I take every opportunity I possibly can to travel and explore new cities. Ever since I was little, I’ve been a really curious person. I’m always looking out for new places to visit and new experiences to have. In an ideal world, there would be nothing to get in the way of travel, but of course life throws tons of obstacles at us—money issues, family issues, not being able to take time off from work or school, having a pet to take care of…I could go on and on! Even if you are suffering a constant battle with wanderlust like I am, there are some ways to help satisfy that desire to see the world even when you are stuck at home.

Explore somewhere new in your city or town

I know I live in New York now, so of course there are endless new places for me to explore. But even if you’re in a small town, chances are there are at least a few things you haven’t experienced. I lived in a small town south of Boston until I turned 18, but when I had a friend visiting from England at Christmas, I realised there were actually so many places within 15 minutes of my house that I never even knew about! My family wanted to show him as much in the area as possible. So at the same time I got to see some historical landmarks for the first time too. If you want to make the experience even more fun, you could even organise a scavenger hunt with some friends!

Live vicariously through travel Instagrammers and bloggers

I’m constantly scrolling through my Instagram and Bloglovin feeds to see what some of my favourite travellers are up to. While I have to admit, seeing all their exciting travels can get me jealous at times, I always feel so inspired after seeing their photos and hearing what they have to say. In fact, if I didn’t love following some of these people’s travels, I might not have even been inspired to start this blog!

By far my favourite blogger is Brooke Saward (aka World of Wanderlust), and I always feel so inspired by her! Her Instagram is @worldwanderlust, and a few other accounts that I can’t get enough of are Bucketlist Bombshells (@bucketlistbombshells), Jessica Stein (@tuulavintage), and Sophee Smiles (@sopheesmiles).

Put together your travel bucket list

Think of all the places you want to go and travel experiences you want to have and write them down. If you need some inspiration, check out the Instagram accounts I mentioned above!

Work with international students in your city

The best part of travelling is learning about different cultures, and you can still do that in your own town. There are so many programs nowadays that bring international students abroad to learn the language and get culturally immersed. When I was in high school, international students came to study for a couple weeks, a semester, or a year. My family even hosted a few students for short periods of time. Then at university there were even more international people to meet! Befriend some people from other countries to learn about their culture, or see if there are ways you could work or volunteer with international students. You could host a student, teach English as a foreign language, or even look into leading a program that brings international students to your city.

Make a scrapbook of all the places you’ve travelled before

Nostalgia can be a very powerful thing. And what better way to take advantage of that nostalgia than to remember all the great travel experiences you’ve had? Print out a bunch of pictures and put together a few pages for each trip you’ve taken. There’s just something so much more satisfying about flipping through pages of photos and memories rather than just looking at photos on your computer or phone (it also prevents you from suffering from eye strain syndrome from computers). When you start reliving all your best travel experiences, you’ll probably even feel inspired to start planning your next adventure!

Keep a travel blog to document all your past travels and your future travel dreams!

Going a step further, why not start a blog to share all your travel tips and experiences with others? I haven’t been blogging for very long, but I’ve already developed such a love for it. Blogging can be so relaxing and is a great way to get your thoughts straight. Even if you never thought about starting a blog, I challenge you to try writing at least a few posts. And if you feel self conscious about posting your blog for everyone to see, you can wait to share the link until you get into the swing of blogging!

5 Comments

Alexandria on May 5, 2015 at 12:18 pm

These are all great tips. My only problem is living through other peoples travels because then I get so depressed that i’m not traveling. But I am constantly writing up new posts from my old trips and re-vamping my Instagram with old photos from past trips!
- Girl Sees The World on May 5, 2015 at 4:32 pm
  
  Thanks so much! I love all your travel posts, especially the future expat series! I just applied for a visa to live in Australia for a year, so I am planning on being an expat soon too 🙂
  - Alexandria on May 5, 2015 at 5:24 pm
    
    I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Australia, that will be amazing! I’m sure you will have loads of fun!
Natalie on May 22, 2015 at 5:30 am

I feel a little sad when I read about everyone else’s travels and seeing their photos haha. But I definitely agree about exploring more of your own town. I live in Sydney, Australia which is a MASSIVE city (if you count the suburbs too) and is quite diverse just like NYC. My biggest complaint I have about living here is that everything is so far away! If I was to drive an hr from my home, I would still be in Sydney technically.

Nat| Dignifiable
- Girl Sees The World on May 22, 2015 at 11:47 am
  
  The US is pretty spread out like that too! I actually just booked a flight to Sydney and will be visiting for the first time in November 😀 I was approved for a Working Holiday Visa so I will be in Australia for a year! I’m so excited!