sides of it and if one of them is not respected, or if you have a doubt if it is, then it’s probably better to skip it.

Those three pillars are respect to the locals, animals, and the environment.

That means, that if you support an activity that gives money to the local economy, like pay a local for a chained monkey to dance, you support one third of the sustainable chain, you feed a local family. But on the other hand, you step on one third too, and that is animal welfare. You pay for that monkey’s miserable life in chains, probably being beaten to obey.

So that’s an activity you don’t want to support. Now, that goes for armchair travel too. There are millions of alternatives out there and I will give you a few tips in this post to help you choose the right ones.

But first, let’s look at what armchair travel is.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you have any questions about these services or products, feel free to ask me.

Armchair travel meaning

Finding a satisfying definition of armchair travel was not easy. In 2018, the Collins dictionary rejected a new suggestion to defining armchair traveler: “someone who finds out what a place or location is like by watching travel programs on television, looking at internet websites about travel or reading books about travel.”

The rejection was based on already having a definition for it : “An armchair critic, fan, or traveller knows about a particular subject from reading or hearing about it rather than from practical experience.”

I sensed certain negativity over the mentions of armchair travelers in my searches. Considering armchair travelers as better-knowing because they have read/seen about the destination but not actually traveled themselves. And this might be true to some extent, absolutely!

Thinking about all the people that advised me from traveling to India because it was dangerous to travel there as a woman. Or everyone that advised me from traveling to Iran because they are all criminals.

Yes, there are people that think they know better when they haven’t traveled to a place themselves. Personally, I don’t think of these as armchair travelers, but more likely people that believe everything they see in the news.

Armchair travel, on the other hand, can be something wonderful for everyone that don’t have the chance to travel. It isn’t anything new, as people have always enjoyed seeing documentaries about far-away cultures and reading books about round the world journeys. Oral storytelling has been an important part of different cultures for as long as we know.

To me, armchair travel is anything that takes you to distant places from the comfort of your own home. It could be a good travel book , a travel movie, travel documentary, a virtual tour, a YouTube video, looking at travel photos, you name it.

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Armchair travel to avoid

Armchair travel means you bring the world to the comfort of your home, thus it gives a certain distance to the activity you’re doing. This doesn’t mean it is ok to practice unsustainable armchair travel activities.

Unethical tour companies

Just like when you travel in real life, you should research the company you choose for virtual tours and make sure they don’t support unethical activities.

It might not always be easy to know, but as long as you do an effort and look at a few alternatives it is easier to make a sound decision.

As an example, I was asked to collaborate with a tour company that does vegan tours. Sounds ethical, right? But when I researched the company, I saw that they also included unethical dolphin shows on other tours. That was a resounding no from me.

If you have hung along on my blog for a while, you know I’m a big advocate of ethical animal tourism and I have written extensively about unethical animal tourism activities to avoid . Among them, zoo’s.

Unfortunately, zoo’s have become an entertainment arena where animals are not looked after as they should. Animals show distress from not being in their natural habitat and are bred to show off their cute babies to tourists.

The zoos serve the tourists and not the animals. That’s where the issue lays.

Luckily, there are ethical ways of exploring wildlife virtually, and you can check out live cameras set up by waterholes or join virtual safaris. Just make sure you join an ethical safari company.

Aquariums are really just the same as zoos merged in water. During my research, I even came over a whale shark in an aquarium. I have no words.

These are creatures that need a lot more space to move than what an aquarium can give. They are migratory fish which means they swim far distances in the wild, and females can cover up to 67 kilometers in one day !

A general rule of thumb is to never support any tourism business that keeps animals in captivity.

There are many ethical alternatives to aquariums like going on a 360 virtual underwater tour, like this one with National Marine Sanctuaries :

Another ethical alternative is The Dolphin Swim Club who works with ethical virtual experiences of swimming with wild dolphins. Not only for your amusement but also as a cruelty-free alternative to therapy with captive dolphins.

READ MORE ABOUT ETHICAL ANIMAL TOURISM HERE

Ethical armchair travel ideas

Share travel stories with friends and family.

Being an armchair traveler together with family and friends can be a lot of fun! Share your travel memories together, all the fun parts, your favorite destinations, your least favorite destinations, your travel mishaps, etc.

Make sure you include ethical learnings from your travels through your stories too. Talk about the time you did something unethical on your travels and explain what you learned and why they shouldn’t do the same when they travel next time.

This is a great activity to do over video chat too if you are quarantined in different places.

Quarantours

A Quarantour is an online tour with a local guide in any destination. Cooee is a platform for local guides all over the world to register to do online tours. During quarantine, they will do it from their home and talk about their country, how it is to be in lockdown in their country, and anything you are curious about.

I did an awesome Quarantour with Andrés in Costa Rica. I was meant to travel in Costa Rica in May, but the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to that trip. That’s why I thought it would be a great experience to do a virtual tour with a local guide instead.

We had a great chat, I learned a lot, and enjoyed talking about travel in Costa Rica and especially the sustainable part of traveling in the country. This is an activity I recommend highly!

Watch sustainable travel documentaries

Why not watch documentaries that encourage sustainable travel? There are plenty out there and I wrote a roundup on my 10 favorite sustainable travel documentaries so you can pick and choose which ones you’d like to see.

Sustainable travel documentaries can be both educative and inspiring and not all of them showcase the negative side of tourism. There are many that expose stories of sustainable tourism done right and the positive impact it causes on the destination. Those are my favorites!

Plant trees to create habitat for animals from the convenience of your home

Virtual museum tours

If you love going to museums when you travel, why not watch virtual museum tours from home too? You can now enter the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican in Rome or Le Louvre in Paris without traveling.

There are hundreds of virtual museum tours you can do around the world, so search your dream city and see if you find something you like.

Online cooking classes with locals

If you like cooking, you can travel the world by doing online cooking classes with locals. There are many platforms to choose from, like With Locals . This is a great way to chat with people from other parts of the world and to make a great meal at the same time.

To top up the experience, why not decorate the table as if you were in the country you’re cooking from?

Read cultural travel books

There are many great travel books you can read that are educational on the culture of the country they are set, even if the books are fictional. I have a few favorites, like Three Cups of Tea , Shantaram , and In Arabian Nights .

See here for a full overview of my favorite travel books

Order takeaway from your favorite international restaurant

For those who don’t like cooking or just don’t have the time, I’m sure there are plenty of local international restaurants you can order takeaway from. This way, you support a local travel business at the same time as you fill your senses with the taste and smell of your chosen country.

I, for instance, love ordering food from the Indian restaurant down the street and it was the first thing I did once they were allowed to do takeaway again!

If you have options where they pack the food in biodegradable boxes, even better!

Virtual tours of US National Parks

Have you dreamt of visiting the US National Parks but can’t get there? Don’t worry! Now you can visit them virtually .

While it’s always better to walk in nature that seeing it on the screen, these national parks are so beautiful that it’s actually worth it! And this way, nature gets a little break from your footsteps.

Plant a tree with Click A Tree

Read sustainable travel blogs

There are plenty of responsible travel bloggers out there, focusing on sustainability, social enterprises, and altogether how to improve the way you travel.

A few that I really love are Uncornered Market , Veggie Vagabonds , Green Mochila , and The Nomadic Vegan . They are all passionate about the planet with its inhabitants and how you can become a better traveler.

Learn a new language

There are plenty of apps to help you learn new languages, like Duolingo. However, there are even more fun ways to learn languages with a local teacher. And you can easily do this online with sites like Verbling and FluentU .

Plan your future responsible travels

Why not research sustainable tourist operators working with locals to plan your future travels in an ethical way? There is so much joy in planning a future trip and it’s so important that while you do it, you research the operators you want to use. Make sure they give back to the local community and that they protect wildlife and its habitat.

There are so many benefits of sustainable tourism and believe me, they tend to create the best travel stories to tell your friends and family after your travels!

Create your off the beaten path travel bucket list – responsibly

Now that we have a chance to start from zero with the way we travel, I think it is important to think about the huge problem of overtourism that has disappeared with the global lockdown.

If you can choose off the beaten path destinations instead of the previously overtouristed places, you can help to spread tourism once it picks up again.

The already popular places will see huge amounts of tourists anyway, while less-visited countries and destinations will only be happy to see a bit more visitors in the future. As long as they are all responsible travelers .

Reflections

Armchair travel is not so different from actual travel when it comes to doing it ethically. It all comes down to making sure your choices don’t have negative consequences.

There are so many great ways of supporting the locals as well as having an unforgettable experience. You can learn a lot about different cultures without leaving home. And maybe some of the above suggestions gives you an idea of a new place to travel.

I hope you enjoy armchair travel in an ethical way! If you have other suggestions to ethical armchair travel, drop them in the comments below. Stay safe!

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2 thoughts on “ The explosion of armchair travel: How to do it ethically ”

Fantastic article Linn! What we’re doing now in lockdown is definitely going to influence what we do when it finishes… ‘start as you mean to go on’ and all that jazz! Really loved some of these suggestions, particularly Cooee which seems like a great platform and also a good way to meet people. Watching the right documentaries can also be rewarding and I think learning a language can be one of the single best things to travelling a country more responsibly. Brilliant read, thanks!

Thanks Josh! There are really lots of fun things to do responsibly from home and I just loved my guided video call through Cooee. I still keep in touch with the guide and can’t wait to actually go there so he can show me around in real person:)

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The Art of Armchair Travel

By: Author Suzanne Jones

Posted on Last updated: 25/03/2024

Travel’s off the agenda for the foreseeable. Check out my guide to armchair travel for ways to get your travel fix without leaving the house…

View of Porto, Portugal

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for qualifying purchases. More info:  disclosure .   

Our world’s had a bit of a shakeup. I hope you, your family and loved ones are well. We’ve been staying home. That’s me and Mr Jones for those who don’t know. We’ve adapted our everyday lives and bit by bit we’re adjusting to this different way of life. I hope you are too.

Travel is something that’s off the agenda for the foreseeable future but it’ll always be my passion. I’ve been looking for ways that I can indulge in a little escapism when I can’t venture further than the garden gate? From books, travel films and documentaries to food, courses and virtual museums and galleries here’s how to indulge your wanderlust from your armchair.

Tourist attractions, destinations and on-line learning portals have come to the rescue with some fabulous offers from free on-line learning, reduced subscriptions, virtual museum and gallery tours. Here are some ideas to help you explore the world without leaving the house. Never before has armchair travel been so appealing!

Virtual Museum and Gallery Tours

A Monet at The National Gallery, London

We might not be able to physically travel right now but there’s a world of virtual wanderlust at our fingertips. Some of the world’s greatest museums, historical sights and national parks are offering free online tours. Call it culture from your couch!

The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Tour Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum on a free mobile phone app . Virtually visit The Vatican or take a turn around London’s National Gallery .

If the great outdoors is more your thing then Google Arts and Culture is the place to head. You’ll get to virtually explore some glorious national parks around the world. My first stop will be Yosemite National Park . Where will yours be?

Yosemite National Park

You could also check out my YouTube channel for video inspiration too. Feel free to subscribe…

TV and streaming

The good old telebox always hits the spot when it comes to armchair travel. Now that we’re digital there are so many ways to indulge in TV or screen travel.

I’ve been watching, and loving, BBC2’s Race Around the World (Amazing Race in the US) and I love the Great Railway Journey series with Michael Portillo.  If you have Sky there’s the Travel Channel with a whole raft of top travel shows to whet your wanderlust.

Amazon Prime has countless travel movies and TV series for streaming. Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Unknown Parts’ is a favourite along with ‘Travel Man’ and any wildlife documentaries. We watched ‘Schindler’s List’ after our Krakow trip but if you want to keep it upbeat there’s ‘Mama Mia’ or ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ and dozens more great travel films to choose from.

Try out a UK Amazon Prime 30-day free trial or US Amazon Prime 30-day free trial .

Netflix is another streaming channel which offers a 7-day free trial. If you sign up for both Netflix and Prime free trials that’s over five weeks of free viewing to take advantage of without paying a penny.

Create a Backyard Bucket List

Travel planning is the perfect form of escapism. Sure, there are faraway places I want to see when we get through all this but being on lockdown has made me realise more than ever how important it is to explore my own backyard too.

Our local attractions and small businesses will need our support more than ever when this is over so I’m compiling a backyard bucket list. It’ll include a visits to Batemans and Great Dixter and a meal at The Curlew , a restaurant I’ve wanted to visit for a while but never got round to.

I’ll be returning to places I love too. There’ll be hikes at Seven Sisters , one of my favourite Sussex spots and my favourite coffee shops in Hastings Old Town . Find out more about things to do in Sussex on my sister site Hello Sussex .

I’ll also be sure to make an effort to patronise the businesses that went all out to help those that needed it most during the crisis and who offered help to the vulnerable and NHS staff.

Travel through Instagram

For bitesize travel inspiration it’s good to dip into Instagram now and then but be warned it can be addictive. Big accounts like Lonely Planet and National Geographic have some stunning travel photography. My account’s not bad either… ! For some light relief take a look at the @AfarMedia #travelathomechallenge where people are re-creating travel in their homes and gardens.

Travel through taste

This one isn’t strictly armchair travel. You’ll have to venture as far as the kitchen or, if you’re lucky, the garden to recreate the flavours of your travels. I planted some seeds last weekend; chilli, mint, basil, coriander and tomatoes amongst others. They’re doing well. The flavours will remind me of past travels. Watering them each day and watching them grow is therapeutic.

I’ll be drinking peppermint tea which will remind me of my travels to Morocco. Basil and tomatoes will be added to buffalo mozzarella for a taste of Italy. The chilli and coriander will remind me of the fresh, zingy flavours of Vietnam. You don’t need much room for herbs – space on a sunny windowsill or a windowbox will be fine.

Travel books and magazines

If there’s one thing I love almost as much as travelling it’s getting lost in a good book. Fiction goes hand in hand with travel and for most destinations there’s a great novel just waiting to transport you straight there.

Choose a book set in a destination you’ve visited and immerse yourself. It’ll be more real as you’ll already have seen the landscapes, towns and people for yourself. It’s one of my favourite ways to indulge in a bit of armchair travel.

Travel inspiration books and guides can also transport you to a myriad of different places and they’re perfect for inspiring future travels. If there are glossy pages of gorgeous travel photography then even better.

Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist is packed with 500 of the world’s most unmissable sights and attractions paired with beautiful photography. This would also make a fabulous gift for any travel lover as would 101 Weekends in Europe  by Robin Barton which will give you enough European weekend travel inspiration to last a decade or two.

Some more great travel reads…

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo

The Atlas of Happiness: the global secrets of how to be happy by Helen Russell

Audible is an audio book service which has a range of free stories available which can be streamed from a laptop or smartphone. Transport yourself to a faraway place while you’re gardening, cleaning or just relaxing. Audible are giving away hundreds of kids’ books during the school closures.

Don’t forget to sign up to your local library. Many offer on-line access to free audio books and e-magazines.

Travel photography projects

I’ll be using some of this down time to go through my travel photos and finally get them sorted and all saved to the cloud. I have over 7,000 – there’ll be a lot of deletions!

Some images will be printed off to hang at home, I’ve been meaning to create a photo wall . Maybe now’s the time.  I may make some photo books too. Getting lost in the memories and magical moments will pass the time nicely.

Photo by  Jonny Caspari  on  Unsplash

Learn travel related skills

Expand your horizons with new travel related skills. There are lots of free on-line courses on offer at the moment and with extra time on your hands there’s no better time to take advantage. I’m brushing up on my photography skills with a free course but there are on-line cooking classes, language and writing courses. You could delve into coding or technical skills – the possibilities are endless.

Skillshare is offering is offering a premium 2-month free trial and has a wide range of available courses from languages to design and computer tech.

Travel Podcasts

There are so many travel podcasts out there which you can download and listen to at your leisure. Some of my favourites are…

The Travel Diaries with Holly Rubenstein is the UK’s number one travel podcast. It’s the travel version of Desert Island Discs where celebrities share travel experiences that made an impact on their lives. They describe travel experiences that shaped them rather than songs.

Armchair Explorer is hosted by award-winning travel writer Aaron Millar. Epic adventurers tell their best story from the road. Every episode is cut documentary style and set to music with cinematic effects to create an immersive storytelling experience.

Get travel-ready

Armchair travel is all very well but I’m not suggesting you spend 16 hours a day on your backside. Be sure to get up and move around too because when all this is over you’ll want to be fit and ready to get out there and explore as soon as. To stay fit in the meantime channel some of your energy into exercise.

There are loads of free on-line classes to help you stay in shape or even shape up. Fitness coach Joe Wicks’s YouTube channel  The Body Coach TV has various sessions to try out for different levels of fitness. Yoga With Adriene  is another YouTube channel with free yoga videos for all levels. The 30-day challenge is a good place to start if you’ve not practised yoga before and helps calm the mind too.

I hope my armchair travel post has given you some ideas for a bit of escapism. If you’ve got any ideas to add drop a comment below. Stay well, stay home and look after each other.

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Suzanne Jones is a full-time travel blogger and writer at The Travelbunny website which she started in 2011 during her time as a professional travel planner.  This serial traveller enjoys exploring new destinations, culinary encounters and the outdoors. When she’s not indulging her wanderlust or writing about her adventures you’ll most likely find Suzanne, camera in hand, enjoying coastal walks on England’s South Coast.

Suzanne also runs Hello Sussex a website which showcases the best of East & West Sussex. Read more about Suzanne here…

Stuart Forsterr

Friday 17th of April 2020

I prefer the real thing but in a world where we can't travel we have to dream. Good post!

Suzanne Jones

Saturday 18th of April 2020

I'm enjoying virtual travel at the moment, hope you are too!

Friday 10th of April 2020

I’ve seen virtual tours from national parks in the States, but didn’t know that museums and galleries had started doing them too. This is so perfect and I love that it’s totally affordable too hahaa. Love the travelling through taste idea as well. Speaking of, now I’m totally craving some Vietnamese dishes!

There's so much virtual escapism going on atm. The National Theatre are recording their performances too. The world's at our fingertips!

Eric Gamble

Tuesday 7th of April 2020

Love all of these options for Armchair Travel! I personally have been trying to get back to my Reading Bucket List and have dove into Roald Dahl's The Boy & Going Solo...but there are so many great books out there. As for the tech side, I do love all the different virtual ways to discover new areas. I had no idea about the Vatican one...that is amazeballs!

I've been reading more lately as well. Virtual museum tours are a brilliant idea. I've already got a virtual bucket list!

Monday 6th of April 2020

What a brilliant idea Museum Virtual Tours are. I'd honestly never heard of them until just the other day. We're indulging in a bit of 'Camp Chair' travel at the moment, since we're RVers. The silver lining is that it's the perfect time to plan our next trips with great detail. Or build the biggest Bucket Lists known to mankind!

Being a blogger means I've always got something to keep me busy but I've made time to indulge in a bit of armchair travel too! Are you still able to move around in your RV at the moment? Happy planning!

Linda (LD Holland)

Sunday 5th of April 2020

We are constantly looking for ways to look for new travel spots. I love that so many places are now offering virtual tours. A good way to make you want to visit and see more. We have found quite a few live webcams too. We are putting the time to good use doing more detailed planning about spots we want to visit in the future. A good time for research. Taste is a great way for us to remember past travels. Certainly foods or drinks immediately bring those trips back to mind. We keep saying we will work on a new language. This would be the perfect opportunity to stick to it. Thanks for some suggestions on filling our time with travel thoughts.

Travel planning is a great way to make use of the extra time we have right now and the virtual tours a good way to see if a destination is right for you. I keep saying I'll learn a language too and have started a very basic on-line course.

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The Happy Days Travels

17 Armchair Travel Ideas | Travel Without Leaving Home

The year is 2020 and that’s all I need to say to picture this time and for travellers, it was certainly a time to exercise armchair travel ideas and get creative with ways to travel without leaving home.

I’ve been armchair travelling, staycationing in the UK and planning my future trips since I was forced to return home because of Covid-19 in March 2020 and I’ve compiled this list of 17 armchair travel ideas.

I literally dream of travel all day long and I’m not exaggerating! These are some of the ways I’ve been doing that since being home like reading travel novels, learning about great railway journeys, listening to interviews with Anthony Bourdain and finally making yearly travel scrapbooks.

Disclosure: This blog post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no extra cost to you, I may earn commission if you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you see a link, this could take you to that product/service website. For more information, see my Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Contents (jump to)

What is Armchair Travel?

When you search what is armchair travel, you won’t find an official definition of armchair travel, not even in Urban Dictionary, but there are a few definitions around the web that basically say the same thing.

Armchair travelling meaning is learning about travel and the world through activities such as reading, watching television, playing, listening and more without actually visiting the places. An armchair traveller (or armchair traveler in US) will dream of far away places, know a lot about geography and travel without having to leave home.

18 Armchair Travel Ideas So You Can Travel Without Leaving Home!

Some of these ideas are free, others cost, some you may find lying around your house and others you may have to totally make from scratch but whatever you choose, here are the best travel activities without leaving home. This list isn’t just during Covid, this could be for anyone who’s just got back from a trip and suffering with travel blues, those awaiting their annual trip or if you love things to do with travel!

1. Google Earth

Google Earth is a fun and free tool that lets you travel the world from your home. When you hit the ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ button it takes you to random destinations around the world. My first few times took me to a mountain in Spain, a lake in Ethiopia, a museum in USA and a town in Kazakhstan. Alternatively, you could armchair travel with Google Maps too!

2. Live Cams Around the World

If Google Earth isn’t quite doing the wanderlust justice, try the live webcams that have been set up around the world so you can pretend you’re on a beach in the Maldives , driving on a safari in Africa , or exploring Antartica .

3. Virtual Tours – Travel Without Leaving Home

Virtual Travel has taken front seat due to the World pandemic and companies have set up some gems for us to be adventurous armchair tourists! Some armchair travel ideas include:

Virtual Museum Tours

• Google have partnered to create free online virtual tours such as the Musee d’Orsay in Paris and British Museum in London.
• Learn in LA at the Getty Museum through Google.
• Virtually visit Luxor in Egypt known as an open-air museum and learn through a local guide.

Other Virtual Tours

• How about taking a Virtual Wine Safari ,
• Or explore street art of Lisbon .
• Why not tour a city like Beijing or do a city tour with a guide like this in Istanbul or in Cartagena .

Virtual Reality Headsets

With VR headsets you can download free apps or buy tours/games and use your headset to see the world as if you’re there, go under the sea, explore national parks, climb to the top of Everest or to space! See below some of the best VR Headsets to experience virtual reality at its best. 

• DJI Goggles
• Oculus Go on Amazon
• Oculus Quest on Amazon
• Standard VR Headset for iPhone and Android on Amazon

4. Disney Travel From Home

Get out your photos from Disneyland, make a cuppa in your Disney mug, subscribe to Disney+ to watch your favourite Disney films then read about the real life Disney locations that inspired those films. This is how you Disney travel without leaving home!

Here are two of my favourite Disney travel from home accessories. Click on the image to order from Amazon:

5. Travel Decor

Since you’re at home, why not surround yourself with old travel souvenirs or get creative by making travel scrapbooks , globes, maps (see more next point), travel frames , coasters, ornaments and just about anything else.

You could also completely redecorate your home/car with travel-inspired decor. A famous vlogging family from the States teamed with a decorating show to create a travel-themed house! This episode on YouTube is worth a watch for some inspo.

6. Scratch Maps Travel Style

This is probably the best gift to get your travelling friend who can’t travel right now or secret Santa gift as it’s under £10, fun, small and a sort of ‘tick list’ for travellers who count countries! On Amazon you can get all sorts of travel scratch maps like:

• The world scratch map by country
• A scratch grid for 100 places to visit for a Bucket List
• The food map of Europe
• Scratch Map by area such as a UK Map to scratch
• A hobby scratch list like football grounds in Europe to visit
• The wonders of the world scratch map (this one’s just £3)!

7. Travel Trivia

One of my favourite websites is Sporcle and just about the only quizzes I do are to do with Geography, Friends or Harry Potter . Get on there to see how much you know, share with friends or get inspo for your own armchair travel quiz.

Throughout lockdown, quiz nights took over and I always asked to be in charge of the Geography rounds as I was reading about travel anyway and wanted an excuse to discuss countries/flags/cities/world wonders, etc.

8. Travel Blogs

You can spend hours browsing through travel blogs because there’s so many personal photos, stories and videos out there! When I think of a random city/country I’d like to know a bit more about, I go onto Google and quite often go to the maybe the second or third page and look for a travel blog about that place.

There’s so many small travel bloggers out there with great content and after browsing a few, you’ll get your faves!

Want to read one of mine?: My Epic Wildlife Safari in Borneo or A Weekend in Bordeaux, France

9. Vloggers To Take You Travelling Without Leaving Home

The blogging world has fabulous travel articles but if you want to see them in life form, head to YouTube! Here’s some of my go-to vloggers:

• Kinging It doing the Mongol Rally . They are from my hometown and one of the funniest travelling couples on the web! Their drone shots are breathtaking.
• Drew Binsky in Pakistan . He really does make the best travel documentaries on YouTube.
• Kara and Nate in Antartica for some of the best armchair travel videos following their quest to visit 100 countries.
• Migrationology in Jamaica for delicious dishes filmed in an unique way that makes you feel like you’re there.

10. Read the Best Adventure Books

Ah, the ultimate source of armchair travel is the best travel books because books and specifically, travel book reviews , take you places, books make you feel like you’re travelling and these armchair travel books will take you around the world! These are some of the best armchair books I’ve read.

• Europe: Imagine European countries like France, Netherlands and Italy through one of 2019’s best travelogue books with US by David Nicholls. A couple on the brink of divorce try to savour their marriage by visiting the wonders of Europe with their rebel son. Buy on Amazon here .
• North America: Venture around the USA with Not Tonight, Josephine by George Mahood. Mahood relays his travel road trip through the States with funny travel stories and is exactly what you expect American travel books to be. I read this in one sitting. Buy on Amazon here .
• South America: Get a travel scare in Bolivia by reading Marching Powder by Rusty Young. This is a true story about a man locked up in La Paz on a drugs charge and details the story of how Young come to write about it. If you want frightful armchair travel books, just look for any that is about being banged up abroad! Maybe won’t inspire wanderlust but will certainly make you stay on the right path! Buy on Amazon here .

Read about when I went off the beaten path (literally): Scary Encounter in Penang Hill, Malaysia

More Good Travel Books

• Africa: Here’s an option for a quick-ish read yet packed with history, conflict, survival and heartbreak. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park weaves together two stories between 1985 and 2008 in Sudan based on a true story. Buy on Amazon here .
• Asia: I couldn’t write a travel books to read list without including one of the most famous travel books turned films, The Beach by Alex Garland proves not everything is as it seems. Or is it in this travel novel about a backpacker in Thailand who ponders the real price of paradise. Buy on Amazon here .
• Oceania: One for lovers of historical fiction, The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman transports us back to WW1 following a couple who are faced with tough decisions when a baby is washed ashore Janus Rock off Australia, the island inhabited by only those two. Buy on Amazon here .

Read More: My Literary Travel Posts

Related Post: Why You Need a Kindle

11. Pinterest

The digital mood board for every scenario but epitomised for travel planning! Pinterest is where you can get the best armchair travel websites. Every Pinterest site has boards for organisation so you can quickly find topics like coffee of the world boards or how to travel and work in Australia .

Please Pin this Post to Your Pinterest Boards!

12. TV Shows

Here’s my list of the best TV shows related to travel that you can watch from your travel armchair and trigger wanderlust!!

• Race Across the World – Two seasons follow various pairs who have to get between points by land only, with the price of a flight only and without any internet and the winners get a cash prize. First season goes from London to Singapore and second season from Mexico City to Ushuaia. LOVE this show.
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – It’s Bourdain, need I say more? Okay, okay there’s 12 seasons and this ex-chef travels EVERYWHERE. It’s supposed to be about food but it’s really about the people and place. Mention-worthy episodes include Iran, Jerusalem, Congo and Beirut!
• And while we’re on the subject, another MUST is The Layover with Anthony Bourdain. This series highlights what to do with just the layover time in a city (up to 48 hours) and it’s great for quick stops on travels and to think about when booking flights with long layovers.
• Street Food Asia and Latin America – Mouth at the ready because the saliva will be forming watching this Netflix original! My absolute fave is the India episode because Indian street food just looks like top-dog of this culinary branch.
• An Idiot Abroad is one of the funniest travel shows around. Karl Pilkington moans his way around the world in a programme that will make you laugh while yearning to visit the very places Karl dislikes. Buy the series on Amazon here .

13. Films for Armchair Travel Activities

Nothing quite beats armchair travel like watching the big screen! Movies set on location are amongst the best ways to journey around the world without leaving your house so get your best armchairs and cwtch in ( read here for what cwtch means ). To watch the following films always check streaming sites, Sky movies or follow the links to buy the DVD on Amazon.

• Eat Pray Love can be found on every best travel films list because it follows a woman’s journey to Italy, India and Indonesia and every scene makes you want to book a flight! Buy the DVD on Amazon here .
• The Darjeeling Limited is a fun railway travel film following three brothers on a train journey across India. Buy from Amazon here .
• Under the Tuscan Sun transports you to Italy’s region of Tuscan for a heartfelt love story. Buy here .
• A good film I watched on Netflix was called Holiday in the Wild starring Kristin Davis from Sex and the City where she moves to Zambia for a period of time and exercises her vet skills.
• Have you seen Blended on Netflix/Sky? It stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and follows two families on an African safari filmed in one of the most amazing hotels which you can actually book the hotel to stay in South Africa!!
• How can I write this without included Mamma Mia and Mamma Mia 2 ?! Filmed on the Greek island of Skopelos and Croatian island of Vis with complete soundtrack of ABBA, this film will fly you on holiday from home.

14. Armchair Travel Podcasts

For when you’re on a walk, doing your daily exercise, washing the dishes, cooking breakfast, having a bath or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

My absolute favourite podcast of all time is Counting Countries by Global Gaz where Gaz interviews people who have completed or are on a mission to travel to every country. It’s inspiring, harrowing and fun to listen to and certainly the best armchair travel activity.

Other great listens to feed the travel bug are The World Nomads, What the Pho, The Food Blogger Pro, and Travel Eat Explore.

15. Cooking or Takeaways

Food is the best way I connect to a local culture when I travel. I love eating local food and love writing about them afterwards. Here are many ways you can learn, cook and eat by bringing global cuisines right into your home.

Online Virtual Cooking Classes for World Cuisines

• Let’s start here in Europe with this private online cooking class for 1.5 hours to learn how to make Paella from Spain.
• Another private tutored class takes us to Argentina for an empanada online class !
• To learn a bit about Moroccan cuisine while making Tagine with a local, try this private online Moroccan cooking class .
• Jump on the Brunch wagon in this online Eggs Benedict class with Bri (a former Masterchef contestant) from Dallas, USA. Note: class is not private.
• Tune in to Jude’s Kitchen on YouTube for authentic, vegan, Middle Eastern recipes/tutorials. She adds stories from her childhood and family to her videos that gives it a likeable, personal element.
• Last but certainly not least, join this Thai Online Cooking Class to learn how to make my favourite street food of all time: Khao Soi , a Northern Thai dish that doesn’t have a single flaw! The class is located in Chiang Mai (of course) and will guarantee your next holiday is to Thailand.

For all of these, don’t forget the time difference.

Best Cook Books for World Cuisine

For a cook book dripping with British faves, go for the national treasure Nadiya’s Kitchen . Try Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver which includes his take on my favourite meal in the entire world (seafood linguine). Or maybe Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico to learn about authentic tacos and tamales. I also loved John Torode’s Sydney to Seoul . Two of these I’ve read from my mum’s shelf the others I’ve picked up on my own.

Next: Read my food blogs here 🙂

Best Cooking TV Shows

• A fab tv show I stumbled upon in lockdown was called A Cook Abroad and featured several chefs who travel to different countries and learn the cuisines with recipes to follow. The best for me were Tony Singh in Amritsar, India and Rachel Khoo in Malaysia.
• Speaking of, BBC has a great show called The Little Paris Kitchen with Rachel Khoo.
• An oldie but goodie has to be Man Vs Food with Adam Richman following food challenges around USA.
• The number one cooking show for me though is one of my mum’s favourite: Long Weekends with Rick Stein where he travels to off-the-beaten-path city breaks in Europe finding local food and cooking it up at home. My friend and I are planning future city breaks based on this show alone.

16. Learn a Language

Not only is this a great armchair travel activity but it’s also a useful life and travel skill! There are many ways you can learn a language such as through a podcast (the 3 minute ones are great and I started to learn German in lockdown), go old school with DVDs like Rosetta Stone, keep modern with apps such as Duolingo or Babbel, sign up to online websites such as Speekify or get personal with online classes and an online tutor.

17. Plan a Staycation

We’re all loving staycations at the moment and I’ve discovered gorgeous places in my home country of Wales! Plan yours by booking that train, renting that car, finding accommodation on booking.com , picking the best times to travel and planning your itinerary all from the comfort of your armchair!

Some UK Staycation Inspiration:

• Ultimate Weekend in The Cotswolds, England
• Visit the Most Independent Town of Narbeth in Wales
• 13 Things to do in Cardiff, Wales
• Stay at This Isolated Log Cabin in Taunton, England
• 12 Ways to Explore London, UK
• How to Spend 2 Days on Barry Island, Wales
• The Best Gavin & Stacey Guide Written by a Local
• Explore Tenby and Saundersfoot in West Wales
• An Afternoon in Bath (UNESCO Heritage City in England)
• Freshwater West Beach in Wales to Visit Dobby (Harry Potter)

Use all of the above and plan where you want to travel to next in the world. I wrote a post about where I want to visit after lockdown and I don’t know when that’ll be but I’m saving money for when the opportunity arises. For now, I’m armchair travelling and loving it.

Hope you’ve got some good inspo to become an armchair adventurer!

More Travel Posts:

• Melbourne Travel Posts
• Thailand Inspiration
• Why You Need to Visit Malaysia

Like this? Please Share it for Armchair Travel Meaning and Ideas! 🙂

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Wow, this is amazinig. Thanks for the great ideas.

Thanks for reading Donna. Glad I could help 🙂

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31 ways to be an armchair traveler from the comfort of your own home.

What Does Armchair Travel Mean?

Armchair travel ideas.

• Watch a travel-inspired movie

Watch a travel-themed TV show

Tune into wildlife on youtube, live vicariously through rick steves, listen to a travel-themed podcast.

• Create and curate a "Top 10 List" from each of your past trips

Create and print a photo book

Make a travel photo mosaic, reminisce with family over travel photos from past trips, put a travel slide show on your tv, create a travel shrine with souvenirs from past trips, reminisce with the help of your social feeds.

• Organize your vacation memories
• Research a trip, just don't book it
• Create a travel gratitude list

Keep a journal

Play a travel-themed board game, go on a virtual tour, work out to a destination-themed exercise video.

• Take a photowalk while respecting social distancing
• Go balcony birdwatching

Read travel blogs

Read a travel-themed book, write a travel story, break out the snacks you brought home from your last trip, cook a meal from your favorite destination.

• Order takeout of different cuisines from around the world
• Drink a bottle of wine from your favorite destination or place you were planning to go.

Set-up a call with your travel-minded friends

Organize a travel slideshow virtual viewing party with friends, socialize with like-minded travel-lovers on social media, armchair travel ideas: watch and listen, watch a travel-inspired movie.

• National Lampoon's Vacation : Watch the comedic (mis)adventures of the Griswolds and their family truckster as they make their way to Wally World on the ultimate American road trip.
• Honeymoon in Vegas : Suspend your sense of disbelief and get a taste of both Las Vegas and Hawaii as Jack Singer loses his fiancee in a hand of poker and chases her to tropical locales to save her from gangster Tommy Corman. Oh, and there are flying Elvises.
• Up in the Air : If you are a frequent flyer and miss that gold-plated business/first-class experience, follow George Clooney as he takes to the skies.
• Romancing the Stone : "Is this the bus to Cartagena?" Follow romance novelist Joan Wilder on a treasure hunt to save her sister in the jungles of Colombia.
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels : Steve Martin and Michael Caine always make me smile in this con artist comedy. Bonus points for the sunny French Riviera setting of Beaumont-sur-Mer. 
• A Place in the Sun : Watch British couples agonize over where to buy that perfect second home in warm sunny climes. You'll get to see some super-cool real estate as well as some really fun sun holiday destinations across Europe and beyond.
• The Amazing Race : Do you have a competitive streak? If so, the Amazing Race is for you. Watch 10 teams of two face their fears and battle it out for a 1 million dollar prize in a race around the world. 
• The Love Boat : Transport yourself back in time to when cruise ships were full of romance, not harbingers of doom. 
• Panama Fruit Feeders : Watch an amazing display of colorful exotic birds stop by for a snack in the jungle in Panama.
• Namibia Livestream in the Namib Desert : Journey into the African desert and catch a glimpse of the wildlife grabbing a drink at a rare watering hole.
• Sloth TV : Get a dose of cuteness with this live feed of baby sloths in Costa Rica . 

Armchair Travel Ideas: Reminisce

Create and curate a top 10 list from each of your past trips.

Armchair Travel Ideas: Organize

Plan a trip, but don't book it, create a travel-focused gratitude list, armchair travel ideas: do.

• beach workout
• sunset workout
• virtual scenery
• workout scenery
• virtual cycling 

Take a photowalk

Balcony birdwatching, armchair travel ideas: read and write.

• Roaming Required is written by an Australian couple living in London and focuses on great destinations near and far and goes particularly in depth on places in the UK. If you're a history buff, Roaming Required is definitely for you.
• Reflections Enroute is written by an American-expat couple living abroad with an adventurous streak. Self-drive in Uganda, anyone?
• Wayfaring Views shares a lot of amazing street art and book recommendations; two of my favorite things.
• Hokkaido Highway Blues is a travelogue by Will Ferguson covering his quest to follow the Spring cherry blossoms in Japan clear across the country from South to North.
• Batavia's Graveyard will take you back to the age of exploration when the Dutch East India Company ship, Batavia, was shipwrecked and the crew marooned on a small island off of Australia. The killing spree that ensued reads like a work of fiction but is even more mesmerizing because this is a work of non-fiction.
• River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey shares the story of U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt's scientific expedition to the darkest corners of Brazil.
• First They Killed My Father will put what we are currently going through into proper perspective and make you realize how much worse things could be. First They Killed my Father is a first hand account of life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
• Long Walk to Freedom is an inspiring biography about the life of Nelson Mandela and the quest to abolish Apartheid in South Africa.
• A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler . This book is truly inspirational. An 18th century blind man didn't let his lack of sight stop him from having some great (and often dangerous adventures). 

Armchair Travel Ideas: Eat and Drink

Order takeout of different cuisines around the world, drink a bottle of wine from your favorite destination or place you were planning to go, armchair travel ideas: socialize at home and online, did you enjoy this post on how to be an armchair traveller when you have to stay at home sharing is caring... .

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Travel Advisory July 26, 2023

Hungary - level 1: exercise normal precautions.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Exercise normal precautions in Hungary.

Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Hungary.

If you decide to travel to Hungary:

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  ( STEP ) to receive alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter .
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Hungary.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel. 
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

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Six months validity recommended; three months validity beyond planned departure date from the Schengen Zone required.

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Not required for stays under 90 days.

Amounts of more than 10,000 Euros (or equivalent currency) must be declared.

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U.S. Embassy Budapest

Szabadság tér 12 H-1054 Budapest Hungary Telephone: +(36) (1) 475-4400 Email: [email protected]

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Learn about the U.S. relationship to countries around the world.

Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements

Hungary is a party to the Schengen Agreement, which allows for free movement between certain European countries. U.S. citizens may enter Hungary for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa. If you plan to stay longer, please visit the Embassy of Hungary for the most current visa information.

Traveling Through Europe : If you are planning to visit or travel through European countries, you should be familiar with the requirements of the Schengen Agreement. Please review our U.S. Travelers in Europe page .

• Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay .
• You will need sufficient proof of funds and a return plane ticket .
• For additional information about visas for the Schengen area, see the Schengen Visa page .

The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Hungary.

Find information on dual nationality , prevention of international child abduction and customs regulations on our websites.

Safety and Security

Terrorist groups and those inspired by such organizations are intent on attacking U.S. citizens abroad. Terrorists are increasingly using less sophisticated methods of attack – including knives, firearms, and vehicles – to more effectively target crowds. Frequently, their aim is unprotected or vulnerable targets, such as:

• High-profile public events (sporting contests, political rallies, demonstrations, holiday events, celebratory gatherings, etc.)
• Hotels, clubs, and restaurants frequented by tourists
• Places of worship
• Shopping malls and markets
• Public transportation systems (including subways, buses, trains, and scheduled commercial flights) 

Terrorism: Terrorist groups and those inspired by such organizations are intent on attacking U.S. citizens abroad, including in Europe. For more information, see our Terrorism page.

Crime: Although Hungary is generally a safe place to visit, you should use caution and stay alert. Be especially careful in crowded tourist areas, train stations, buses, trams, and metros.

Passports, cash, and credit cards are favorite targets of thieves. The Embassy regularly receives reports of pickpocketing on the trains between Budapest and Vienna, so please be especially mindful of your belongings when traveling this route. There have been some instances in Budapest where U.S. citizens were overcharged exorbitant prices for food, beverages, or taxi services. Always verify the cost before making a purchase.

There have been incidents, although rare, where U.S. citizens were unknowingly drugged. Do not accept food or drink from anyone but a server. Additionally, the Embassy has received reports of racially motivated assaults. Please report all crimes to the local police. In an emergency dial 112 for help and contact the U.S. Embassy for follow-up assistance.

General tips to avoid becoming a victim of crime:

• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Do not walk alone at night.
• Be vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.
• Stay alert in crowded locations frequented by tourists.
• Always keep your belongings secure.
• Do not accept food or drink from anyone but a server.

Victims of Crime: Hungarian authorities are responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes committed in Hungary. Report crimes to the local police by calling 112 .

U.S. citizen victims of violent crime and sexual assault are encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy for assistance. See our webpage about help for U.S. victims of crime overseas .

See our webpage on help for U.S. victims of crime overseas .

• Help you find appropriate medical care 
• Assist you in reporting a crime to the police
• Contact relatives or friends with your written consent
• Provide general information regarding the victim’s role during the local investigation and following its conclusion
• Provide a list of local attorneys 
• Provide our information on victim’s compensation programs in the U.S.
• Provide an emergency loan for repatriation to the United States and/or limited medical support in cases of destitution
• Help you find accommodation and arrange flights home
• Replace a stolen or lost passport

Demonstrations: Political gatherings and protests occur frequently in Hungary, mostly in Budapest. They may take place in response to political or economic issues, on politically significant holidays, and during international events. Ethnic nationalist groups have gained popularity in Hungary in the past years, in some cases advocating intolerance towards migrants and minorities, including Jews, Roma, and LGBTI+ individuals. Although these far-right groups do not engage in violence and are not explicitly anti-United States, you should avoid public demonstrations and confrontations with their members.

• Demonstrations can be unpredictable, avoid areas around protests and political rallies. 
• Check local media for updates and traffic advisories.
• In a few instances where demonstrations have turned violent, authorities have used riot police to control crowds.

Domestic Violence: U.S. citizen victims of domestic violence are encouraged to contact the Embassy for assistance.

International Financial Scams: See the  Department of State  and   FBI webpages for information.

Tourism: The tourism industry is generally well-regulated and rules enforced. Hazardous areas/activities are identified with appropriate signage and professional staff is typically on hand in support of organized activities. In the event of an injury, appropriate medical treatment is generally available throughout the country. Outside of major metropolitan centers, it may take more time for first responders and medical professionals to stabilize a patient and provide life-saving assistance. U.S. citizens are encouraged to purchase medical evacuation insurance . 

Local Laws & Special Circumstances

Criminal Penalties: You are subject to local laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned.  Individuals establishing a business or practicing a profession that requires additional permits or licensing should seek information from the competent local authorities, prior to practicing or operating a business.

• Always carry your passport with you in Hungary. Local police may require you to show documentation to establish your identity upon request. Hungarian police may take you into custody if you attempt to prove your identity with documents other than a passport.
• Hungary has a zero-tolerance policy for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Penalties are severe, including significant jail time.

Some laws are also prosecutable in the United States, regardless of local law. For examples, see our website on crimes against minors abroad and the Department of Justice website.

Arrest Notification: If you are arrested or detained, ask police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy immediately. See our webpage for further information.

Special Circumstances regarding Banking and Customs:

• Travelers’ checks are not universally accepted in Hungary. ATMs are readily available.
• It is not possible to cash personal checks in Hungary without a local bank account, which requires residency.
• Western Union is the most prevalent international money transfer company and has many locations throughout Hungary. You must have photo identification to receive a wire transfer.
• Visit the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary for information about import and export of potentially restricted items.

Counterfeit and Pirated Goods: Although counterfeit and pirated goods are prevalent in many countries, they may still be illegal according to local laws. You may also pay fines or have to give them up if you bring them back to the United States. See the U.S. Department of Justice website for more information.

Faith-Based Travelers: See the following webpages for details:

• Faith-Based Travel Information
• International Religious Freedom Report – see country reports
• Human Rights Report – see country report
• Hajj Fact Sheet for Travelers
• Best Practices for Volunteering Abroad

LGBTQI+ Travelers: There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of LGBTQI+ events in Hungary. However, organizers may encounter disruptive behavior by far-right wing extremists at events supporting the LGBTQI+ community.

See our LGBTQI+ Travel Information page and section 6 of our Human Rights Report for further details.

Travelers with Disabilities: The law in Hungary prohibits discrimination against persons with physical or mental disabilities, and the law is enforced. Social acceptance of persons with disabilities in public is as prevalent as in the United States. The most common types of accessibility issues may include accessible facilities and ease of movement. Expect accessibility to be limited in public transportation, lodging, and general infrastructure. There can be a significant difference in accessibility between Budapest and the rest of the country.

Students:   See our Students Abroad webpage and FBI travel tips .

Women Travelers: See our travel tips for Women Travelers .

Women Travelers:  See our travel tips for  Women Travelers .

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also provides Traveler Health Information for Hungary .

For emergency services in Hungary dial:

• 104 for Ambulance Services
• 107 for the Police
• 105 for the Fire Department
• 112 for English-Speaking Emergency Responders (All Types of Emergencies)

The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of doctors and hospitals . We do not endorse or recommend any specific medical provider or clinic.

Ambulance services are widely available in Hungary, but training and availability of emergency responders may be below U.S. standards. All ambulances may not be equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment.

Adequate health facilities are available in the capital and other major cities, but health care in rural areas may be below U.S. standards. Medical staff may speak little or no English. Generally, in public hospitals only minimal staff is available overnight in non-emergency wards. Psychological and psychiatric services are limited, even in the larger cities, with hospital-based care only available through government institutions.

Some hospitals and doctors require payment “up front” prior to service or admission. Credit card payment is not always available. Some private clinics and hospitals may require advance payment or proof of adequate insurance before admitting a patient. Travelers should make efforts to obtain complete information on billing, pricing, and proposed medical procedures before agreeing to any medical care. Patients bear all costs for transfer to or between hospitals.

We do not pay medical bills. Be aware that U.S. Medicare/Medicaid does not apply overseas. Most hospitals and doctors overseas do not accept U.S. health insurance.

Medical Insurance: Make sure your health insurance plan provides coverage overseas. Most care providers overseas only accept cash payments. See our webpage for more information on insurance coverage overseas. Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information on type of insurance you should consider before you travel overseas. We strongly recommend supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation.

Prescription Medication: Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription. Check with the government of Hungary to ensure the medication is legal in Hungary. Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging with your doctor’s prescription. Prescription and over-the-counter medicines are widely available at pharmacies.

Vaccinations: Be up-to-date on all vaccinations recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further health information:

• World Health Organization
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy: If you are considering traveling to have a child through use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) or surrogacy, please see our ART and Surrogacy Abroad page . Hungarian law forbids surrogacy arrangements.

Travel and Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety: Roadside assistance, including medical and other services, is available. Dial 112 to speak to English-speaking emergency operators.

Highways and urban roads are generally in good condition. As in most European countries, you must pay a toll to use Hungary’s highways. Payments must be made either at a gas station or online .

• Areas under construction are not always adequately marked.
• Be on the alert when driving in rural areas. Rural roads are often narrow and poorly lit.
• Pedestrians, tractors, and farm animals often share the use of rural roads.
• Train crossings are not always well-designated.

Additional information on road conditions is available from “ Útinform ” at +36-1-336-2400.

Traffic Laws: Hungary has zero tolerance for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs. Prison sentences for DUI violations or accidents caused by impaired drivers are severe.

• Police often conduct routine roadside checks and administer breath-analysis tests.
• Police stop vehicles regularly to check documents.
• Use of hand-held cell phones while driving is not permitted.
• Car seats are required for infants.
• Children under the age of 12 may not sit in the front seat.
• Seat belt use is mandatory.
• You can drive in Hungary with a valid U.S. driver’s license for one year as long as you have a certified Hungarian translation of the license attached. After one year of residence, you must obtain a Hungarian driver’s license.
• International driver’s permits (IDP) issued by the American Automobile Association (AAA) are acceptable when used with a valid state driver’s license.

Hungarian police issue traffic violations in the form of a postal check that reflects the amount of the fine. You may pay the fines at any Hungarian post office. Police will confiscate the passport of a person who chooses to contest the fine and issue the person an “invitation letter” to appear at the police station to resolve the dispute. Police will return the passport after resolution and/or payment of the fine.

Public Transportation: Public transportation in Budapest is excellent. Budapest’s tram, subway, and bus service are reliable. Find more information online: Budapest Public Transport . Public transportation outside of Budapest is not as dependable.

• To avoid being a subject to on-the-spot fines in public transportation, you must follow rules for purchasing and properly validating your ticket.
• Taxis in Budapest are plentiful and generally inexpensive. All taxis are yellow, marked accordingly, and should have meters. The Embassy urges all travelers to insist on using a metered taxi, and to avoid entering into agreements with taxi drivers to an unmetered fare.
• Hungary’s train service is generally reliable. The Embassy regularly receives reports of pickpocketing on the trains between Budapest and Vienna. Be mindful of your belongings when traveling this route.

Aviation Safety Oversight: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed the Government of Hungary’s Civil Aviation Authority as being in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Hungary’s air carrier operations. Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page .

For additional travel information

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Call us in Washington, D.C. at 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 (from all other countries) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• See the  State Department’s travel website  for the  Worldwide Caution  and  Travel Advisories .
• Follow us on  Twitter  and  Facebook .
• See  traveling safely abroad  for useful travel tips.

Review information about International Parental Child Abduction in Hungary . For additional IPCA-related information, please see the International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act ( ICAPRA ) report.

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• Cultural History

Armchair Travel Is Springing Back to Life

Since the dawn of travel, aspiring globetrotters have been exploring the world by embarking on (day)dream vacations. but what does the future hold.

Published on 3/1/2024 at 9:00 AM

As a phrase, “armchair travel” hasn’t been part of the lexicon for all that long. As a concept, however, it has existed for centuries: A way to envision ourselves in far-flung destinations without having to really go anywhere. It was initially fueled by art, namely books, theater, paintings, and music. Today, it lies more within the purview of technology, especially now that products like Apple Vision Pro can be strapped to your face as you stand in line at the local coffee shop .

Whatever form armchair travel assumes, it’s not something I personally have much experience with. As a professional travel writer who spends the majority of my time physically on the road, it rarely comes into play. But that’s not to say I don’t see the value in it. Wanderlust is an almost universal human trait—I’m not sure travel journalism would even exist without it—and the need to scratch that itch comes with a pronounced set of challenges.

First and foremost, there are the financial hurdles. Beyond that, it’s almost always a veritable pain in the ass to get from A to B, and that goes double for anyone dealing with limited mobility or other circumstances that might make flying less accessible. Considering that travelers filed 1,693 disability-related complaints against US airlines in 2022 alone—triple the number filed in 2020—this issue is growing increasingly relevant as post-pandemic travel continues to surge.

Even without mobility limitations, relying on planes is a frustrating affair. I say this as someone who just spent four whole hours on hold with United Airlines after a battery of flights were delayed with no prior warning. During that exceedingly frustrating downtime, I began to seriously question my life decisions. Is travel overrated? Ralph Waldo Emerson famously called it a “fool’s paradise,” and the list of notable philosophers throughout history who have ridiculed the pursuit runs long. And while I’ve always assumed they were sour grapes-ing the fact they hadn’t earned Delta Diamond status, maybe there’s more to it than that.

According to one expert, while my movement might be a mandatory work hazard, I’ve been journeying in the wrong direction.

“Traveling inward to explore the vastness of one’s own consciousness is an adventure few people have yet to embark upon,” says Dan Marko, senior spiritual wellness provider at the famed Canyon Ranch retreat and spa in Lenox, Massachusetts . “Traditionally mystics and shamans intentionally move into a non-ordinary state of awareness through adapting the breath rhythm and adding the vibratory sound of an instrument or a sound found in nature to travel into the vastness of the three worlds—upper, middle, lower—[of] what in modern conversation might be called the multiverse.”

He takes his patients—or passengers, if you will—on a “soul journey,” utilizing meditative practices to open intuitive awareness. In other words, he issues a business class ticket to a deeply spiritual encounter.

"This type of travel should be considered a pilgrimage,” he adds. “You are traveling to the sacred within and returning with a renewed or refreshed reverence for life.”

This concept hits particularly hard considering we know for certain that physical movement across long distances can negatively affect the very environment we’re seeking to explore. Simon Ford , for one, is pointedly aware of this fact. As co-founder of Fords Gin , he’s had to trek to bars and restaurants across the globe to promote his product. When he’s not in the air, however, he uses armchair travel as a way to help him ultimately be more intentional with his travel plans.

“The travel industry certainly has an impact on climate change, and as more and more people travel this will only worsen,” he points out. “Armchair travel gives us an opportunity to research and be selective, which is a good thing. For example, after reading Eric Newby's The Big Red Train Ride , I found myself booking a trip to take the Trans Siberian Railway across six time zones. Most of my bucket list travel comes from great books.”

And Simon’s hardly alone. Dr. Melissa Boudin, a clinical psychologist from Santa Barbara, California , classifies this method as “travel-based daydreaming.” Most of us do it from time to time, she suggests, as if we’re crafting an internal vision board that keeps us relaxed and open to new possibilities while also reinforcing goal-oriented behavior.

“Daydreaming about travel, in particular, lets you be fully creative and in control of where you are, allowing you to escape briefly from your physical point of being,” she says. “This can be useful for taking a breather during a workday or whenever a mental break is needed—people who ‘travel’ during their breaks are often more likely to feel refreshed, happy, and optimistic.”

But armchair travel doesn’t just make you feel better, it can actually make you physiologically better, too, she contends. “Daydreaming in general produces alpha brain waves, which are linked to decreases in anxiety and depression, as well as increases in creativity.”

Those specific benefits are becoming more obvious to a broader range of travel industry professionals. As a result, armchair travel is forging some unlikely allies, including tourism boards in popular international destinations like Thailand .

“Armchair tourism allows tourists globally to experience Thailand in a very meaningful way,” says Chompu Marusachot, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s New York office . “We encourage people to explore our country through virtual tours, cultural workshops such as cooking classes and Muay Thai lessons , and of course film—one of Thailand’s greatest pillars in sharing the stories of our amazing country and its people.”

Through a combination of robust online portals and roving activations in big cities across the world, the TAT brings a taste of Thai culture to people all over the world, no matter when or even if they might be able to visit in person. And they won’t even need a passport—sometimes, all it takes is a hearty appetite. (Nothing brings me back to this part of the world like a well-composed serving of Pad See Ew .)

Of course, there are plenty of people who would love to explore the beauty of Southeast Asia, but as mentioned, issues like limited mobility mean that a fulls day's worth of continuous air travel might not be in the cards. Physical movement requires physical exertion, and for that reason, it tends to favor those who are young and particularly mobile. Indeed, many of the books written in service of armchair travel are aimed entirely at older generations, including one that goes so far as to subtitle itself, “A Sensory Experience for Seniors.”

The cruel irony is that this exact demographic contains the highest percentage of retirees , a population presumably flush with ample time to actually get out there and explore. Of course, many have found a middle ground between the ability to travel the world in search of in-your-face adventure and traveling from home via a vacation slideshow by opting for less hectic and demanding transport options like cruises and sleeper trains . Which, in all honesty, sounds pretty good to me.

Of course, a person doesn’t even need to wait for old age to see the merits of slow travel. Over the past several years, I’ve come face to face with incredible parts of the world along train tracks and atop coastal liners. Most recently, I traversed nearly the entirety of New Zealand on a series of scenic rails as part of Great Journeys New Zealand’s weeklong adventure package. The experience allowed me the space to contemplate the breadth of the nation’s inconceivably varied landscape—all while seated on a remarkably comfy armchair, I might add.

“For me, the appeal is also largely about nostalgia,” says Steven Bowden, a tour guide for the kiwi-based company. “Rail travel was integral to New Zealand's development, and was the primary mode of interregional travel for over 50 years—everyone traveled by train, to work, to school, to visit family and friends, and it was the primary promoter and facilitator of tourism. Building the rail network was an incredible achievement in itself given the topography.”

For Gen-Xers, Millenials, and the rest of us whipper-snappers, though, our sunset years are paved with the promise of traversing a simulated topography via virtual reality travel and similar technological advances. And while that might make a certain forms of travel much more accessible, it does come at a cost.

“Armchair travel can provide valuable insights, but it can’t replicate the experience of being in a new place, meeting new people, and feeling their culture,” says Stanislav Harciník, co-host of the tourism industry-focused Mirror Hospitality Expo in Bratislava, Slovakia. “The sights, sounds, and smells of a new destination are impossible to capture through books and movies alone—it’s the same as trying a dish in its place of origin versus trying to recreate it back home.”

Despite the warning signs, our meta-future is inevitable. Today, I can easily venture into lands unseen from the confines of a cozy armchair with an LED snorkel tethered to my face, or maybe even devote a more concerted effort to journeying inward, as proscribed by Mr. Marko. The fact that it sure sounds a lot easier on my back is one advantage I’m considering while typing away on a hotel patio overlooking Lake Wakatipu , a view I traveled some 8000 miles to make my own. Perhaps it is a fool’s paradise I pursue. But to me, it’s a paradise just the same.

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