How to feed your wanderlust during lockdown

I grew up with an expat mother and a father who loved to travel, especially off the beaten path, so between the two, it meant that travel was a priority to us and we went without so we could great memories over material things. That ethos and way of life is something I have been trying to do with my own kids and because of this, it meant having to cancel a few trips before and during this lockdown period. Don't get me wrong we put the health and priority of our community and country first, we are fully acceptant of the situation and are not dwelling on the travels that have had but that doesn't mean we can't still embrace the wanderlust way of life even when we are restricted to our homes all day except for our 1hr exercise allowance.

The great thing about life in 2020 is how digitally accessible so much is, if you fancy a walk post the Colluiseum all you have to do is pop over google street maps and you're there. Also unlike the days of having to visit the video store between Netflix, Prime and other TV services you also have a pretty much-unlimited library of films to watch and the same goes for kindle books. 

So I thought I would share a few ways to keep that travel spirit inside going during this period and to make you feel excited for the future rather than dwelling on missing out now. 

1. Travel Movies and Documentaries that inspire

1. The Way - a heartfelt film about a bereaved father's journey doing the Camino De Santiago

2. Midnight in Paris - a feelgood film about an aspiring novelist vacationing in Paris 

3. Wild - an emotional film about one woman's 1,100 mile hike across the Pacific Crest Trail
4. The Darjeeling Limited - the story of three brothers who set out on a train journey across India
5. The Kindness Diaries - Leon travels the world on his motorbike & the kindness of strangers
6. The Endless Summer - a seminal surf movie from 1966 following two surfers around the world in search for the perfect wave
7. Valley Uprising - a film about the beatniks & dirtbags who take on Yosemite's biggest climbs
8. Into the Wild - follows a young man who renounces all possessions and hitchhikes across America

9. The Durrells - a series about a family who move to Corfu in the 1930's 

10. The Okee Dokee Brothers - Can you Canoe - a short film about a month-long journey down the Mississippi with a great soundtrack.

2. Books

1. My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell - this book is the basis to The Durrells series
2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, details his experience of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster
3. The Beach by Alex Garland, set in Thailand tells the story of a young backpacker
4. Notes from a small island by Bill Bryson, a humorous travel book on Great Britain
5. Wild Women and Their Amazing adventures over land, sea and air by Mariella Frostrup
6. Kidding Around - Tales of Travel with Children by James Lowen & Hilary Brandt
7. The little coffee shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez about a little cafe in Kabul
8. How Eskimos keep their babies warm - a mixture of parenting advice from around the world and different cultural approaches to family.
9. The Lost Book of Adventure by unknown adventurer - this is a great way to inspire kids to get outside and learn some adventure and survival skills as well as learn about nature
10. Atlas of Adventure by Lucy Leatherland  - set your children's spirits free with more than 100 activities and challenges to inspire armchair adventure at any age

3. Read and support Travel Blogs

There are so many great family travel blogs out there, many of which are my friends and this list could go on for pages but here are 10 that I am loving right now

1. Travel Lynn family - showing adventure travel with young kids is possible

2. Zena's Suitcase - on a mission to inspire parents to travel with or without kids

3. Travel Mad Mum - for parents who love to travel

4. Otis and Us - a travel blog sharing van life and outdoor adventures

5. Global Mouse Travels - the family-friendly guide to travelling with kids.

6. Armchair Travels - perfect for lockdown, Armchair Travels is all about doing it virtually.

7. Mini Travellers - for parents looking for family holiday ideas

8. Flashpacking Family - a family travel resource 

9. Children of Wanderlust - full-time travel family blog

10. Around the world at the weekend - see the world while staying at home

4. Start putting together bucket lists and plans for future trips.

While we can't travel at the moment, at some point in the future that will change, while the change may be slow to start it does mean we can start to think about future plans, trip and put together bucket lists of things we want to do, see and explore.

I would say it's probably better to start with local adventures first as different countries are responding in different ways and it may be more realistic initially to plan trips that are closer to home.

Perhaps you fancy camping in the Brecon beacons or a quite and isolated coastal area, taking in the White Cliffs of Dover climbing up Glastonbury Tor or watching the changing of the guard in London, there really is plenty to see and do right here in the UK.

I know one of the things we are excited to do is getting to use public transport again, we love using trains as they are more sustainable than cars and we have plenty of National Trust sites on our list to tick off and really want to take a train to Sevenoaks which has Knole house and Emmets garden, two National Trust properties we have wanted to visit for a while as well as Lullingstone Castle and Sevenoaks Wildlife reserve. This is what I love about the UK that just one small village can offer so much opportunity for adventure.

5. Explore your immediate local surroundings

We are still allowed outside for an hour a day for exercise and fresh air and this is a great opportunity to try and discover what is right on your doorstep - as they say adventure is a state of mine and you if you are open to it you can discover some incredible things locally (and safely).

I thought I knew my local area really well but over the past month, I have discovered a very secluded and quiet woodland with a beautiful stream where the kids can run around safely without anyone else about. We also recently stumbled upon a mountain path around 5 mins from my house which takes us up to the mountain, past field, meadows and more woodlands and offers amazing views and plenty of fresh air.  By using the Ordnance Survey app I have also found another mountain within walking distance of my home which we will be exploring soon.

Please do however stick to government guidelines, socially distance yourself, go out at quiet times and do not meet up with people outside of your household.