This is the time of year when I become restless to explore beyond my own little corner of the world. It’s been a year+ since traveling to the U.K., and five months (Lord willing) until Steve and I head to Southeast Asia. I am grateful for a whirlwind week on the West Coast in May, and as always counting the days until our annual summer time at the Delaware shore. Lucky me, for SURE.
For these in-between weeks and months, it’s great to be an armchair traveler. I thought it’d be fun to share some resources that bring the world into our homes…
SEEING/HEARING THE FOREST AND THE TREES…
tree.fm
On this terrific site, you can tune into forest sounds from all over the world, from Hong Kong to Australia, Austria to Ecuador, recorded by a wide variety of folks. Ever wonder what it sounds like, exploring the tropical forests of Fiji? Traipsing through the mountainous forests of Poland? Wonder no more! Btw this is a great soundtrack for relaxing…
THE SOUNDS OF GLOBAL MUSIC
I once owned several of these albums produced by Putumayo, and I’d forgotten how evocative and exciting these collections of world music are! Enjoy!
Most of my precious few memories of spending any time with my dad, were summer nights on the porch in Normandy Beach, NJ. Dad, a true radio buff, had a large tan radio that could pick up signals from other countries at night. Mind you, neither of us spoke any foreign languages; nevertheless, we thrilled to the sounds of programming from Europe, and even this small taste of international “travel” whet my appetite for much more, later in my life…
Nowadays, we have many more choices for virtual international immersion…here are some of my favorites:
BBC WORLD NEWS
I enjoy a daily dose of world perspective here on my local NPR station every morning. Endlessly interesting to hear the stories of the day as experienced and understood globally!
SHORT INTERNATIONAL FILMS:
Another super way to travel-while-not-traveling? Watch a foreign film! I like short videos because, well, that’s my attention span…but seriously—there are some wonderful ones!! Here are three, all comedies, from Thailand, France and India!
THE DOG (THAILAND)
FRENCH ROAST (FRANCE)
VACANCY (INDIA)
TV SERIES: THE RELUCTANT TRAVELER WITH EUGENE LEVY
I’m a huge Levy fan anyway (Schitt’s Creek, the Christopher Guest movies), and in this series he shines as himself, a man who confesses to preferring his comfort zone to any other zone. Nevertheless, he is plunged into a variety of intense travel experiences which (again, his confession) begin to slightly change his mind…fun stuff!
SONG: ANYWHERE BY PASSENGER
This could be Steve’s and my theme song…over 50 years of journeys together (so far) and he’s still my favorite travel companion….
BLOG PREVIEW: TRIVIAL PURSUITS
I chafe at the dismissive word “trivia” because I find nearly all random info supremely interesting/important. Proud to say Aiden and Peter are following in my inquisitive footsteps, thanks to one quirkyYouTuber!
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
This Disraeli quote perfectly captures the vagaries of the human mind. I too have seen MUCH more than I can recall—and I also have strong memories of people and places I’ve only read or heard about. I don’t worry, though—real or imagined, my travels are all part of my life’s magic carpet ride! This week, my friends, why don’t you plan YOUR next adventure?
