Student loans, groceries, rent… they all accumulate into one colossal payment that drains your bank account of every last cent. Top it all off with extra luxuries and you are officially broke. Who knew the cost of life could be so extravagant? Your parents never warned you that existence comes with a price, the world never told you that maintaining your health and food would suck up all your hard earned wages. As you slave at another day in the office your attention drifts to the Swiss mountain ranges or to Thailand’s serene beaches. This hunger, this craving for travel eats away at you until you find yourself cursing the economy for denying you this need. Nowadays the world is at our fingertips, but unfortunately student loans come first and your ability to travel is squelched for the next few months. Luckily there are a few temporary cures to the travel bug that can be accessed in your own home. While they won’t take you to Paris’ cafés, they will add an exotic twist to everyday existence until you can finally squeeze funds out of your back pocket to finally walk amongst Prague’s historic buildings.
- Whip out the cookbook and make an exotic dish.
Why not let the Southeast Asian street foods come to you by learning how to cook a Vietnamese noodle soup? Or try exploring the tastes of India with a homemade hearty curry complete with naan bread. Take your taste buds to the four corners of the world by researching the flavors of the region you are dying to visit, with a little bit of magic your kitchen can become your key to the culinary experiences of the earth. It doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive. You can make most exotic foods out of basic, everyday ingredients and bring the world to you.
- Plant some nature into your life.
Add some greenery to your environment and save produce seeds, dry them and then watch them grow. With no extra cost to yourself spice up the scenery of your living space and start your healthy lifestyle with your own mini garden.
- Mix up your furniture ensemble.
Rearrange your immediate space for a fresh and brand new experience. Start getting into some Feng Shui and declutter your life, whilst allowing yourself to grow spiritually. A renovated living area will provide a cool breeze and you will have the chance to experience variety in your own home.
- Take yourself on a local hike.
If your region allows it, haul yourself out of those unwashed sheets and lace up your walking boots. Experience diversity in your own home town by exploring the natural environment and viewing your surroundings from a whole new perspective. Get that blood flowing and inhale the sweet oxygen, some of the best experiences are in your own backyard.
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- Keep up with those travel blogs and Instagram accounts.
In our current society there an abundance of men and women traveling the world solo. Most of these keep their online journals up to date on Instagram or blogspot, so make sure to follow their anecdotes and live through it with them, whilst making points on traveling tips for when your time comes.
- Chat up some distant friends.
Have you got any friends living the high life in foreign places? Why not have a good catch up over a video call? Talk to them about their life and ask them to introduce you to their neighbors and friends. Maybe saunter down some of their favorite places with them and get a personal phone tour. Or sip your own homemade French brew in a café with them halfway across the globe.
- Get in contact with a pen pal.
Grab some paper and get in touch with your handwriting. By writing to a friend or friendly stranger across the globe you can exchange experiences and anecdotes, assorting your own mental projection of this exotic location in your head. A few words can really take you far and before you know it you’ll be an honorary local in this new foreign place.
- Send your stuffed animal on a trip.
There is a Japanese company that ships out your bear to exotic places and photographs them in foreign places. For $50 a photo it is pretty pricey but hey it’s cheaper then sending yourself there!
- Become a tourist in your own home.
Explore your own city and frequent the “exotic” places that tourists would visit. Sometimes we get so caught up in the comfort of our routines that the unique and free experiences in our own backyards are completely forgotten. Take yourself to the park, check out an exhibition or visit the local museum. Browse the markets of your town and go to sleep finally satisfied.
- Host some couchsurfers.
Couchsurfing is a website that hooks up wanderers in your city with a place to crash. If you are comfortable enough, open up your house to the travelers around you and see your location from their eyes. You’ll also meet some awesome foreigners from all sorts of backgrounds and have the opportunity to indulge in their cultures. Keep in contact with them and when you finally cough up the dough for your travels, you will already have a place to stay.
Sourced from: Bustle
Featured Image: Thinkstock/Wavebreakmedia Ltd