In a time where travel is very restricted, many are feeling disconnected from their previously enjoyed international lifestyles. We know there is no perfect substitute for travelling when it comes to having new cultural experiences. However, it’s not the only way to get a taste of the international lifestyle. In fact, you may be missing out on a lot of great ways to experience and learn about new cultures if you haven’t tried some of the activities we’ve put together!
It’s great to make a habit out of learning about other cultures, aside from being interesting and entertaining, it’s also extremely practical. Our working style has changed dramatically in the last year, and while there’s still lots of uncertainty about the future, it seems that more flexible and remote work is here to stay in a significant capacity. With this, we can expect to see an increasingly globalised workforce so improving one’s cultural awareness will pay dividends. Whether you live abroad yourself or have colleagues from all over the world, knowledge of other cultures will surely prove helpful!
Hope is on the horizon, but if you miss travel or you’re just looking for some new things to try while stuck at home, we’ve come up with some international activities for you, no passports required!
9 Activities To Experience The World From Your Home:
- Explore The World Through Music 🎶
There are SO many music platforms to choose from, both Spotify and Apple Music have ‘Top Charts’ for countries globally, which are always fun to listen to and follow. Simply pick your favourite streaming service, a country, and a time period, and transport yourself anywhere in the world. Feeling indecisive and adventurous? Try a free global radio website and tune-in live anywhere in the world! If you listen to music while working, international music is great; when you don’t understand the lyrics it’s less distracting!
- Think Globally 🌏
Get that in a global mindset by attending virtual events hosted by thought leaders and entertainers worldwide! There are tons of online events to check out: Join LifeX’s Virtual Festival, conferences, live streams, or check out local events in your country of interest on Eventbrite (or similar sites). Hearing from and interacting with people all over the world is a great way to feel immersed in other cultures.
- Turning Pages Into Travel 📚
They say a reader lives 1000 lives, so try travelling through stories! Reading is a very powerful way to experience new cultures, studies have shown that reading about something is psychologically very close to actually experiencing it firsthand. Check out bestsellers in your country of choice, or simply google, ‘books set in (the place you’re interested in)’. If you’re not a big reader, try out audiobooks or start with some short stories!
- Have A Global Kitchen 🍱
Taste the flavours of the world without leaving your kitchen. Try making food from other cultures, or ordering take away from local restaurants with global cuisines. Food is an amazing and fun way to explore new cultures, besides, you need to eat anyway so you might as well get a taste of international life! Check out our previous post for more inspiration on incorporating international foods into your daily life.
- Talk The Talk 🗣
The best way to understand a culture is to speak the language. Learning a language takes a lot of time and effort, but even knowing a few words can go a long way! The best way to learn a language is immersion, and without travelling, some great options are partnering with someone local (housemates, friends, colleagues etc.) and trading languages, or joining a language exchange group. If you’re not ready to make that kind of commitment, there are tons of great apps!
- Turn Letters Into Learnings 💌
Become a Pen Pal and share the world through letters. There are a lot of ways to find an international pen-pal, or you can start writing to a friend living abroad. If you’re in a position to do so, a really impactful idea is to sponsor a family in need, some charities organise pen-pal style correspondence with sponsors. If you’re interested in something like that, find the charity that best aligns with you, make a difference while learning about other parts of the world!
- Tour The World Online ⛩
There are tons of great (and free) virtual tours that offer a unique and uncrowded way to see some amazing museums or historical sights. Check out some places and decide if they’re worth visiting in person when you can!
- Be A Tourist In Your Own City 👀
You may feel like you’ve already seen it all, but there’s always something to be discovered! Look up your city on sites like trip advisor and go see the landmarks if it’s possible with your local restrictions. While this activity might not be international, it’s sure to remind you of being a tourist and hopefully it will allow you will see your city through new eyes!
- Investigate Your Existing Circle 🕵️♂️
Chances are you have at least a few friends or colleagues who live or have lived internationally. Make an effort to chat about your backgrounds and share favourite meals, music, languages, and more! When you start these conversations you will be amazed about the things you will learn. If you don’t have a lot of internationally-minded people in your inner circle or you’re just really interested in experiencing other cultures, co-living would be an amazing option for you!
Curiosity Is The Key
For maximum impact, approach these activities with an open and curious mindset. Pursue learning more about cultures that you’re passionate about. For extra motivation planning a trip to your most intriguing cultural location always helps; just hold off on booking until it’s safe to do so, luckily a big part of enjoying a holiday is the build-up to it! Even when we can travel again, these will remain great activities to practise to boost your cultural experiences in a budget-friendly, sustainable, and accessible way!
Give these activities a try, you will be surprised with how much a small effort can feed your global curiosity! We all miss travel, but hopefully, by trying these activities you will learn something new and feel less stuck at home. If you’re looking for other fun activities to try at home, check out some advice from our Community Manager!