We may all be temporarily grounded, with every kind of travel plan on hold and the need for escapism greater than ever, but there are still a load of ways we can all stay home and stay curious. It’s just a matter of thinking outside the box, finding what makes you tick and doing the unusual to get your wanderlust fix.
Can anything replace the thrill of travelling? Of course not. Packing your bags the night before you leave, the early morning bustle that fills an airport, the total freedom of a road trip, the chance to explore new sights, sounds, tastes, cultures, languages and daily lives -- travelling is like nothing else. But as staying home becomes the new normal, let’s keep our fingers crossed for the future and make the most of the long weekend in new ways.
From virtually exploring the great outdoors to enjoying your great indoors, here are 10 ideas to help you make the most of the Easter break during lockdown:
1. The Big Stay-At-Home Festival
Dig out your best festival attire, turn your living room into a den, pitch a tent in your garden and drag your television sets to your backdoor because Camp Bestival, the family-friendly festival founded by Rob and Josie da Bank, are hosting a weekend of DJs and live acts, plus comedy, crafting and family workshops, all live streamed across their social media channels from nine until nine this Easter weekend. From Mr Motivator to Fat Boy Slim, an 80s afternoon to a Big Fish Little Fish rave, this is the festival you don’t even have to pack your bags for.
2. Up Your Grilling Game
Everyone that owns a barbecue is proud of their barbecuing knowhow, and most don't take kindly to backseat grilling advice. But there’s always room for improvement and now is the ideal time to try out a few different techniques, so that you’re ready to wow the heck out of your friends and family the next time you spark up the grill. Try reverse searing, explore the vegetable kingdom, brine your drier cuts, play around with proximity and learn the art of marinating your meats with everything from a mojo sauce to chimichurri, al pastor to piripiri. #StayInCookOut and follow our great mate The Surrey Smoker for all the BBQ inspiration you need.
3. Stay-At-Home DIY Projects
Most of the time, we put off any DIY projects because we haven’t got the time or energy to see them through. That’s not the case anymore, so grab your tool bag and take on that DIY project you’ve had at the back of your mind for months and (maybe) years. Build a firepit in your garden out of leftover blocks and bricks, create a pizza oven out of old terracotta pots, turn those empty wine bottles into tiki torches, make a couple of camera-floats for your next trip -- anything that will fill you with purpose and pleasure.
4. Cook Foreign All Weekend
Take your culinary skills up a level and start mastering your favourite dishes from the different countries you’ve visited. Bring different cuisines to your taste buds. Make a greek breakfast with tzatziki, hummus, eggs, pita and chilli sauce, jet back to Tuscany without leaving the stove by whipping up some classic Italian dishes thanks to Tuscany Now & More, or get inspired by Borough market who have are keeping the foodie inspiration coming through its IG channel, where chefs and home cooks are live-streaming lessons.
5. See The World Through Travel Books
The easiest way to bring the world to your door is to explore it through books. Indulge yourself in other people’s adventures, feel your heartbeat quicken as you travel the globe from the picnic blanket in your garden, and stay inspired as you dream about all the places you’ll go when this is all over. Get new ideas, learn about other cultures and satiate your need for adventure. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin. Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson. Your body may not be able to travel, but you can still set your mind free.
6. Binge These Epic YouTube Travel Shows
YouTube is a massive treasure trove of uplifting travel channels, put together with the highest production values and clued-up hosts. From FunForLouis, which is full of positive messages whether he’s travelling across North America in a school bus or cycling from London to Africa to the laid-back Nick Fisher, who effortlessly explores lesser-known destinations usually portrayed negatively in the media, to The Endless Adventure that documents two Midwesterners scouring the globe in search of unique destinations, foods and experiences -- these channels will stoke your wanderlust, help you plot your next adventure and keep your curiosity alive.
7. Plan A Post-Lockdown Trip
Eventually, the current situation will pass and we’ll be able to travel freely again. So while you are at home, wondering how to fill the hours of a long weekend, start planning your own end-of-summer getaway. Whether it’s an around the world trip to test your adventure bag or 48 hours in the Isle of Skye, planning an escape is the easiest way to make the days and weeks fly by. Get lost in guidebooks, subscribe to travel blogs, plot itineraries, daydream of the sights you want to see, get the lay of the land, outline your budget, speak to people who have explored that destination and give yourself a mental escape that will occupy your mind.
8. Bring The Adventure Home
Parents everywhere are having to find crafty ways of bringing the adventure indoors, and now is the time to have as many of them in your locker as possible. Welcome some wildlife into your garden with an easy-to-make bird feeder, add stories to your daily routine with the children’s publisher Puffin airing 20-minute storytime episodes every weekday, join Hobbycraft’s daily craft challenge, jump on the baking train with online classes, get stuck into some science projects or do what this dad did and create an epic indoor-outdoor obstacle course. And let’s not forget about setting up a next-level easter egg hunt.
9. Explore The World From Your Living Room
The wider world may be a distant memory right now, but thanks to the miracles of the internet, we can tour this big beautiful world of ours from pretty much anywhere -- and you won’t have to stand in line. Virtual tours offer you the escape you crave, taking you almost anywhere, from the bamboo forests of Japan to a hike along China’s Great Wall, America’s national parks to live glimpses of the Northern Lights. Explore mountain tops and vast caverns, or explore cities on your bucket list, all from your living room.
10. Have A Mate Date
We may be isolated in our homes, but technology gives us a chance to socialise with our friends, it just takes someone to lead the charge and schedule those times in. Set a weekly breakfast challenge and then get together on video chat to share your creations and eat together. Order each other some tasty beers or ciders from an independent brewery and chew the fat together in the evenings. Nothing should stop the tribe getting together on a bank holiday weekend, not even a global pandemic.
Thanks for reading. For more UK-centric travel inspiration, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
