5 Ways to feed your wanderlust (and support a few businesses)

In my work as a travel agent I help people create custom travel experiences. That often involves talking to my contacts on the ground in the places my clients are visiting. Over the years I have planned a lot of trips, written about a lot of places, and gotten to know many of the people as friends.

Most of the guides and companies I use are small businesses themselves. They do the work because they are passionate about the destination and sharing their world with visitors. Margins are small and seasons are often short so every canceled vacation has an impact. 

Just like your wanderlust, their passion for sharing their world with others hasn’t dissipated just because the incoming visitors have. So here are a few ways you can feed your wanderlust, prepare for your next adventure, and support some of the small travel businesses so they are there when you return to the world. 

Take a virtual tour or class with a guide

Many of my favorite experience providers have come up with innovative ways to share their services during this coronavirus induced travel pause. A lot of people are turned off by guided tours because they think of packed buses and following a little flag around. That is so far from the truth if you pick the right tour. I recommend private or small group tours for many of clients so they can get to know a place and culture from a local or someone who is constantly immersed in a place. Thankfully some of my favorite brands and tour guides are going virtual!

I recently took a virtual pizza making class with the same couple that teaches my favorite cooking class in Rome. It was so much fun and a great way to connect with others across the world. A few of our favorite companies are offering tours from afar:

Take Walks Tours from Home – Take Walks is a company I was introduced to years ago and love using them when we travel. If you can take a cooking class with Denyse and Roberto I highly recommend it.

Tolosa Winery Tastings/Tours – This California winery is taking people behind the scenes, organizing virtual tastings, and teaching you all about wine and how to appreciate its beauty and nuances. 

Viator – Bringing together tours from small tour companies around the world they are now offering virtual tours from some of their partners to keep us learning and exploring.

Learn a language

One thing I always recommend my clients do is to learn a few phrases in the local language of where they are visiting. Having a second language is never a bad thing so why not use this time to brush up on whatever you took in high school, learn the foreign tongue you have always thought was so beautiful to listen to, or pick up important phrases for places you’ve always dreamed of going. 

3 of our favorite apps – Babbel, Rosetta Stone, Rocket Language

Gift cards/future travel

Many travel companies have reworked their cancellation policies to accommodate the uncertainty related to the pandemic. You can now book with the peace of mind that if you need to cancel due to quarantine requirements you will be able to get your money back or transfer it to future travel. 

And really what could be a better gift than the gift of seeing the world and knocking an experience off your bucket list. Give yourself a gift card or share it with someone you love.

Shop the destination

When we travel we spend a lot of time in little local shops and are always bringing food and other items home that fill our house with a taste of the places we’ve been. If you’ve discovered a shop or destination you love then support the small artisans by shopping online. Many makers have shifted quickly to online sales and every sale helps keep them around for when you head back there. 

Our soon to launch B.I.T.E. Box does exactly that by featuring small makers who put their heart and soul into each product and we are honored to help keep them going by introducing an audience of food and travel lovers to their wonderful products and stories. 

Virtual Vacation self-exploration

We have been offering a weekly virtual vacation for the month of May and people are loving seeing the destinations from a new perspective and feeding their wanderlust a little. As a heavily connected world there is almost nowhere you can’t go virtually. From live cameras that show you the wildlife to performances you could only dream of getting a ticket to, you can feed your travel dreams temporarily from the comfort of your couch. Here are a few of our favorites: 

Africa Answers South Africa & Kenya – these are live hosted events so you need to RSVP 

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda in VR – if this experience is on your bucket list you need to do this

Hamilton on Disney + – this one isn’t happening until July 3rd, but as someone who has been wanting to go for years I am anxiously awaiting the release

I will always be a person who loves the thrill of travel and discovering new places, but I’m learning to appreciate the journeys that can be taken from home. I can’t wait to get back out and see my travel partners and friends around the globe, but until then I’ll feed my wanderlust and support them from afar. Happy virtual travels!