They say the more you travel the more you need to travel. I’m not always a big believer in what “they say,” but in this case, I have to agree. Once you get out into the world, there are so many other places you need to go!

But, traveling as often as you would like usually isn’t practical for most people. Whether due to financial constraints, a job restrictions, family obligations or something else, most travel lovers have to use the time they have wisely. That’s why it can be fun to travel the world without leaving home. Because virtually, you can go anywhere you want and not worry about time or expense.

These are my five tips to travel to anywhere you want, without ever leaving home.

1. Plan your “trip”

Choose where you want to travel to. You can pick as many places as you want, anywhere in the world, because you aren’t limited by logistics or expense. You may travel to Paris one day and to Costa Rica the next.

If you want, make a list of 5 places to start, and then pick where you want to “go” first. Once you have your destination in mind, this is where you get to plan your trip!

Where do you want to go? What historical or cultural sites do you want to visit? What activities do you want to participate in? This is where guide books come in handy.

2. Use Free Online Resources

Once you know where you want to go, and what you want to do, take advantage of free online resources from museums and history centers that you’d want to visit. (This obviously applies if you’re “traveling” to somewhere that’s a city with these places)

Here are some places that are offering virtual tours and experiences:
1. The Louvre has 3 exhibits you can “walk through”
2. The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has 2 galleries to see. It’s one of my favorites because the architecture is also a work of art.
3. In Madrid, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum houses Europe’s largest private art collection
4. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City has more than 1700 artworks by more than 600 artists.
5. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History has a room-by-room tour of every exhibit.
6. In Mexico City, the National Museum of Anthropology has virtual tours of its Mayan artifacts.
7. In London, the British Museum has it’s exhibits of the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies available to view.
8. If you’re visiting Amsterdam, be sure to check out the Van Gogh Museum.

3. Browse google Images

Google Images is an excellent place to go when you want to see what your destination looks like. Thanks to videos and thousands of photos taken by millions of people, you can view almost anywhere from multiple angles.

Also, use Google’s Arts and Culture pages to delve even deeper into museums and cultural sites around the world.

4. Watch a movie or two

So many movies take place in countries around the world there is bound to be one or two that take place in the city or country you’re “visiting.”

With so many services streaming and movies available to purchase cheaply or rent, this is a great way to escape and get to know your destination better.

5. Get into the kitchen

Create a meal that is popular in your destination. When on vacation, we are known to skip the souvenir shops and spend our money on food instead, because it’s one of the fastest and easiest ways to get to know a place.

Well, this is no different. We’ve actually done this in our family for a while–choose a country and make food from there all week. Just like when you’re on a trip and eat out at local restaurants, you’ll use your own kitchen to get to know this place.

There are recipes online representing just about every country there is. I even found 3-4 for Andorra–that tiny, itty bitty country the size of Rhode Island between France and Spain.

With just a little bit of planning you can even do some of the activities you might do on a real trip, or use videos online to learn a new skill too. The most important thing is to have fun and look forward to a visit in person some day!

Let me know in the comments where you’re going to go!

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