Exodus Edits: How To Keep Your Travelling Mind Busy

Masterminded your latest TikTok challenge? Check. Finally, tackled that overflowing sock drawer? Check. Blasted through all your favourite Netflix and Disney Home shows? Check. But now what?

Instead of resorting to becoming the ultimate blanket burrito who spends their days playing dress-up with their dog and paying for AR Zoo, purely for the laughs, why not use this time to slow down, reflect and learn something new. So, that when the world’s ready to press play again, you’re only too keen to come out of it refreshed and with a new outlook, you know, instead of looking like a dishevelled hermit.

To cater to every type of Exodus Edit’s traveller, we’ve collected a couple of our best tips, tricks and hacks to help combat that inevitable cabin fever – you can thank us later.

The Exercise Starter

If the word “exercise” fills you with impending dread and uncontrollable hot flushes, don’t worry, we’ve all been there. With our 30 seconds, roll-over-in-the-bed commute to work having a huge impact on our step count for the day, I think it’s time that we all face our fears, channel our inner Celeste Barber and pull out some wacky poses on the yoga mat to keep our fitness levels up.

If you’ve been hesitant to go to a yoga class before, now’s the perfect time to familiarise yourself with a class online in the comfort of your own home, where it’s just you, your mat and that annoyingly serene woman on the screen. Our personal favourite to zen out to is Yoga with Adriene. Adriene has a fantastic selection of online classes for complete beginners, and also introduced a 30-day yoga challenge so you can build it up as you go. She also helps to sweeten the deal further with guest appearances of her adorable pooch Bengi. 

A woman doing yoga at home

The Hobby Hunter

Starting to realise that the only real hobby you had before the lockdown was travelling? Same here. But with all the extra time we have on our hands now, why not take control of it and get a new hobby?

When we put this question to our team here at Exodus Edits, most of us are getting those creative juices flowing by making that photo travel memory book, we’ve always been meaning to put together. While others are attempting to become their own Master chef by recreating their favourite regional delicacies all around the world. From whipping up some sticky arancini balls and velvety cannoli that takes them back to that epic trip in Sicily to steamy helpings of noodle Pho that can’t help but transport our team back to the tree-lined avenues of Hanoi in Vietnam, it’s hobbies like these that help keep our passion for travel burning!

Making noodle shop at home 

The Skills Learner

Wanting to put those idyll hands and pent up energy to good use? Why not master a new skill? It’s amazing to see all of the free online tutorials and classes at slashed discounted rates we all have at our disposal, yet we resign ourselves to re-watching the same old movies on Netflix – it’s time to change things up a bit.

Whether architecture and interior design have always piqued your interest on Pinterest, why not sign up for a free interior design course, to get some useful hints in how to redecorate your home? For those who want to tap into mindful meditation and unleash their curiosity, there are plenty of tutorials on mindfulness and the Science of Well-Being, designed by Yale University.  

Wooden shelves 

The People Pleaser

Have you always felt the urge to give back, but didn’t know where to start? Now more than ever before, it’s important that we reach out to the most vulnerable people in our community during these times of isolation. But how can you help when you’ve been told to stay at home?

A simple way of helping during lockdown while keeping your social distance is to get in touch with people in your street or development, over the phone or on social to see if there are any elderly neighbours and key workers that might need your help collecting their shopping. You can leave them on their doorstep while keeping a safe two metres distance at all times.

If you’re looking to further your support in these times of need, you could also consider becoming a volunteer for the NHS Responder Volunteer team. Coordinating with the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) charity, you will receive instructions through the GoodSAM Responder app, with cyclists being asked to deliver essential medicines from pharmacies and motorists being called on to drive patients to hospitals for vital check-up appointments.

This has been the biggest call out for volunteers in England since the Second World War, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying that thanks to everyone’s “incredible generosity, we can now start helping those most in need to support our Heroic staff as they continue their outstanding work.” Every little thing you can do big or small will make a monumental difference in the fight against coronavirus.

Green and blue front doors

The Career Curious

Staying at home helps the NHS and helps save lives. And as we all keep to the comfort of our own homes, for now, this may be one of the best times to pause and reflect on where you are and where you want to go, when it comes to your career. Take stock of what you’ve achieved and use your evenings and weekends to explore that new passion or hone a new skill that could help propel your career once the dust settles.

Now is the time to work on how you market yourself. Update your CV and a creative portfolio with your recent work, send your CV to close family and friends so they can help spot any lingering typos and remember to big up your achievements and work milestones over the past couple of months, it could lead to amazing things once the world reopens.

Researching career developments, finding ways you can grow your career in your current role, or exploring new ventures with other companies, are all brilliant ways of keeping not only your morale high but also your creativity and passion for new adventures outside the home.

Notepad and pen

The Destination Dreamer

 Saving the best till last, we’ve got some hacks for those perpetual Destination Dreamers aka our entire Edits audience. You know the type, those travel fanatics that book their next trip before their heads even hit the pillow of their clean sheets after returning from their last holiday.

 Those people that scour Skyscanner every week for that next big adventure and horde their favourite clippings of National Geographic Traveller’s in old shoe boxes to re-read when the times right. Well, there’s never been a better time than right now to indulge in planning for your next getaway when the world’s safe to explore once more.

 Whether you’re looking to your scratch map to help you on your process of elimination; add more destinations to your ever-growing bucket list, or take some time to properly research that mysterious place you heard one backpacker mention to you way back when – it’s these tips for planning your next adventure that is going to be real time savers when it comes to getting back out on the open road – because you’ll already know where you want to go.

Polaroid photos and a world map

 Perhaps it will also give you time to be more creative when planning your next adventure – maybe taking a leaf out of BBC’s hit TV series, Race Across The World and plan a trip that can be completed by foot, bike and rail to minimise your impact on the environment and reduce your carbon footprint. Or, you could go on your first group trip since you went interrailing, with the help of an expert guide so you can truly immerse yourself and see the destination through the eyes of a local.

The best thing to do right now is not to worry. The world will be your oyster again, but until that time comes, make sure to make your time count.