How to travel from home

Yes, of course, that’s my number one suggestion, because visiting a museum is one of my favourite ways of travelling. From exploring their collections to virtually visiting their exhibitions, many museums around the world are just a click away! Personally, I love taking it slow and not just visiting all the places at once. Take your time like you would if you were actually there. Make a beverage, relax while “walking” in the museum, discover your favourite object and its story, have fun playing games inspired by the collections, watch a video and get a taste of history and culture. If you’re interested in Greek museums, here’s a list of the top-10 museums you can visit online.

If you’re not in the mood for a museum visit, but still want to see something different, you should try “visiting” a place from the comfort of your own home. Whether you prefer walking, driving or just relaxing in front of a window, there are so many options. Walk in the centre of Athens, drive around Thessaloniki (Saloniki), while listening to Greek radio, fly somewhere in Greece and admire the scenery, enjoy a bird’s eye view of Santorini, Corfu and Athens, or just open a window anywhere in the world.

Usually, when we talk about travelling through our computers and phones, the first thing that comes to mind is to watch travel videos, vlogs, etc. to get a glimpse of various travel destinations. That’s a really good idea, because through these videos you’ll discover many new locations and sights for your bucket list, and you’ll learn tips and tricks for your future travels. However, if you want to travel deeper and really delve into a different culture, watching a documentary is the way to do it. Documentaries offer you a much more authentic view of things; you get past the touristy stuff and start seeing aspects of a country or a place through the locals’ eyes and perspectives. If you’re interested in Greek culture check this post to find some fantastic Greek documentaries you can watch.

I know what you’re going to say. Can’t I just watch the movie? Sure you can, and the movie is probably going to inspire you and give you a taste of travelling. However, there’s nothing like travelling through a book. Reading is forcing you to slow down, invest in the characters, travel with them and explore alongside them the different places described. For me, it’s the closest thing to actual travel. I’d suggest not only reading a strictly travel-themed book but also try reading a book by a foreign writer, which takes place abroad. Here are a few suggestions of books written by Greek writers or telling stories taking place in Greece.

Taste is a powerful thing. It can create memories far more enduring than sight, and it can make you travel with just one bite. If you want to try a foreign cuisine, you can always order take-away, but where’s the fun in that? Why not attempt cooking something completely new yourself and have the whole experience of discovering different tastes and unknown ingredients? The best way to do that is to look for recipes written by actual locals and not be afraid to try them! If you want to cook some mouth-watering Greek food, I’d suggest the following recipe books:

• Contemporary Greek cuisine: Greek Comfort Food, by Akis Petretzikis
• Fun and easy-to-make recipes: HUG through FOOD, by Natasa Tsirmpa
• Traditional Vegetarian dishes: Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts, by Aglaia Kremezi
• Recipes, travel, and more: All You Can Greek: Food, Life, Travel, by Eleni Saltsas

What do you do with your photos and memorabilia when a journey is over? There are some people who get immediately busy organising all their material, choosing the best photos, printing and framing their favourites, making scrapbooks etc. If you’re one of those people, kudos to you! I really admire you and I wish I were more like you, but the truth is, I’m not. Most of the time life and work is catching up with me and I just end up storing everything to “organise in the future”. This future never comes. However, in 2020 when the first quarantine started, I found myself going back to older photos and remembering my travels (This is how “Unexpected Journeys” came into being). Although I did miss actual travelling, this comforted me a lot! It was so much fun organising photos, sending some to travel buddies and remembering all these good times we’ve had together. I felt really grateful to be able to re-live the whole experience and appreciate precious moments. I definitely recommend this; It made my day when I was feeling blue and it might make your day too.

If you don’t want to live in the past and you’d rather think about the future, then you should start planning your next trip! Properly organising a journey, especially if it’s abroad, takes a lot of time and effort. You might like being impulsive and prefer to just go there without doing much research; I respect that. But I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve discovered from personal experience, that if you only have a limited amount of time and money, the more research you do beforehand the easier and less expensive your trip is going to be. Additionally, the more you know about the place you’re visiting the more you’ll end up seeing and you’ll probably feel more relaxed, thus enjoying the whole experience.

Ok, I know that’s cheating because technically you’re leaving your house. If you’re home because of sickness or because of quarantine, this won’t help you. However, if you’re home because of a different reason and there’s not a lockdown in your city, this means that are so many things you could do, but never really thought of doing! For example, I know many Athenians who were born and raised here but have never been to the Acropolis of Athens. This is not really surprising because we all have the “it’s not going anywhere” mentality about nearby places we can visit. The time to change that mentality is now! Ask around and do a little research; are there any museums or galleries that you’ve never visited, maybe a well-known park that you never got the time to see, or perhaps a cool coffee shop you’ve heard about but have never been to? It’s time to start exploring and be ready to re-discover your home!