A Traveler’s Guide to Staying Home

We feel you. Like us, your natural instinct is to hit the road, head out of town, explore the next new place on your list. The mountains, oceans, rivers and trails are calling. You thrive off of the unknown, the new, the mysterious risk that comes with adventure. You’re probably more used to being away from home, than being home. And suddenly, the most important, responsible, and safe thing for us all to do is just that: stay home (if we are lucky enough to have a safe place called home).

So for a few weeks – maybe a few months – we have to stick to it, for the sake of ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities. We have a lot to be thankful for – with special thanks to those out on the front lines helping the sick. No one is immune to this disease. So we’re here to help you during this time – to give you ideas, outlets, and inspiration for the traveler in you.

Visit National Parks Virtually 

Did your epic national park road trip get cancelled or postponed? Not to worry, there’s some great NP content available that will allow you to at least visually visit those parks from afar. Enter: Webcams & virtual tours. 

• Explore the “Hidden Worlds” of the 5 most breathtaking National Parks in this virtually guided tour experience 
• Here’s a list of all of the webcams.
• Wildlife lover? Visit the National Parks’ webcams in wildlife hotspots &  watch eagle chicks hatch or bears wake up from hibernation.
• Best website to see the weather and landscape at each park.
• Old Faithful webcams.
• Yosemite Falls webcams. 
• Zion webcams.
• Are you a hiker? Check out these cool virtual hikes via Google Earth in 31 National Parks! 

Go on neighborhood walks

This is an opportunity to notice and appreciate the little things. We’ve been taking lots of walks. Long ones – more than an hour long, that wander along – and short 10 minute ones just to get out of this house. You’ve probably heard that it’s not just the physical benefits you generate from walking that make you feel better – it’s the mental ones.

Science says  that it can improve mood and mental health, it can sharpen short term memory, and can enhance cognitive function – among many other benefits. There’s even a book about it called “In Praise of Walking”. Yes – technically it’s just one foot in front of the other – but it’s also about interacting with your environment, raising awareness of surroundings and making cellular connections in your brain. WHOA! Let us know if you need more reasons :). 

Listen to travel podcasts (these are some of our favs)

• She Explores  & Women on the Road (be sure to listen to episode 62 – featuring Escape Camper Vans and one of our past renters who honeymooned with us and eventually committed to #vanlife full time with her partner and their own rig).
• Jump Travel Podcast – stories, tips and interviews about budget-friendly travel
• Wild Ideas Worth Living – powered by REI, this inspiring podcast interviews  people who took the path less traveled and brought their wildest ideas to life.
• Dirtbag Diaries – truly the original outdoor podcast, Dirtbag Diaries is dedicated to the sometimes serious, often humorous stories from wild places.
• Chronicles Abroad – a podcast dedicated to inspiring others to live abroad and live with meaning and purpose.

Watch films that will transport you

Here are some great ones to get you started and the wheels turning.

• Banff Film Fest (get inspired with these film shorts)
• Planet Earth (it just never gets old)
• Dawn Wall  & Free Solo (prepare to get sweaty hands)
• Into the Wild (a classic)
• Telluride MountainFilm Fest (a countless number of impressive, inspiring films taking you across the globe)

Cook your favorite dishes from past trips

What food stands out for you when you think of your top vacations? Perhaps it’s a hearty Argentinian “asado” with chimichurri, perhaps a Spanish paella with sausage and seafood, a zesty carnitas street taco from a small beach town in Baja, or a coconut Thai ginger soup from Bali whose ingredients were so fresh you can still smell the aromas today.

Or maybe it’s that meal you made by the campfire on your last camping trip. Whatever it is – now’s the time to try and recreate it! Go through those old photo albums or journals from your travels, and relive that meal you keep thinking about. Some of our favorite resources for recipes: NYT cooking, Bon Appetit, Minimalist Baker, Sprouted Kitchen, Pinterest, and of course, family recipes.