12 Creative Ways to Travel from Home and Satisfy Your Wanderlust

Last updated on March 14th, 2025 at 02:59 pm

Sometimes, we can’t simply jump in a car or plane and head out on our next outdoor adventure. Sadly, we can’t always travel, and 2020 was a harsh reminder of that. We can, however, travel from home! Virtual travel experiences can be explored almost any time.

Whether you’re grounded because a family member needs your help, you’re saving up to go somewhere, or for any other reason, this blog post is for all those outdoor adventurers in a time of pause.

1. VIRTUALLY EXPLORE THE HIDDEN WORLDS OF THE NATIONAL PARKS

Exploring the National Parks from home is one of my favorite ways to soothe wanderlust. Google Arts & Culture created a virtual interactive experience with the US National Parks that I love. I recommend checking it out even if you’ve been able to visit these parks because you likely have not seen them like this!

They immerse you fully into the experience with all of the sounds. And the Rangers guide you into spots you’re unlikely to ever see during a park visit. These videos are hands down even better than the ones you’d see AT the actual parks!

If you watch this with kids, be fully prepared for them to want to be park Rangers immediately after!

Parks you can explore include:

Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

At this park, you can hike down into a crevasse, see how much Exit Glacier has receded in the last 15 years, kayak through icebergs, see and listen to the sounds of an iceberg breaking into a pool of water, fly over a glacier, and even watch a 40-ton humpback whale jump out of the water!

I am actually lucky to say that I’ve been to Exit Glacier. But even when I was there, I merely hiked up to it. I definitely wasn’t climbing down into crevasses. But now, with Google Arts & Culture, you can!

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

In the Hawaii section, you can walk through the inside of lava tubes, see coastal cliffs created by lava flow, fly over an active volcano, see a past eruption, and listen to a volcano.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

This park’s experiences would be a lot of fun for a kid! You get to fly with bats, use echolocation to locate a bat pup and fine-tune in on insects, explore North America’s largest single cave chamber, see secret rooms, and trek through the lower caves via headlamp.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Here, you’ll see the most extensive collection of rock pillars (or hoodoos), click through nighttime constellations, galaxies, and planets, listen to the sounds of the wildlife in the park, ride horseback on a trail through the canyon, look at trees growing in the middle of a consistently flooded canyon, and learn about the formation of hoodoos.

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Lastly, in this park, you get to swim through a coral reef, dive into a shipwreck that’s evolved into a coral reef, tour Fort Jefferson (which I always thought was the entire park, but I found out it’s actually only 1% of the park), and listen to fish and coral.

2. VIRTUALLY SIGHTSEE AT TWO OF THE US’ MOST POPULAR NATIONAL PARKS

Yosemite and Yellowstone have fantastic online virtual travel resources for exploring the parks from home.

Yosemite National Park

Virtual Yosemite lets you bounce around Yosemite National Park, click by click, way faster than you ever could in real life.

Each spot you navigate to plays natural sounds from the area (animals and tourists included), rotates to show 360-degree views, and has an informational box giving you more detail on each destination.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone’s website boasts seven different virtual travel tours around the park. However, they are not quite as impressive as the virtual tours on Yosemite’s website. Most of them merely involve clicking along, picture spot to picture spot, while providing detailed information on the area.

But, one cool thing Yellowstone’s website offers is nine webcams. My personal favorite is the live webcam stream from the Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin area. Someone is operating the camera, tirelessly consistently switching from one hydrothermal feature to the next.

I can’t lie; having this webcam up on my second monitor has gotten me through some long “travel from home” days. Whoever’s running this webcam is one of my new personal heroes!

3. VIRTUALLY HIKE US NATIONAL PARKS

Perhaps gradually clicking your way through a 360-degree view of various National Park hiking trails sounds more up your alley? If that’s the case, then Google Arts & Culture has over 100 different trails you can explore here.

Also, follow your favorite parks on Instagram! They have staff working to inform you about the park and inspire you to visit via Social Media!

4. VIRTUALLY EXPLORE OTHER OUTDOOR WONDERS

Machu Picchu

Virtually explore Machu Picchu from 11 different viewpoints, all boasting 360-degree views and an audio track explaining what you are viewing.

Great Wall of China

The China Guide’s virtual tour of the Great Wall of China is relatively basic, but it’s still pretty cool to see the wall from the viewpoint of someone there. Especially if you’ve never been!

The Great Pyramids of Giza

This is another reasonably basic Google street stroll you can take around The Great Pyramids of Giza.

5. VIRTUALLY VISIT YOUR FAVORITE ANIMALS

Suppose your idea of an outdoor adventure includes seeing as much wildlife as possible. In that case, these digital resources could be up your alley!

San Diego Zoo

Millions of tourists visit the San Diego Zoo annually, and for good reason! The zoo has 99 acres of land filled with over 650 species. If you’re chomping at the bit to visit, you can now watch 12 of those species live their day-to-day lives via webcam!

Go on an African Safari from Home

East African safari provider Asilia Africa has created a neat 360-degree virtual travel safari experience on YouTube. While many of the videos aim to inspire you to book your next big trip at one of their camps or lodges, some of them primarily focus on the local wildlife!

6. STUDY UP ON YOUR SURVIVALIST TECHNIQUES

Well, there’s no time like being stuck at home to work on sharpening your prepper skills! Perhaps you’re interested in fueling that part of your brain that wonders what you’ll do if everything goes bad.

I used to think these books were a bit nutty, but anything could happen any day you’re out hiking! Why not be prepared? We like to think we are, but there’s always more to learn!

These are all either best-sellers or highly ranked on Amazon in the survivalist category. They are all recommendations, not so much of the societal collapse kind, but more of the I’m hurt, lost, or attacked in the woods kind.

The Best Overall Outdoor Survival Guides

The Best Guides For Upping Your Outdoor Craftiness

Best Books To Help You Stay Alive Until Help Arrives

Best Book For When You Need To Be The First Responder

Best Book For Random Scenarios and Hearty Laughs

Lastly, if you’re looking to learn how to handle any possible dangerous scenario that may come up while also having a good laugh along the way, there’s always this international best-seller.

This book has been around for quite a while. The newest version includes 20 new “modern threats,” including fake news and dropping your phone in the toilet.

Some of the outdoorsy topics it touches on include:

• How to Survive a Snake Attack
• How to Fend Off a Shark
• How to Escape from Killer Bees
• How to Wrestle Free from an Alligator
• How to Purify Water
• How to Survive an Avalanche

Oh, and there’s a complete travel-specific edition as well:

7. LET TRAVEL GAMES INSPIRE FUTURE TRAVELS

Games are another great way to take your brain to a new place for a little while.

Here are a few my husband and I have gone back to time and time again during moments of wanderlust:

501 Questions: A Travel Game Book

501 Questions: A Travel Game is an excellent book for long car rides or hikes. Its 501 prompts will help you learn all sorts of random facts about your friends and family!

Random facts such as: If Barrett and I were MLB players and had to pick a walk-up song, we would choose the same song: Space Jam.

National Parks Themed Monopoly

Our National Parks Monopoly is pretty banged up. We bought this one at a Goodwill outside Grand Teton National Park for $2 years ago. It’s been in our RV with us almost everywhere since!

Here is the newer version:

It’s exactly like Monopoly, except you’re buying beautiful National Parks instead of the same old traditional properties!

National Parks Themed Trivial Pursuit

National Parks Trivial Pursuit was another cheap find. This one came from an REI Garage Sale!

Test your buddies to find out who knows the National Parks system best over drinks. The carabiner clip even comes pre-installed with a bottle cap opener!

The trivia categories include:

• Natural Wonders
• Battlefields and Historic Sites
• Cultural Heritage
• Science and Nature
• Wildlife
• Wildcard

Ticket To Ride

Ticket to Ride  is a beloved game! Each player races to see who can build the biggest train empire while also secretly learning geography.

UnboxBoardom

Being on the road year-round, we don’t always have an easy way to get mail. However, quarantine opened us to a few new subscription box options that I think are worth considering!

UnboxBoardom is a subscription service that sends unique and fun new board games monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly.

You can choose to have the company’s gaming experts pick a game for you, or if you prefer, you’ll receive an email with three different game options, ranging from family board games to strategy board games and more.

Here are the three we were able to choose from:

We picked Loot Island! We’ve played it once. At this point, I can only say that if you love learning a new, challenging game, you’ll love this one. I’m looking forward to playing it with a group of people someday down the line.

Some of the other games they’ve had to choose from in the past:

Board games are always an excellent addition to any road trip.

So, while you’re stuck at home, take the opportunity to get really good at a new game. Then, once you can travel again, you can introduce your friends to a game they’ve never played before while having a leg up in the competition! 😉

One more neat thing about UnboxBoardom is that for every ten new subscribers, they donate a game to kids in need.

If UnboxBoardom intrigues you, use coupon code “CINDERS” at checkout to receive free shipping on your first box!

Hunt a Killer

Let me start by saying I’m utterly obsessed with Hunt a Killer! I’m going to warn you right now: If you play this game, you may also become obsessed!

It’s no surprise that Hunt a Killer is one of the fastest-growing subscription box companies in the United States and that Fast Company named them one of the “Most Innovative Companies” of 2019.

With the Hunt a Killer subscription box service, you become a PI in training.

They send you monthly episodes in the mail full of documents, evidence, and clues.

The game taps into the True Crime phenomenon. It also has online communities where fans can discuss their theories and experiences. (I have not dabbled in that part yet because I fear spoilers.)

When I first looked at all the materials, it was a bit overwhelming. But once I started reading the documents, I was in! In fact, I had a terrible time going to bed last night because I was still trying to break the latest code!

I recommend Hunt a Killer in this post because it’s an excellent activity for those who love planning trips. I’m a planner, and I completely understand that you have to find something to do with all of that mental energy when you can’t be planning! Why not throw it into solving a cold case?

The particular case we’re on right now has transported us to 1930s New York City. It’s been a neat way to feel like we’re in a different city and during a different time while trying to solve a crime from 90 years ago!

Hunt a Killer is such a fun way to bring the Escape Room vibe to your dining room table for the whole family to enjoy! I cannot recommend it enough!

8. TRAVEL FROM HOME VIA MOVIES / TV SHOWS / YOUTUBE CHANNELS

When all else fails, there’s always TV to pick us up and show us new places and cultures.

When I was young, I was obsessed with The X-Files. I quickly fell in love with the characters’ adventures, the woodsy places they would head off to for an investigation, and the characters they would meet along the way.

(Not so much the thought of aliens possibly taking over the planet, though.)

I challenge you to watch your next movie or TV show with travel intention. Pay attention to the destinations you see. Make a list of the spots that most inspire you.

Movies To Inspire Your Future Outdoor Travels

(Most of these are also books)

• Eat, Pray, Love (Amazon Prime)
• The Way (Amazon Prime)
• The Motorcycle Diaries (Amazon Prime)
• Wild (Amazon Prime)
• Into the Wild (Amazon Prime)
• 127 Hours (Amazon Prime)
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Amazon Prime)
• A Walk In the Woods (Amazon Prime)
• Thelma & Louise (Tubi)
• The Bucket List (Amazon Prime)

Documentaries

• Expedition Happiness (Netflix)
• Losing Sight of Shore (Netflix)
• Pedal the World (Netflix)
• Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father (Netflix)
• Home (Amazon Prime)
• Encounters at the End of the World (Amazon Prime)
• Austin to Boston (Youtube)
• Expedition to the End of the World (Tubi)
• Mile… Mile & a Half (Tubi)
• Antarctica: A Year on Ice (Amazon Prime)
• Hit the Road: India (Amazon Prime)
• National Parks Adventure (Netflix)

TV Shows

• Globe Trekker (Vudu)
• Departures (iTunes)
• Planet Earth (Amazon Prime)
• Places to Love (PBS & samantha-brown.com)
• Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)
• Around the World in 80 Days (Miniseries from the 80’s – Amazon Prime)
• And for anyone needing a dose of daily outdoor adventure, there’s always Red Bull TV.

Youtube Channels

My all-time favorite travel YouTubers are Kara and Nate! I am in complete awe of Kara’s ability to continually edit and pump out episode after episode! Their beautiful personalities shine through in every video. They make you feel like you’re visiting each place with them, all while also being their BFFs. If you haven’t checked them out, I recommend doing so immediately.

9. GET LOST IN A CLASSIC OUTDOOR ADVENTURE TRAVEL BOOK

First of all, almost every movie listed above is also a fantastic book worth reading!

After going through all of those, here are thirteen more outdoor adventure-themed book options:

These books were the books that kept coming up again and again after combing through countless “Best Outdoor Adventure” reading lists. So, while I can’t say yet that I’ve read them all, I can tell you they’re now all on my list!

Also, if you’re like me and live in a tiny space, you may not have room for all these books. That’s where Audible and Kindle E-readers come in handy!

10. GO THROUGH YOUR OLD TRAVEL PHOTOS & PUT SOME ON DISPLAY

We all have that giant box full of photos or hard drives that are sitting and collecting dust.

It’s time to pull that all out and start displaying those hidden gems!

Here are some fun ways I’ve found:

Umbra Hangit Display-DIY Frames Collage Set

Photo Collage – USA Photo Map (Etsy)

Luckies of London Cork Board Map

11. WORK ON UPPING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY GAME

For Taking Awesome Travel Photos

There are countless resources for learning photography, all ranging drastically in price. I recommend starting with YouTube since it’s free and has a vast amount of “teach yourself photography” resources.

My personal favorite YouTube instructor is Peter McKinnon.

Peter has over 85 photography tutorials for free on YouTube right now!

For Editing Your Awesome Travel Photos

Who doesn’t want to impress their friend and family with their latest travel pictures? No one. I’m also 100% sure you have photos from past trips you thought were bad. We all do!

However, with ON1, you can save those pictures!

Becoming a photo editing pro with ON1 while you can’t travel is an excellent way to improve your travel photography! I used to use Lightroom, but these days, I find ON1 much more intuitive and easy to use! They also have tons of tutorials on their website to help if you ever get stuck.

12. START RESEARCHING (& DARE I SAY PLANNING) POSSIBLE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

Alright, you’ve got to this point but are still stuck daydreaming about your next trip? When nothing else is working, just start planning! Even when you have no idea when you’ll be able to get out on your next trip and the planner inside you is having such a hard time with that concept, future dreaming shouldn’t stop!

This, too, shall pass. And when it does, you’ll know exactly where you want to go!

Via Guide Books

When looking to explore an outdoor adventure destination, Frommer’s, Moon, Lonely Planet, and Fodor’s are the best guidebook publishers out there. Each one has its own unique way of helping you plan a trip.

Suppose you have a specific destination in mind. In that case, I suggest checking out a few different publisher’s guides digitally from your local library. (When doing this, try to be aware of the date on the travel book and reserve the most current edition available.) Once you start flipping through a few different guides, you’ll be able to figure out which one fits you and the way you like to travel pretty quickly.

If you’re still just trying to figure out where you want your next outdoor adventure to be, here are a few comprehensive guidebooks that can help you pick:

Epic Hikes of the World, 100 Hikes of a Lifetime, 100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas & Epic Drives of the World

Via Pinterest

Pinterest is a fantastic resource for travel itineraries!

If you’re not sure where to start, check out my page! I have TONS of travel content living there!

And then, if you happen to love Pinterest and virtual travel content as much as I do, please feel free to give me a follow. I follow hundreds of different travel and RV blogs and guarantee to have tons of pins that would be of interest to anyone looking for their next travel adventure.

Via Travel Blogs

There are so many fantastic travel blogs out there. As I said above, Pinterest is a great resource for finding your favorites.

A few that have spoken to me over the years include:

The Blonde Abroad

Nomadic Matt

My Life’s A Travel Movie

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And Then Also, (#shamelessplug) This Blog, Of Course!

A few of my favorite travel itineraries that I’ve created include:
👉 Everything You Need to Know about Mackinac Island
👉 The Ultimate One Day Badlands National Park Road Trip Itinerary
👉 A Smoky Mountains Itinerary for Every Type of Traveler & Everything Else You Need to Know!
👉 What Not to Miss on Your Trip to Knoxville

Via Podcasts

Travel podcasts are another great resource that can help inspire your next trip.

A few popular favorites include Zero to Travel, Travel with Rick Steves, Amateur Traveler, and Extra Pack of Peanuts.

As well as this blog’s travel podcast, Locals Know Best!

Subscribe now for bi-weekly episodes all about the next place you didn’t even know you needed to visit!

Nothing compares to a local’s perspective, and that’s precisely what I show you in this podcast series, Locals Know Best!

My guests share the places and outdoor travel adventures they love most in their own backyard. Topics include unique lodging, favorite dining spots, treasured outdoor activities, and a breakdown of whether the instafamous and possibly overrated spots in town are worth checking out.

A few of my favorite episodes include:

• LKB 006: Fayetteville, West Virginia America’s Best Kept Secret
• LKB 008: Exploring Southern Utah’s Most Beautiful Hidden Gems
• LKB 014: Southern Idaho, Skiing Like it Used to Be

SUMMARY

And that’s all! I hope everyone can find at least one good distraction in this blog post to soothe their current wanderlust! Do you know of a good distraction I left out? Let me know!