Traveling When You Can't Travel - Chapter 1

Traveling from home when you can't jump on a plane just yet

Summer Getaways in Full Swing

Right about now it may seem to you like it does to me that everyone is jumping on a plane or loading up their cars and campers to go on a grand summer adventure. But it’s not lost on me that all of us don’t have such luxury. That’s why today I really want to give nod to that reality. Everyone can’t travel this summer.

Summer is the absolute most expensive time to travel. And though it’s understandable that not everyone has the opportunity to explore during the off-season when the lines are short and the days are cool, I’m personally one of those who stays pretty close to home during the summer months of June, July, and August. Big summer vacations just generally cost too much for this budget-minded traveler.

BUT that doesn’t mean I’m not over here longing to jump on a plane as I watch Instagram stories and images of family gondola rides, Eiffel Tower evening sparkle selfies, and Rocky Mountain getaways. I definitely want to join in on the fun.

So in an attempt to sooth my own soul, and maybe yours, too, when we can’t journey just yet, I think I want to do a series on traveling when you can’t travel.

For the next few weeks, I’m going to write about all the ways I can think of that you can satiate that travel bug from home as you wait for the calendar to turn in your favor and your next big travel story to begin.

#1 Journey Through the Pages of a Good Book

I’m not a veracious reader year-round. Yet oddly enough, there’s something about the last weeks of May every year that transforms me into a person who wants to wake up early, sit outside in my pajamas, and listen to the birds while watching the sky wake up. With a hot cup of coffee and a good travel book in hand, I love to quietly begin my day exploring.

Sometimes I want to get into the depths of reasoning about it all…how neurologically I’m activating some serotonin or dopamine levels or something quite scientific that provides a general feeling of delight…and that delight is somehow equal to the actual physical feeling of the wonder of travel. But that all seems a bit too smart and all together, probably wrong.

Still…something about a beautifully written memoir, historical account, or piece of fiction set in locations such as Tuscany, Prague, the south of France, or Seattle offers me a feeling of exploration that seems to get me through my months of travel longing.

So, for today, I want to share with you some of my favorite books that have offered me travel pleasure when I was waiting to jump on a plane and explore for real once again.

And with three months of summer to go, I hope you will share with me some of yours.

Happy Summer Reading Travels!

Amy