Armchair Travel Options for When You Can’t Travel
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I originally wrote this post during lockdown in the spring of 2020! Fortunately, those dark days are behind us. However, that doesn’t mean the content in this post can’t still be relevant. No matter how much you love traveling, you may not be able to do it all the time. I know I still have long stretches of home time!
So what to do when you can’t travel? Well, you can relax, reflect, and travel from your couch or armchair or chaise lounge–whatever.
In this post, I share three ways you can get your travel fix, each made possible by the Internet.
Catch Up on Your Reading
You can always enjoy a good book and indulge your love of travel at the same time–whether you’re couch bound or plane bound.
My reading suggestions fall into three categories: travel blogs, novels, and memoirs.
Travel Blogs
One of my not-so-secret-pleasures is monthly library visits to check out an armload of travel guides about my next destination. Reading travel blogs also help you scratch the travel itch. You could spend every waking minute until the next millennium scrolling through travel blogs and still not read them all.
Narrow the field by searching for blogs about travel experiences that match your travel interests. I like the arts and so I gravitate to bloggers who, like me, showcase artsy sightseeing options and travel tips.
On Google and social media, search for your travel interests (for example, “art museums in Europe” or “traveling to Iceland”).
Several travel blogs focus on Europe and the arts (like Artsy Traveler!). Here’s a selection to get you started:
Culture Tourist: This clearly-laid-out blog by an Amsterdam-based blogger includes several virtual art museum tours.
Context Travel: This website promotes “scholarly tours for curious travelers” and includes an excellent blog. Also access “Context Conversations”, a selection of live Zoom seminars conducted by art history experts created to help them continue connecting with and educating travelers.
Culture Passport: Designated as a premier online destination for design-minded travelers, the blog features European destinations and articles about recommended art museums.
Cultural Travel: This website belongs to a UK-based travel company that no longer runs culture tours in Europe. However, the blog includes some wonderful articles about European art and culture.
Novels Set in Interesting Locations
I love reading novels set in locations I’ve either visited or want to visit. A few years ago, I traveled in Iceland and since then often indulge my Iceland fascination by reading novels that are set there.
Many novels set in Iceland are thrillers, some darker than others. I recently read and enjoyed the Reykjavik Noir Trilogy by Lilja Sigurdardóttir.
Do you have a favorite travel destination or one that you’re longing to explore? When you read novels set in places you’ve visited or want to visit, you satisfy your wanderlust while also enjoying a good story. And who doesn’t love a good story?
Trip Fiction
An awesome resource for armchair travelers is the Trip Fiction website. Here, you’ll find thousands of novels categorized by location. Select a location and view a list of novels set there.
Novels Set in Europe
Here’s a selection of recommended novels set in places I’ve traveled to in Europe:
300 Days of Sun by Deborah Lawrenson: A contemporary novel set in Faro in the sunny Algarve region of southern Portugal. “A deeply satisfying novel, a rich story with a strong feeling for time and place and the expert pacing of the best thrillers. Readers will appreciate Lawrenson’s ability to combine stunning atmosphere with a fascinating historical backstory.” (Booklist, starred review)
The Little French Bistro by Nina George: A contemporary novel of self-discovery and new beginnings set on the stunning coast of Brittany in northwest France. “George beautifully evokes Brittany with its rocky shores, crustacean-rich waters and Celtic origins… It’s no spoiler to say this novel offers a happy ending — and a satisfying one as well.” —The Washington Post
Brandenburg Gate by Henry Porter: A thriller set in East Berlin in the late 1980s as East Germany collapses. Winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award. “An elegant spy thriller that, I believe, John le Carré himself would be pleased to have attributed to him.” –The Guardian
Rome is Where the Heart Is by Tilly Tennant: An uplifting romance set in Rome. ”I’ve been a fan of this writer for some time now and she never fails to delight. Tilly really does have a way of captivating her readers and taking them to the settings of her stories.…Five stars!’ – The Reading Shed
Arts-Inspired Novels
My sister website to Artsy Traveler is Art In Fiction where you’ll find over 1700 novels (and counting) inspired by the arts. Many of these arts-inspired novels are set in Europe. When I want to combine my yen for travel with my love of the arts and Europe, I choose one of these novels.
I recommend you check out these arts-inspired novels set in Europe.
The Towers of Tuscany by Carol M. Cram (yes, that’s me!) tells the story of a female painter in 14th-century Tuscany. Winner of the Chaucer Grand Prize Ribbon for Historical Fiction Pre-1750s. “The Towers of Tuscany is a delightful escape to the Siena we all love. Carol Cram has crafted a delicious story about a strong woman torn between her secret past, her love of painting, and the forbidden charms of her rich patron. Hard to resist and highly recommended!” —Anne Fortier, author of the New York Times bestseller Juliet and The Lost Sisterhood
Muse by Mary Novik is a fascinating historical novel set in 14th-century Provence about the woman who was the inspiration behind Petrarch’s sublime love poetry. “With Muse, Novik has crafted a heroine who pushes against the constraints of her time and station, placing her in a richly imagined world that thrums with life.” —The Globe and Mail
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron by Stephanie Barron is a delightful mystery starring famous novelist-turned-sleuth Jane Austen and set in Brighton in the early 1800s. “Barron does a wonderful job of bringing the Regency era to life. I was fascinated with the thoroughness of her research and her grasp of the nuances of social strata, fashions, and manners of the time. ” – Art In Fiction Review
And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer is a must-read if you’re traveling to Germany and you love the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. National Jewish Book Award Winner. “Blending the gorgeousness of Bach and the horror of anti-Semitism over several centuries should make for unsettling contemplation, and readers of Belfer’s . . . know that the author will be meticulous with both fact and fiction.” – Library Journal
The Return by Victoria Hislop is a remarkable dual-time novel set in Granada during the Spanish Civil War and the present day. If you love history, flamenco, and Spain, you’ll adore this novel. “Hislop marries an epic family saga with meticulous historical research, and it’s a captivating partnership.” – Easy Living
Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo by Stephanie Storey brings 16th-century Florence alive in this story of the two Renaissance masters. “The artistic process can be one of self-doubt, struggle, and sheer physical exertion, and Storey depicts the drama here with truth and insight. A rewarding read for art aficionados and fans of historical fiction.”– Booklist
Travel Memoirs
The travel memoir genre has been around for centuries. When you think about it, Homer’s Odyssey is a travel memoir!
The urge to document one’s travels did not start with the invention of the blog, that’s for sure. An online search for “travel memoir” yields thousands of titles. Narrow them down by specifying a location and even a time period.
For example, a search for “travel memoir England 18th century” will uncover The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (1786) by James Boswell. Okay, that might be a bit obscure, but the point is that you can choose from thousands of travel memoirs, both old and new.
One of my favorite memoirs from the 19th century is Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain. He is such a delicious curmudgeon. If you’ve never read it, check it out. The Project Gutenberg version is free and illustrated. Scroll through to find places you’ve visited yourself and then read what Mark Twain had to say about them. You’ll find a lot to laugh about, I guarantee it.
Here are some good travel memoirs and travel stories to check out.
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson is a laugh-out-loud-funny tour through Europe from northern Norway to Rome, and taking in Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, and Austria among many other destinations. I’m a big fan of all Bill Bryson’s books, but this is still one of my favorites.
Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain by Chris Stewart is about the trials and tribulations of owning a sheep farm without running water and electricity in the Alpujarra Mountains in southern Spain. “Take half a cup of Bill Bryson, mix with three tablespoons of Peter Mayle, then add just a pinch of Monty Python, and what you get is Driving Over Lemons.”- Chicago Tribune
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle is a good read and responsible for introducing millions of people to the delights of the Luberon in the south of France. I credit it with piquing my own interest in the region that has since become a firm favorite. “Engaging, funny and richly appreciative.” —The New York Times Book Review
Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr is a memoir about art and adventures in Rome by the acclaimed author of All The Light We Cannot See. “…a funny, precise, touching account of cultural barricades crossed and fatherly exhaustions overcome…that will lift the heart of every parent and delight the mind of every lover of Italy.”– Adam Gopnik, author of Through the Children’s Gate and From Paris to the Moon
Explore Online Tours
You’ll find a lot of online chatter these days about substituting a visit to an art museum with a virtual tour. I’m not going to pretend that viewing online exhibits is as satisfying as experiencing the museums in real life. On the other hand, your feet won’t get sore and you won’t need to jostle for viewing room with thousands of other tourists.
Two virtual options are available for the art-starved traveler: Take a Virtual Tour and Explore Collections.
Virtual Museum Tours
Most of the famous museums in Europe offer excellent virtual tours of their collections, generally designed to mimic walking through the museum. Use your mouse to get a 360-degree view of a room, then zoom in on particular pieces.
Art Museums with Virtual Tours
The Google Arts & Culture website is an excellent source for virtual tours of major European art museums and artworks. Also explore the virtual tours offered by the museum websites. Here are tours of some of my favorite art museums in Europe.
Rijksmuseum From Home: Watch short videos of curators talking about the collection, take the Grand Rijksmuseum Pub Quiz, and check out the masterpieces up close and online in Amsterdam’s grandest museum.
Louvre Online: Visit the museum’s exhibition rooms and galleries and contemplate the façades of the Louvre in Paris.
Centre Pompidou: Find a large collection of guided audio tours through the exhibitions and permanent collections of one of my favorite modern art museums.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris: Take a virtual walk through galleries containing works by artists such as van Gogh, Monet, and Cézanne, among others.
Pergamon Museum, Berlin: The Google Arts and Culture site also includes virtual tours through the collections at the Pergamon in Berlin, perfect for fans of ancient art from the Middle East.
Uffizi Gallery, Florence: The Uffizi’s sumptuous website provides detailed information and beautiful photographs of many of the major works in the museum. Read more about must-see artworks in Tuscany.
Online Museum Collections
Many of the smaller art museums in Europe include comprehensive listings of the pieces in their collections. I like zeroing in on a particular work of art or exhibit and reading about it on the museum’s website.
Museum Websites
Here are websites of some of my favorite museums in Europe.
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna: The website includes close-up views and information about a wide range of objects and paintings from the museum’s massive collection.
Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac: I love this Paris museum showcasing the arts of cultures from around the globe. Their website includes pictures and information of thousands of the objects in the collection.
Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands: The collections in this wonderful museum are showcased online on the museum’s website. Make sure you pay a visit to the Sculpture Garden.
Read more about museums to visit both virtually and in person, in these posts:
National Gallery of Canada: Best Bets for the Artsy Traveler
A Trio of Must-See Museums in Copenhagen
London’s National Gallery: The Best of the Best
Courtauld Gallery in London: A Treasure Trove for the Artsy Traveler
Best Vienna Museum Experiences that Appeal to the Artsy Traveler
Seven Super Single-Artist Museums in Europe You Should Visit
Walkabout Videos
One of my favorite thing to do while I’m working on the computer is to take virtual walks or aerial tours through places I want to visit. Like many people who work in the digital world, I have two screens set up on my desk. I do my work on one screen and load a walking tour or landscape video on my second screen.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch glimpses of gorgeous landscapes, historic city centers, and interesting sights.
On YouTube, search for the place you want to go to along with the word “walking” or “aerial” and you’ll find plenty of options.
My favorite walking tours are videos made by fellow travelers that focus on a specific city or even neighborhood. For example, you can find numerous neighborhood walk-throughs in Paris. Watching them feels almost as good as being there as the camera glides past people enjoying outdoor cafes and relaxing in parks.
Recommended Walkabout Videos
Here’s a selection of videos to enjoy when you’re hankering for a stroll through European cities.
Paris Walkabouts: These videos generally run between 20 and 40 minutes and provide restful, walking-pace explorations of Paris neighborhoods. Explore the Marais, the Left Bank (my fave!), Luxembourg Gardens and Notre Dame after the fire, and a nice, long, 3-hour, 12-mile (19 kilometer) walk through the streets of Paris including the Louvre, Notre Dame (before the fire), the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, and Eiffel Tower.
Florence: Take a 3-hour walking tour through the streets of Florence.
Amsterdam: You’ll find lots of walking videos in this wonderfully walkable city. This walkabout video runs about 40 minutes.
Venice: Take a walking tour of fabulous Venice. I loved re-experiencing the tiny back streets of one of the most enchanting cities in the world.
Flyover Videos
Sometimes, I just want to immerse myself in amazing landscapes. Fortunately, hundreds of flyover videos are a click away. Feel like soaring over the Alps? Exploring Tuscany from the air? Cycling through tulip fields in the Netherlands? You’ll find a video on YouTube that fits the bill.
TIP: To filter out the hundreds of super-short videos, many of which are tour ads, click Filter at the top of the list of search results. Choose Long for the duration. Here are some of my favorites.
Iceland from Above: A one-hour drone flight above wonderful Iceland. Oh, how I long to return!
Cinque Terre, Italy: A flyover of the Cinque Terre coast in western Italy. Stunning scenery and gorgeous towns last for almost an hour.
Amalfi Coast, Italy: Two hours of fabulous footage of the towns on the Amalfi coast: Positano, Amalfi, Sorrento, and the coast by sea.
Lavender Fields in Provence: Oh yeah, I could watch this all day. The drone video lasts for about 20 minutes and includes magnificent vistas of lavender fields. All that’s missing is the buzz of the bees and the smell of lavender.
Germany and Austria: One hour of flyover footage featuring lots of cute towns, soaring Alps, and pretty countryside. Turn off the sound to avoid the cloying lounge music soundtrack.
Andalusia in Spain: Includes Seville, Granada, and Corboda. The shots of the Alhambra in Granada are particularly lovely.
Algarve in Portugal: Twenty-plus minutes of fabulous views of red cliffs, white-washed villages, and gorgeous blue ocean.
Watch Documentaries
I adore documentaries, particularly those about travel and the arts.
Between YouTube, Netflix and assorted other streaming services, you’ll find plenty of documentaries to keep you binge-watching for months.
Travel Documentaries
Of course, the King of travel documentaries is Rick Steves. He has recorded over 1800 hours (yes, you read that right) of travel shows. I never tire of listening to Rick extol the virtues of hiking in England’s Lake District or touring the Vatican Museums or enjoying a meal in a French bistro.
On YouTube, search for “Rick Steves” and the name of the destination; for example, “Rick Steves, Paris” and you’ll be spoiled for choice. You can also find all his videos on his website.
But Rick’s not the only game in town. Some other favorites include:
Venice, Island Treasure with Pierre Brouwers: A documentary from 2016 that goes behind the scenes of the canals, gondolas, and sumptuous palaces to explore the real city, with its inhabitants and lifestyle organized to meet the site’s geographical limitations.
Francesco’s Mediterranean Voyage: This 12-part documentary about a sailing voyage from Venice to Istanbul is hosted by the super charming Francesco da Mosto from Venice. It’s not easy to find online. Check DailyMotion to find each episode. Here is Episode 1.
Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown is an entertaining series with bubbly host Samantha Brown who offers practical travel tips and introduces viewers to “A-list” experts who share the best their cities have to offer. Find it on Amazon.
Travel Man with Richard Ayoade is a witty series hosted by British actor and comic Richard Ayoade. He is often joined by other British celebrities while they go on frenetic 48-hour tours of European capitals. Over nine seasons, destinations include Dubrovnik, Bergen, Zurich, Barcelona, Paris…you name it. The short episodes make for perfect quick travel fixes. Find the series on the Travel Man website.
Art Documentaries
You are spoiled for choice when it comes to art documentaries. Gregg and I love art documentaries and over the years have probably watched hundreds of them. These favorites all focus on art in Europe. Find dozens more by searching keywords on YouTube and on streaming services.
Waldemar Januszczak hosts wonderful documentaries about European art, some available on YouTube, like this one on the Dark Ages in Europe. It’s very easy to get hooked on Waldemar’s pithy and often hilarious commentary. And he really knows his stuff!
Mary Beard‘s documentary on Rome: Empire Without Limit is a recent find that I highly recommend. She travels from Spain to Iran, Egypt to Scotland, and Tunisia to Greece to explore the creation, achievements, and legacy of the Roman Empire. I found the documentary on Acorn.
If you are a fan of Cézanne, this PBS video on YouTube called Cézanne in Provence will appeal.
This heart-wrenching, 2-part documentary about Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris traces the history of the cathedral from its beginnings to the devastating fire in April 2019.
More Resources
Check out these posts highlighting some of my favorite pieces in three art museums:
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