There are many times that everyday situations– work, family, responsibilities, finances… make it difficult for us to just pack up and leave for our next travel adventures. Or sometimes, when we come back from a wonderful trip, no matter how long it was; we go into a post-holiday depression. We wish it never ended.

When our need to travel goes unfulfilled, we experience uneasiness and restlessness; and sometimes become a little moody (that’s me, and I can’t help it!). We dream about our next trip— we wonder where we will go and when it’s going to happen.  Wanderlust is a disease. A wonderful disease. But how do we get over it?

There are several methods to help you temporarily cure your wanderlust, to get you through the times you can’t go anywhere; until you’re able to fly away again. Here are my top 10 ideas.

1) Explore Your Own City

More often not, we do not know our own city as much as we should (or think we do). We tend to take the place we live in for granted and assume that we’ve done everything we need to do; or even worse… we postpone exploring it just because we think we can do it anytime. So why not now?

Go out. Walk around. Get lost. Take a tram, the metro, a local bus and go on a tour. Lose yourself and see your city like you’ve never seen it before. Remember, there are people around the world who want to be where you are.

2) Visit Somewhere New

We travel to experience new things, to see new things and to do new things. So do what we do best when we travel– and apply it at home. There’s always somewhere new in town that we have not visited; a new cafe or restaurant, the latest hangout joint, a recently opened art gallery. Make a list of the new places you want to visit, and plan to go to a new one every week.

You can also see new things by driving along a new route to work. Or go on a road trip. Or take a food tour. The choices are endless.

3) Do Something Exciting

Going through the familiar humdrum of everyday life could be the reason you’re restless and looking for an escape. That’s one of the best part about traveling– breaking out of that mundane routine and doing something you never thought you’d do. So if you can’t go anywhere and need a release, try and recreated the same feeling by doing a challenging and exciting activity.

Look for fun things you can do in your area– be it bungee jumping, skydiving, scuba diving, hiking, jungle trekking. Spend a night on the beach underneath the stars, or fishing on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Go camping in the forest. Take part in an obstacle race. Get that adrenaline pumping!

4) Watch the Sunrise or Sunset

These are my favorite parts of the day– because it is so beautiful. During vacations, I make sure that I wake up early enough to watch the sunrise, or allocate time in the evening to admire the skies as the sun sets. It is so magical.

What’s great is that such beauty can be admired anywhere in the world, so why not at home too? Put some magic in your day by waking up early and watching the sunrise over a cup of coffee. Even if you can’t see it peeking out over the horizon, the changing hues in the skies are just as gorgeous. But if you’re up for it; go out and look for a spot (driving up a hill in your area, or heading towards the beach) to admire the dawn of a new day.

5) Have a Staycation

I recently learned of this word– and I think it’s an amazing one. To escape familiarity and have your own little vacation in your own city, book yourself into a local hotel and enjoy all the comforts it has to offer. That’s what a staycation is.

Laze in bed and flip through the tv channels all day, soak in the bathtub, get a massage in the hotel spa, sunbathe by the swimming pool, dine in the restaurant, listen to live music at the lounge… enjoy some ‘you’ time. Treat it like a holiday and pretend you’re in a land far far away.

6) Read Travel Literature

I love reading travel books, magazines, blogs and guide books– dreaming and thinking about all the places that I will one day visit. Now, this might not exactly cure your wanderlust (sometimes, it actually makes me want to pack up and leave!) but it’s great for getting new ideas and suggestions of places that can be put in your “must-see” and “must-do” lists. It’s an inspiration source.

I have a whole bookcase full of travel literature which I’ve collected throughout the years. However, my favorite go-to place to see beautiful pictures and escape through them is Instagram– some people really take the most gorgeous photographs!

7) Talk to Fellow Travelers

I find this a great relief. Whether it’s your own group of friends who love to travel as much as you do, or a bunch of strangers you meet in a bar, or even an online traveler who is oceans away… talking about your passion and hearing stories from others can help temporarily cure your wanderlust.

By talking to strangers, I have heard exciting tales of travel experiences, gained new insights of different cultures, shared about my own city too… and along the way, forged new friendships.  And with friends– I have planned new holidays and adventures to look forward to!

8) Reminisce Previous Travels

It is a wonderful feeling when you’re reminiscing your past travel experiences. Reliving them brings back all those lovely memories and helps with the wanderlust for that short moment. I love looking at my previous travel pictures, reading my journals and telling stories about my adventures. This is one of the reasons why I started this travel blog.

Writing about my travels always makes me smile.

9) Start A Travel Savings

For those who love it, travel is never-ending. So start saving for your next trip– be it for somewhere nearby or a year-long adventure around the world.

Having enough money to travel gives you choices to go anywhere you want. The anticipation will help you temporarily cure your wanderlust. But what’s best is… if the urge gets too strong, just take all that money, and head off! So start saving, and dream big!

10) Always Be Planning

Planning a trip is part of the fun as it is something you can look forward to. When you’re planning, getting through the workdays will be easier as you know there is a reward coming your way. Fulfill the wanderlust and fuel the excitement by reading up about your travel destination, find out about the fun things you can do, wonderful places you can visit and all the local food you can get your hands on.

Never stop asking yourself, “Where am I going next?”

Visiting the Petronas Twin Towers, the pride of my country, Malaysia.