Travel-Related Things To Do During Lockdown To Spark Your Wanderlust


Last Updated on 7 November 2022

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What are the best travel-related things to do during lockdown?

Whether we like it or not, the safest place for us all to be right now is at home, bottom firmly plonked on the sofa with a cup of tea in hand. But that doesn’t mean we can’t travel from home, and there are no restrictions on dreaming! After all, during these tough and challenging times brought by Coronavirus, we all deserve an escape. So if you’re looking for some travel-related things to do during lockdown, are twiddling your thumbs in self-isolation, or are wondering how to travel the world from home, then these lockdown activities have your name written all over them!

Scrapbook your travel memorabilia

Travel scrapbooks - Travel related things to do at home during lockdown!

If you are anything like me, then you’ll probably have bundles of old aeroplane tickets, hotel confirmations, receipts, leaflets, and beer bottle caps that you’ve collected throughout your travelling life tucked away in a draw at home (along with an abundance of other weird and wonderful things). So why not pop on something comfy, make a cuppa, grab a Scrapbook, dig out your crafty bits, and settle in for an afternoon of lockdown travel scrapbooking?

Look at a live webcam

I’m a sucker for this one, and I do it even when I can travel! What better way to travel without leaving your house than to look at a webcam? Open up trusty Google and search for a webcam in a place of your choice. If it’s somewhere you’ve already travelled, it will transport you right back to that moment. And if it’s somewhere you haven’t been, it’s likely to get you excited to go there in the future! Personally, I love to take a peek at the webcam for Krakow, because it gives such a clear real-time view of the Old Town Square!

Dig out the photo albums

Photo albums - Travel related things to do at home during lockdown!

They say that a photograph can capture a thousand words…. that they can act as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone. It’s amazing how flicking through the pages of a photo album can bring back a rush of feelings. Feelings which remind you of exactly how you felt in that moment. Reminders of the smells and sounds that surrounded you. Memories of the things you did that day that may have otherwise laid dormant; of the places you saw, the food you ate and the people you met. I don’t think I need to give you anymore reasons why digging out the photo albums is one of the best things to do in lockdown, do I?


Read more: Where to travel in 2021 – let’s hope it’s further than the sofa whilst wearing something other than pyjamas!


Watch a travel vlog or read a travel blog

What better way to look to the future and plan your next trip than spending an afternoon in the company of a cup of tea (or four) and getting lost in a travel blog or travel vlog? If you head over to YouTube there are endless travel vlogs on offer, for every country and experience you could imagine! And Pinterest is a great place to find travel blogger’s content, which leads nicely on to the next lockdown activity on this list…

Plan a future trip using Pinterest

Just because the world is at a standstill, it doesn’t mean you can’t plan that dream holiday. There will come a time when we can safely board a plane again my friends. And Pinterest is one of the best platforms to find travel inspiration in preparation for when that time comes!

Wroclaw Christmas Market
Wroclaw Town Hall at Christmas time
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber , Germany
Peyto Lake in Canada - Planning a dream trip is one of the best things to do during lockdown!
Peyto Lake in Alberta, Canada

So whether you’re dreaming of a road trip through Alberta in Canada, a short break to Wroclaw, or want to visit one of the most beautiful small towns in Germany, why not head over to Pinterest and create a travel mood board? You will have an abundance of travel inspiration at your fingertips which you can pin for later!


Read more: A dreamy 3 week itinerary for Singapore, Malaysia and Bali [including trip costs].


Watch a travel-related film

On a rainy day during lockdown, can you think of any better things to do aside from getting lost in a film? Personally, I love The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films. They never fail to spark my excitement for travel. And they feed into the obsession I have with India and everything India-related (which is strange, because I haven’t yet been). Some other films that will spark your wanderlust are Eat Pray Love, Up and Crazy Rich Asians!

Write your travel bucket list

Tegalalang Rice Terrace in Ubud, Bali
Tegalalang Rice Terrace in Ubud, Bali
Angkor Wat in Cambodia - Write a travel bucket list is one of the best things to do during lockdown!
Angkor Wat at sunrise, Cambodia
The view over Hong Kong from Lugard Road
Hong Kong

What better way to inspire all of your future travel plans than writing a travel bucket list during lockdown, like this one for Southeast Asia? This is one of the perfect things to do in lockdown if you need an escape. And it will give you goals to work towards to help see you through these tough times. Do a bit of research on the world, and you will find a whole host of extraordinary things to do, see and experience! And why not unleash your inner artist and get creative with it too?

Do some lockdown aeroplane watching

Cue my inner geek. We may not be able to catch flights right now, but there are planes operating around the world. So, on a clear day, why not head out to a local spot for your daily exercise and look up to the sky. You could even do it from your garden, or by looking out of your window if you are in quarantine! When you see an aeroplane overhead, whip your phone out and go to Flightradar24, which will tell you where that plane has come from and where it is heading!

Read a travel-related book

A stack of travel books and travel guides - Travel related things to do at home during lockdown!

What better way to travel the world from home than to get lost in between the pages of a book? I once read a book called The Twitchhiker by Paul Smith, and I was absolutely consumed by it. It was about how Paul travelled the world using only the power of Twitter and the kindness of strangers. Some other great travel books are the Ultimate Travelist by Lonely Planet, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz, and The Road Less Travelled by Eyewitness Travel.

Watch a travel-themed series

The Travel Man. Emily in Paris. Top Gear specials. Race Across the World. The Good Karma Hospital. An Idiot Abroad. The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. The possibilities are endless and they are at your fingertips! So why not get cosy on the sofa, and spend an afternoon indulging in a lockdown TV marathon?

Cook something tasty from another cuisine

Nasi Goreng in Ubud - Cooking something is one of the best travel related things to do during lockdown!
Nasi Goreng in Ubud

Remember that time you tasted Massaman Curry in Thailand, Opor Ayam in Ubud or Lángos in Budapest. You’ve been saying for so long that you need to find a recipe and cook that one day. Well today is that day. So find a recipe, pop on your apron, and get sizzling! You could even go all out and turn your evening into a completely travel-themed one! Who cares if it’s a disaster; no one’s watching, and you can always order in a takeaway if all else fails!

Host a virtual travel-themed quiz

I am pretty sure that whenever I host a virtual quiz with my family, they secretly roll their eyes when I whip out the travel round! With the power of technology, one of the best things to do during the Coronavirus lockdown is to get your family and friends together (virtually) and host a quiz. And if you’re a travel fanatic, what’s better than hosting a quiz which is purely travel-related?

Pssst… sharing’s caring! Pin this post using one of the images below, so you can find it easily later!

Travel related things to do during lockdown - Pinterest pin
Travel related things to do during lockdown - Pinterest pin