Did the coronavirus halt your Spring travel plans? And perhaps you’re thinking your early summer ideas too? It has for our team. A quick rush home from the UK, cancellation of air tickets to sunnier locals and hunkering down for an undetermined amount of time.
What are we all going to do with this new, undetermined-length life existence?
Bend with the Bamboo. Be strong, Be flexible. You like, no love, to explore cities and oh, do we too. Here are a few hopefully helpful ideas of how we can all Explore from Home – and remember that the ingenuity of that flexible bamboo!
If you can’t get a trip to Tokyo out of your mind, whether you were planning for a casual visit or an exciting adventure to the now postponed Olympics, make the most of what you CAN do. Explore from home by starting with food! Make a super-easy hot bowl of udon or soba noodles. Yes, in your very own kitchen. A warm, comforting bowl of hot noodles for a not so hot Spring day.
As for that trip you were planning to Spitsbergen, Bandol or Montevideo? Take this time to refine your future itinerary by creating a personalized map via Google’s Map Engine. We make great use of this tool when we explore cities for our books, have it handy on the mobile or desktop for map creation. Another favorite tool is Google Earth – one of the best Explore at Home tools out there in our opinion. Boston Public Garden on your list of “must-sees”? Then check it out here first.
With any of the “Explore & Color” Guides you can easily travel through a city from your living room or kitchen table. Whether you start by picking an illustration or following the map’s order, start by coloring or reading about the location. Skip across town for your next selection or play “Page Roulette”. If you are studying Spanish, then check out our Havana book with a bilingual index. As we’re home bound for the immediate future, taking time out of your day to travel to Havana or Portland in the blink of an eye is a great diversion. Not to mention, a good break from your device.
“We provide the lines; you create the art”. Any age, any skill level can color and feel fabulous about what they’ve created. A sense of beautiful accomplishment. Our pages also inspire questions and create conversations – – Why do the taxis in Havana look like coconuts? Why is the woman making tea wearing a robe? Does the Fremont Troll prefer to eat only cars or would scooter be an option? Who else knows that Peninsula Park in Portland is THE original public rose garden in the city? Such potential for curiosity and clever conversation.
Our Colorful Cities crew is working from various locations, mastering the “explore from home” craft. We’re looking forward to May when we can finally bring you a new city to explore… and hopefully boost tourism to this location when travel is safe again.
So, whether you’re taking a break from work or need a break from your phone, laptop or heck, family(!) we hope that a view of the Space Needle or Cuba’s Playa Boca Ciega can take you to another place from the comfort and safety of your home.
Stay Healthy and Happy Exploring!
