Schools are closed. Play dates and hanging out with friends are advised against. Family vacations are postponed and travel bans are in place. We are experiencing a crazy time right now during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parents are searching for ways to keep their kids busy and entertained. Homeschooling or virtual homework helps, but there are still a lot of hours in the day. Days are going to start running together, while weekdays run into weekends. Who knows how long this social distancing will last?
Studies show that planning a vacation and anticipating exciting travel boosts people’s moods and makes them happier. If your child or teen becomes bored with their quarantine routine well before schools reconvene, give them a boost of happiness as they have fun with these 25 travel-inspired activities.
1. Look through photo albums of past trips.
Don’t let your old vacation albums collect dust, pull them out of the closet, open them up and recount fun memories.
2. Create a travel bucket list.
Dream big and list all the vacations you’re hoping to take in your lifetime.
3. Scrapbook a recent trip.
Print out pictures and pull together craft materials and pages to complete a scrapbook of vacation memories.
4. Start planning the next trip.
Create exciting anticipation as you use your time off wisely preparing for a vacation to remember.
5. Create a travel-inspired vision board.
Let your travel dreams come alive as you post a collage of pictures, quotes, and poems, onto a bulletin board or poster board.
6. Practice photography skills out in the yard or around the house.
Become proficient at taking sunrise/sunset photos, pictures of moving animals (aka the family pet) or soft focus pics of grass, trees, and flowers just in time for your next trip.
7. Edit together a video of past travel pictures and video.
Set pictures and video to music and amp up the vacation memories in a fun way.
8. Make a shadow box of travel related mementos.
Combine ticket stubs, photos, brochures, maps and other mementos saved from a trip and add them to a decorative shadow box.
9. Write a short story, poem, or article about a past trip or dream trip.
Get your creative juices flowing as you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and develop a travel poem or prose.
10. Research a country you’d like to visit.
Fantasizing about traveling to an exotic locale is fun, but actually researching about the destination can bring it to life.
11. Compose a song about past or future travels (play along on piano, guitar, recorder, drums, etc.)
Channel your inner musician and sing about your travel experiences or dreams.
12. Watch an episode of Rick Steves or Samantha Brown.
Tune in to these traveling experts online or on PBS and experience exotic travel vicariously through them.
13. Learn helpful phrases in a different language.
Get a head start on a future trip by learning the language of a country you’re excited to visit some day.
14. Color a map of the world, a different country, or famous landmarks and scenery.
Young kids as well as artsy teens and tweens can be calmed and inspired by coloring pictures of different countries and landmarks.
15. Research recipes and cook cuisine from other countries.
Tempt your taste buds with tasty Mexican tamales. Or expand your palate by trying your hand at homemade Vietnamese Pho.
16. Interview family and friends via phone, Facetime, email, Snapchat etc. about their favorite travels.
Be inspired by other people’s stories and experiences and maybe your eyes will be opened to a new location to put on your bucket list.
17. Play a guessing game about previous family vacations.
Asking questions like, “What was the name of our funny rafting guide in Oregon?” or “What were we doing on vacation 2 years and 56 days ago?” can inspire some great family fun.
18. Draw pictures of past vacation experiences and have others guess what experience you drew about.
Find out how good of an artist you are when others try guessing what past travel experience you’re recreating in your drawing.
19. Have a movie marathon with travel-themed flicks.
Here’s a list of fun movies the whole family can enjoy while inspiring the next family trip: https://www.littlepassports.com/blog/travel/10-best-kids-movies-inspire-love-travel/
20. Put together puzzles from various destinations.
Puzzles of maps, skylines, landmarks, and popular destinations can be fun ways to spend the day.
21. Simply reminisce.
Cuddle up on the couch and begin a conversation with “Remember when…”. This can spark favorite vacation memories while bringing back all the emotions of a favorite trip.
22. Find a pen pal.
Have any friends or relatives that live out of the country? Start being pen pals and write letters/messages to each other.
23. Journal about all things travel.
Recount your best travel memory, your worst travel memory, your favorite person you met while on vacation, how you felt when mom/dad told you you were going to (insert destination).
24. Plan your ideal 1-week dream itinerary.
Anything goes! Would you fly to Italy for pizza and gelato one day, then jet off to Africa to pet an elephant the next? Go wild with your ideas!
25. Play travel charades.
Act out various scenes from previous vacations or of famous destinations and landmarks. See who can guess them right!
Do you have any activities to add to this list? Let’s hear your ideas! Comment below.
Super fun ideas! Keeping an eye on the horizon is a great way to remember that “this too shall pass.”
Here’s another idea. In lieu of throwing a dart at a map and seeing where it lands, there is https://www.random.org/geographic-coordinates/ that will pick a location for you. Kids can research a new area and see if they’d ever want to travel there.
Love this idea! Thanks for the suggestion, Elizabeth. I may have to try this when deciding where to go on our next trip! 🙂