Creative Ways to Fuel Your Wanderlust Without Leaving Home

Sometimes as much as we wish we could be out there exploring somewhere new, we’re back at home living our everyday lives. Don’t get me wrong — I love my life, but I know I’m a woman of extremes. When I’m back on Kauai, I’m very much a homebody. I don’t “do” a lot (my post school drop off morning walk on the beach, an afternoon spent at my favorite coffee shop here, a beach day with the family there and I’m good).

But that doesn’t mean the wanderlust disappears. I need to channel that shit. We have tons of these city puzzles at home — from Marrakesh to Paris — that bring me a lot of joy to work on and I also love my Paris Street Style adult coloring book, but I’ve realized I could be doing a lot more creatively to fuel my love of adventure even when I’m not actually out there adventuring. Maybe you can relate?

So I figured I’d put together some ideas to get us all started — both working with what we have and then more formal kits for those of us that might need a bit more hand-holding (ahem, me).

A few ideas:

• Make a shadowbox - put photos, ticket stubs, maps, napkins, stickers, coasters, matchbooks, etc. that you collect from your travels.

• Have a fun theme night where you make a recipe and watch a movie or learn a play a game from a specific country or region.

• Make a photo book of your travels — from scratch or with a service like Artifact Uprising.

• Collect fallen leaves or flowers on your trip, press them and make it into a work of art.

• Thrift a jean jacket and add patches collected from your travels.

• Edit a travel video out of your vacation footage — not just for social media, but as something you can look back at years from now.

• Embroider a fabric coaster for each trip so that eventually you have a full set.

• Paint and sip (for one if you want) - paint a still life of the best meal you’ve had while traveling.

• Use the flag colors of the country you last visited to make an abstract quilt. I’m not this crafty, but maybe you are?

• Learn a cultural dance from a place on your bucket list — YouTube has tons of tutorials, but if you live in a city like New York there are endless in-person options.

And now for the slightly crafty ones who work best with some guidance. From a Suminagashi Marbling Kit to an architectural model kit of the Sydney Opera House, here are over 30 creative ways to fuel your wanderlust between trips!

*The Hotel Shortlist is reader-supported. When you buy through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission.

• Origami (Japan)

• Suminagashi Marbling Kit (Japan)

• Block Printing (India)

• Tatreez Embroidery Kit (Palestine)

• Tenangos (Otomi) Embroidery (Mexico)

• Pysanky Decorating Kit (Ukraine)

• Rooftops of Paris Embroidery Kit

• Mediterranean Village Canvas Paint by Numbers Kit

• Paris Street Style Coloring Book

• Italy Paint By Numbers

• National Parks Coloring Book

• The National Parks: A Coloring Book

• Paint By Sticker Travel Book

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• Sydney Opera House Architectural Model Kit

• Lego Himeji Castle

• Statue of Liberty Cardboard 3D Puzzle

• Marrakech 1000 Piece Puzzle

• Gray Malin Nantucket Puzzle

• La Dolce Vita 1000 Piece Puzzle

• Après-Ski 1000 Piece Puzzle

• Watercolor Playing Cards (London, Riviera, New York, Palm Beach, etc.)

• Trekking the World (board game)

• National Parks Trivia

• Babka Making Kit

• Mochi Ice Cream Kit

• Fortune Cookie Kit

• Kimchi Making Kit

• Focaccia Art Kit

• Churro Making Kit

• Paint By Sticker: Architecture

• Rainbow Llama Kid Craft

• Lego Japan Postcard Set

• Dragon Mosaic Kit - Lunar New Year Edition

• KiwiCo Atlas Crate: Geography Subscription Box

If you just want to go straight to the whole ShopMy list I created, click here.

Do you have any creative ways to keep the adventure going between trips? I’d love to hear!

Follow along on Instagram & TikTok for more or browse my handpicked recs on ShopMy.