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“Travelling? Meh!” Let’s just be totally honest here. In today’s world, travelling has become something of a luxury. Many folks just don’t go on lavish holidays anymore – not because they can’t read the language on the restaurant menu or don’t know the hand gestures to get to a train station. Most of the time, it’s all about the moola, or rather, the lack thereof.
In the good ol’ days, travelling was just so much simpler…and cheaper. The only thing travellers had to worry about, was when the donkey caught tick bite fever.
Now-a-days, some will argue that travelling doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, as long as you’re willing to ‘rough’ it a bit, and maybe weed a few rice paddies while exploring exotic destinations. But I’m here to tell you, that there are a few super clever and inspiring ways you can feel like a traveller without actually having to travel.
1. Hang out with foreigners
December is the time overseas tourists visit our stunning country, so why not sharpen up on your language skills and make some new foreign friends. ”Ni hao”, “Ola” or “Bonjour” is a good start to building friendships. The awesome thing about speaking English, is that you can talk to just about anyone and the chances are, they can speak (even just a few words) right back to you.
2. Try some new, exotic foods
There is just something totally rad about walking into a grocery store and buying random foods that you have never eaten before. Say whaaat? Bring on those calories. The ability to read the food labels in most stores really does take some of the fun out of grocery shopping. So the next time you go shopping, buy at least one new food item that you’ve never eaten or even cooked before, like glutinous rice balls or lemon-flavoured Pringles. You just never know what might become your next yummy favorite.
3. Surround yourself with interesting souvenirs from all over the world
One of the fun things about staying at home is that you can nail pretty much anything onto the wall that you want. Go ahead, cover those walls with the beaded belts from Brazil and lanterns from Japan. So when you long for that next holiday, just look around your home at all your souvenirs and dream about those breathtaking exotic locations.
4. Explore your beautiful country
Many South Africans can honestly say that they have travelled the world but haven’t seen much of what their own country has to offer. Well you’re missing out, bro! So why not plan an outing to some place or event in your town or one close-by that you haven’t been to before – whether it’s an art festival, poetry reading or even a cemetery tour, if that’s your thing. It doesn’t really matter where you go but do something different and feel like a traveller.
So you see, you may not live the life of a traveller and get to see all the places you may want to, but you can certainly dream about them!
‘Till next time, peeps!
– Beame
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