Social Distanced and Bored? Travel the World with Virtual Tours, Posts and Photos

By PhilaTravelGirlMy Thoughts and Musings
LOVE Park in Philly
South Coast Iceland selfie couple in shadow
This couple was taking a South Coast Iceland selfie as the sun set with the bird flying in the background

On day 2 of work from home (WFH) this week, I almost ordered a trampoline.  My neighbor has one and my home office window looks out to it so my inner child was screaming “I want a trampoline!  You need to remember how to have fun!”  Thankfully Amazon is shipping only essentials right now as we social distance and while my inner child might disagree, the trampoline is not essential. She keeps telling me there are other online options that will ship a trampoline big and small – she’s getting bored.  I’m telling her she can still travel the world with virtual tours, blogger posts, YouTube videos and a plethora of photos.

The sentiment is correct – we need to have a bit of fun right now – it’s a scary time with so many unknowns that we need to self-care best we can. Travel for me, as I’ve mentioned many times, allows me to hit reset on my life – to reboot my mind, body and spirit.  Lately, all have taken a beating in the past few years with unemployment, parent caretaking and the uncertainty of temp jobs and client projects.  I’ve had to learn to readjust my travels near and far.  I was planning on another transatlantic cruise next month to see friends but that’s no longer an option. My travel class “How to Travel for Less” has also been canceled.

Tripophobia Quote
Trip Quote

You can still read about travel, still plan for the future trips (don’t put any money down just yet) and dream of places outside of your home to help take your mind off of all the negative stuff coming at you from all angles. Escapism is ok and blogs could use some views as support.  Right now the local park is my exotic destination – funny how when the world quiets you notice the birds chirping and the palette of colors in the landscape as you put one foot in front of the other. We’ve been busy we tell ourselves, well the Earth has given us a “time out” to rethink our priorities.

London Transport Museum Quote
Great quote to end our tour of the London Transport Museum

Growing up, I lived in a rowhouse in Philadelphia which meant you could knock on the bedroom wall and your neighbor could knock back.  There were at least thirty homes on each side of the block so about sixty families in total – lots of people for summer block parties, Tupperware parties, sharing cookouts and swimming pools.  Life was orderly, not busy per se but scheduled in a different way. I walked to school, came home as a “latchkey” kid, watched cartoons and started my homework before my parents came home from work.  I had sports on Saturday and my mom would drop me and my friends off at the soccer field and come back later at some point.  If it ended early, we would need to walk a few blocks to the pay phone to call her to pick us up early. We knew our neighbors. We left after breakfast and played outside all day long until someone’s mom would yell out the kitchen window that it was dinner time.  It was usually my mom yelling “Suzanne – dinner time” which prompted me to drop everything and run home in record time.

Boombox at the V&A Museum London
Gen X’ers everywhere are crying that their childhood is in a museum – the boombox!

We don’t live in the world of my Gen-X memories anymore. The isolation is real for so many folks in today’s world – we don’t know neighbors, we are too busy, we are stressed out, we are lonely.  I don’t have answers (I wish I did) but a few ideas – schedule a virtual lunch or happy hour with friends and co-workers.  Netflix has a new feature so you can all watch a move together and chat in a Netflix Party. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of 24/7 news. Go for a walk.  Find ways to exercise. Download Meditation apps or talk to a professional with TeleMedicine Therapy. Call, text, video check in with everyone – don’t wait for others now – you might be the lifeline someone needs.

London Transport Museum quote
Love this quote on the floor of the London Transport Museum

For entertainment that allows you to travel the world – there are a few vendors helping out with that right now so let’s escape with them to discover the world from your couch. From concerts, mass, street art and museum tours…..

Nathan Sawaya quote
If only the schools felt the same way and offered full art programs to kids

Virtual Street Art Tours

You know I’m a big fan of Street Art with my trips to see Shoreditch Street Art in London,  Paris Street Art, Melbourne Street Art and Rotterdam Street Art.  Now you can explore even more with Google Street Art https://streetart.withgoogle.com/en/

Southbank London streetart
Colorful London streetart at Southbank on a cloudy day

Museum Virtual Tours

Museums may be closed but the virtual tours, curator discussions and beauty is available all day.

The Wallace Collection painting plethora on wall
One room I kept coming back to was the purple room with realistic and haunting paintings

For Impressionist art lovers, the Philadelphia Barnes Collection is amazing!  Watch the “Art of the Steal” documentary to learn more about the power struggles with this impressive collection.

While I’ve only scratched the surface in museum visits – Google Arts & Culture invites you to discover 2,500 museums and galleries around the world!   https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en

The National Constitution Center is offering weekly classes, a podcast and town halls.  Fascinating discussions of how the constitution lives, breathes and continues to be challenged in our world today.

Cute Animal Virtual Tours

Brown Bear Sitting in Water Sitka Alaska Fortress of the Bear
Brown bear sitting in the water staring up at the tourists like me taking photos at The Fortress of the Bear

After my safari visits in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, I see the animal kingdom and all the rescues differently.  After visiting the Fortress of the Bear in Sitka, Alaska and learning that there are no laws to protect the bears and that bullets are cheaper than rescue, I’m more impressed by the work of local rescues, zoos and shelters.

Check with your local animal shelter to see if they need volunteers to foster the animals as they are closed to adoptions so the animals, like you, are really isolated.  They are literally in cages and you are in your house, free to move around.

For cute live cams – many places are offering a dose of cuteness (you need a few cute breaks a day)

 

National Parks Virtual Tours

Living in Philadelphia, I have access to Independence National Park, home of the Liberty Bell (seen through glass right now), Independence Hall and the Constitituion Center.  Outside the city, Valley Forge National Park offers a respite from life with monuments and walking, biking, running trails. With current grey skies, I’m reliving my trip to Zion National Park, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. For more insight into the U.S. National Park system, visit  https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service

Horseshoe Bend November Morning View Page Arizona
Your view varies by light – my Horseshoe Bend photo with shadows

Opera & Broadway Streaming

I’ve never attended an opera but the Met and Royal Opera are streaming performances so I may catch one or two and see if I like it.

Broadway may be dark but you can get your fill with the Broadway HD subscription.  It has a free trial period and then a monthly (or yearly) subscription.  Schedule time with your family and loved ones to see Broadway at home  https://www.broadwayhd.com/

One ticket to Hamilton Broadway
Flexible stage with lots of wood – ability to move stairs an revolving floor for Hamilton

Kid’s Programs:

There are online book readings for kids, music, crafts and many lessons – check out Instagram, Youtube and Facebook.  I thought these were interesting:

Singapore toys for sale
At first I thought there were lollipops but they were toys for kids –

Final Thoughts – Virtual Travel from your Couch:

Taste of London Chocolate Quote
Who can argue with this logic? It makes perfect sense to me

The world we once knew will never be the same after this – we will rethink how we treat each other, create jobs and social safety nets and learn to be kind as folks are coming together to help each other.  My beloved travel industry has been decimated and will need our help to rebuild.  Our humanity ties us together – we really are quite similar despite the differences in language, culture, religion, politics, etc. I’ve learned from traveling that we have more in common – we want to be healthy, work a good job to earn a living to support our families and be happy.  So in this time of uncertainty, please be kind to each other and know together we are stronger.  I look forward to being back on the road, in the sky and sailing the seas to be able to breathe again as travel is my air.

I still might buy that trampoline, let’s check back on WFH day 12!  In the meantime, I bought my inner child a jump rope and am feeding her chocolate! Be safe everyone!

What do you have to add?  Any fun ways to keep entertained and explore the world from your home base?