What I Do While Not Traveling

I haven’t been on a plane since October 23, 2017! That is almost nine months of no international travel and I have only been on one road trip. Not since before I moved to Qatar has it been that long since I have been on a plane. I am also not working, which begs the question, what I am I doing while I am not traveling! Read what I have been doing to stay busy.

Read

Reading has always been a passion of mine. I usually have several books I am reading at one time. Sometimes one will really catch my interest and all other books and time go out the window. Because I haven’t been traveling, I seemed to be drawn to non-fiction lately. Much of that non-fiction has been adventure travel.

The Stowaway is one I most recently finished. A young Brooklyn teenager successfully stows away on a ship heading to Antarctica. This true story is set in the 1920s and really made me want to sail the world. (Always been a dream of mine!)

The Last Wild Men of Borneo is the one I am currently reading and it centers around two men exploring Borneo. One ends up living with a tribe in Borneo eventually disappearing. The other becomes an indigenous art dealer. I am enjoying the book, but have some moral issues with the men’s activities.

Take a Course

From January to April, I finally did something I had wanted to do for a long time. I took a Full-stack Web Development course. I had started an online one while living in Qatar but found working full-time and school too stressful. When I left Qatar, I knew that I would have the time to complete the course while not working. It was still really hard and it was a full-time course in which I went every day of the week from 9-5. If this is something you are interested in as well, I took my course from DevMountain and I highly recommend them.

Listen to Podcasts

While driving to school every day, I became an avid podcast listener. My commute was about an hour each way, so I had plenty of time. I have developed a few favorites during that time and I still listen to them anytime I am driving around town.

If you are a fan of true crime and unsolved mysteries, then I suggest you check out True Crime Garage. Nick and The Captain usually produce two shows a week covering everything from missing persons to serial killers. They are funny but also well-informed. This show is not kid friendly as you may imagine.

I love learning new things, so I have loved Radio Lab for years. Radio Lab is all about science and technology. One week might be about space and the next reproduction. Each story has a human touch though and isn’t just straight reporting about science. Many of the stories are also personal and show hosts talk about their own experiences.

Scroll Through Instagram

Most days you will find me on Instagram whether it be posting my own photos, watching Instagram stories or saving images of places I want to visit one day. For most of 2017, I didn’t post to Instagram. The changes in the algorithm made me not want to post and it still drives me nuts. However, I have recently been posting my photos from my trip last year and I have loved reliving the memories of that trip this way. Here are some of my favorites from last year.

Read other Blogs

One of the things that got me into blogging in the first place was reading other blogs. Many of these are not travel focus and some are. The blog I have been following the longest is The Small Things Blog. I initially started following her for her hair tutorials. Her life has changed over the years and so has her blog, but because I like her I keep coming back. I also follow her on Instagram stories all the time.

Many of my other favorites are friends from blogging groups. They include Suzie Speaks, who I have actually met in person and she is just as great in person. The Global Housesitter, who is a Kiwi couple who travels the world in their retirement by housesitting all over the world. But I Smile Anyway by Ritu who makes me laugh and smile with her funny stories. There are many, many more!

Eat Out with Friends

Since I haven’t lived in Dallas for so long, my friends have been taking me to new places and some old. We tend to eat together at least once or twice a week. I have reconnected with some old friends and made a few new ones. There is such a variety here and it isn’t all Tex-Mex and steak. One of our favorite places to eat is Fireside Pies. They have amazing wood-oven baked pizzas and outstanding desserts. Much of their ingredients are local too.

Hang Out with Twitter

Twitter has been something I have tried to love more, but many people had just been posting links instead of having conversations on there. In the last couple of months, I have seen that change. Maybe I am following more chatty people now, but I am loving it. I am not on every day, but do try to pop on a few days a week. Are you on Twitter? My Twitter is @agirlpassport in case you want to follow me there as well!

What Do You Do to Keep Busy?

I am always looking for new inspiration to keep me busy. Do you have something to recommend? Share with me in the comments!