The date is December 31st, 2019 and we are ready to celebrate new years under the Eiffel Tower in Paris! All we can think of is the many adventures 2020 will bring our way! Panama and Africa were all booked and ready to go, then it was Singapore, Turkey and maybe even Dubai. The main goal for 2020, make it to country #50. Well...life had other plans for us and the rest of the world.
Because Ric works in the news, Coronarivus was already a talking point at our home by mid January, yet we didn't know much about it. By February we traveled to Panama and there was a feeling this would be our last trip of 2020. Then all hell broke loose, we went into a full pandemic across the globe! Our traveler's hearts were broken, we cried, we were depressed, we felt that our lifestyle was OVER. Our dreams and goals that we work very hard for were thrown out the window! We had two choices... A) Cancel Instagram, the blog and everything we usually do and eat our hearts out at home watching TV or B) Come up with an alternative.
We didn't give up and the idea of "Traveling at Home" was born for our family (I am sure it was around before, but it is new to us). Every time we travel to a new country, we bring home an item. Something to remind us of our time there. Those items became inspiration to organize adventures around the house with different themes.
First stop! Africa... the trip that we were never able to make! Every traveler knows that food is an amazing way to experience a culture. So we started by looking for recipes, and in our backyard created our very own "Boma Dinner". Amazon became our best friend, we had ordered binoculars for the trip, we used them to observe wildlife around our home. Technology also played a big role, we took a virtual safari and were able to see many animals in the wild from the comfort of our home. Through it all, it was important to stay in character and make the kids feel like this was a real experience. Our outfits and accessories definitely helped.
From Africa we traveled to Greece! I am not a friend of the kitchen so using online recipes to create Gyros was fun for us and the kids. The kitchen became a family experience. Then we did pool time, lunch time, and we watched our youtube video from that amazing experience.
After Greece we moved on to Bali. Using old wood pallets and a garden hose, Ric created an outside shower that the kids thought was extremely cool. The "Nasi Gorem" an Indonesian dish was a hit with our family! The cone head hats we brought back from Vietnam were the perfect accessory to give it a real feeling. Of course the best for me was the spa day I was able to have for Mothers day. They decorated our bathroom inspired in our Bali pictures.
Aside from the experience, Ric found it very easy to record and edit one minute videos to share on Instagram. We had great feedback from travel loving families who were stuck at home wanting to get out as much as we did. Our videos even caught the attention of CBS producers who requested our "Africa at Home" clips to include in a quarantine piece they were working on.
The big BANG! We opened our very own WATER PARK! As restrictions started to ease up around the country in late May, we were not still comfortable leaving the house. Our "opening plan" was to invite Ric's family over for a backyard turned water park day. We knew that they had been taking care of themselves. The main ingredients: lots of inflatables and a pool... Some we had home, some we ordered from Amazon.
Here are the main tips to "Travel at Home" during quarantine:
* Choose a destination that fits your home or apartment.
* Have real experiences, not just pictures.
* Use technology to your advantage, virtual tours, movies, youtube videos.
* Dress for the part.
* Food, Food and more food. Get everyone involved in preparing and serving dishes that transports them to a restaurant at your destination.
* Music! Very important to get the vibe of your destination going.
* Plan ahead, now days deliveries are taking longer than ever. We planned a week ahead to get the groceries delivered and the amazon props we needed on time.
* Don't spend a fortune. Remember you still need to save for when real travel starts again.
* Don't be afraid to move furniture, frames, mirrors and other items around. We took lots of stuff from inside the house to the backyard.
* Document everything! Then share it with us... we can't wait to see it!
Imagination is the name of the game! We can tell you that "Travel at Home" has kept us sane and entertained during this horrible times.
Follow us on Instagram: @Ric.Saj_Adventures
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