Travel can be a great hobby in itself, and many people like to visit lots of different places and tick loads of fantastic tourist destinations (and more unique places) off their must-see lists. However, what if you have other hobbies? How do you keep up with your hobbies wile traveling? Is there a way you can still enjoy them, and put yourself in the wonderful situation of being able to do all the things you love (or most of them, at least)?
The good news is, it’s the latter. There are actually a number of different ways that you can keep up with your hobbies while traveling, and with that in mind, keep reading to find out what some of them are.
How To Keep Up With Your Hobbies While Traveling
Plan Ahead And Pack Wisely
One of the important things to think about if you’re going to enjoy your hobbies and travel at the same time is proper planning – before you set off, make sure you check out what your destination has to offer in terms of your hobbies, and make any bookings you need to so you can make the most of what’s there.
Perhaps you like working out, so you’ll book a hotel that has a gym on-site, for example. Or maybe your hobby is reading, so you can see if there are any great bookshops near where you’ll be staying that you can go to at least once while you’re away. Maybe it’s painting that inspires you – you’re sure to find some great views, and you might even be able to find a painting course and book it in advance.
Of course, some of these hobbies are potentially going to mean you have to pack equipment so you can do them, like gym clothes, trainers, and painting equipment, to name just a few things. Opt for the most lightweight things you can find to ensure you don’t have to pay extra just to enjoy your hobby while you’re away.
Use Technology To Stay Connected
We’re very lucky to live at a time when there is so much technology we can use to stay connected (if we want to) even when we’re traveling, and that tech could be used to help you keep up with your hobbies when you’re away from home as well.
Perhaps you’re into photography, and if that’s the case, you’ll find plenty of apps you can download that will help you take some amazing photos of your travels and adventures, for example. Maybe you prefer reading but you don’t want to pack a lot of books because they’re heavy; invest in an eReader and you can have thousands of books at your fingertips and it will hardly weigh a thing. A sports fan? No problem – install a VPN on your laptop and you’ll know how to watch NBA in Australia or anywhere else in the world within moments, never having to miss an important game no matter where you happen to be.
The fact is that there’s a piece of technology that can help with pretty much anything you need it to, so when it comes to your hobbies, you should be able to find a program or app or perhaps a piece of equipment that means you can still enjoy it as much as you want whether you’re at home or away on a travel adventure or relaxing holiday.
Stay Flexible
We mentioned above how important it is to plan ahead, especially if you want to book courses or other activities to follow your passion while you’re travelling, but it’s also important to stay a little flexible because you just don’t know what opportunities are going to arise. There could be some unique situations you find yourself in that mean you can do your hobby even if you didn’t think you’d be able to, or perhaps even try something brand-new just to see if you like it; all hobbies start somewhere, after all.
We’ll go back to the gym example to show what we mean. If you’re unable to find a gym so you can do your usual morning workout, you could go for a hike or a swim instead – it’s not exactly the same, but you’ll still get exercise while you also get to see more of the place you’ve travelled to. No bookshops close to your hotel? Well, is there a market you could visit? There might be books there, and they might be more interesting than the ones you’d find in a standard shop at home.
The key is to be spontaneous when you need to be and plan when you can, and in that way, you should be able to continue your hobbies while traveling – in one way or another – no matter where you are in the world.
