Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t see the world! In fact, current travel restrictions might just be reminding us how many virtual resources already exist to help us learn about the world and enjoy experiences from home!
Below we’ve compiled some activities, food, and drink to help you feel like you’re a world away…but from the comfort of your own home. We hope these ideas will help break the monotony and help scratch that travel itch.
Paris
Pull out your tablecloth, cloth napkins, LED tea lights, and a little culinary courage (you won’t need much—easy recipes to follow) and transport yourself to Paris, France. Bonus points if you can manger dehors (eat outdoors) for a more authentic French cafe experience.
Ideas for what to watch, listen, and do:
- Take a Louvre virtual tour: explore several of the famed museum’s permanent installments including Egyptian Antiquities as well as paintings from Delacroix, Rembrandt, Tintoretto, and others.
- If time permits, go along on Prowalk Tours’ 12-mile walking tour through Paris, which includes the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and more.
- Set the mood with this Parisian cafe playlist on Spotify (there are also several great playlists on YouTube).
- Read popular children’s book Madeline (or watch and listen as it’s being read on the Brightly Storytime YouTube channel).
- Watch Les Miserables, available to rent on Amazon Prime; or just listen (soundtrack available on Spotify and other listening platforms).
- Rent Ratatouille, a cute story about a rat and a chef in Paris, on Amazon Prime.
- Learn a few French words as a family via this Rock ‘N Learn video on YouTube.
What to eat:
- Croque-monsieur (ham and cheese) sandwiches
- Charcuterie board
- Easy French apple cake, or chocolate croissants using pre-made puff pastry
What to drink:
- For the adults: wine from Cotes du Rhone region (shop online at Wine.com for many affordable options) or a French 75 cocktail made from gin, champagne, lemon, and simple syrup. Find more yummy French cocktail ideas here.
- For the kids: Orangina (which originated in Spain, but is popular in Europe, especially France and Switzerland) or milk, apple or orange juice.
Rome
Your low-key Roman dinner setting could be similar to what we describe for Paris above, though you could go rustic and pull out your red and white checked tablecloth if you have one. Honestly though, for either destination, it’s all about the food, the drinks, and the landmarks.
Ideas for what to watch, listen, and do:
- Peruse the Vatican virtually via its official website. This is also a great walking tour through St. Peter’s Basilica, complete with interesting facts about the sacred space. (7 additional Roman virtual tours are linked here.)
- Follow along as Prowalk tours also take you virtually through the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
- Listen to laid back Italian tunes via this YouTube video, or this Romeo of Italy playlist on Spotify.
- Great children’s books with Italy as a backdrop include Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola, This is Rome by Miroslav Sasek, and for older kids (8+), DK Eyewitness Books: Ancient Rome by James Simon. (Strega Nona is also on YouTube storytelling channels, for example here.)
- Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck is still a great watch all these years later and is available on Amazon Prime.
- Learn a few Italian words as a family via this Rock ‘N Learn video on YouTube.
What to eat:
- Simple Roman pizza
- Spaghetti carbonara
- Roman-style artichokes
- Easy tiramisu, or store-bought gelato
What to drink:
- For the adults: an Italian wine (Asti Spumanti, Chianti, a Super Tuscan or Prosecco), a Peroni (beer) or a Negroni cocktail (made from gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and an orange peel)
- For the kids: Italian cream soda
- You also can’t go wrong with a traditional espresso—black or con Panna (with cream)
Camping
Another fun option is bringing the great outdoors INDOORS. What kid doesn’t love cozying up in a sleeping bag and eating quintessential camping foods?
Ideas for what to watch, listen, and do:
- Set up a tent in your living room, playroom, or screened-in porch—or if you’re brave, in your backyard. If that sounds like too much work, even sleeping bags and pillows on the floor are sure to be a hit with the kids. (If you have a SlumberPod, it makes a great pretend tent for indoors and/or will let your baby or toddler get in on the indoor camping action.)
- Turn off the lights and only use flashlights, lanterns, or dimmed string lights as light sources.
- For additional ambiance: ask your kids to bring stuffed animals to stage around the room for a more authentic outdoorsy feel.
- Play this camping/nature playlist on Spotify to get your virtual fill of crickets, bullfrogs, and owls.
- Tell not-very-scary scary stories with a flashlight illuminating your face from below.
- Play cards (several kid-friendly card games are linked here).
- Take a virtual hike of Mount Baker in Washington State via YouTube.
- Snuggle up close and watch a camping-related movie on an iPad. A few movies to consider are The Parent Trap (the original, or the 1998 remake), Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, and Holes.
What to eat:
- Hotdogs, hamburgers or veggie burgers cooked on a charcoal grill or camping stove (or if you’re in an NYC apartment, an air fryer will work just fine).
- Foil packet nachos, which can be made on the grill or in the oven.
- S’mores snack mix, no-fire s’mores … or if you have a fire pit, don’t be shy about doing s’mores the old fashioned way.
What to drink:
- A little more decadent option is stovetop hot chocolate (adults can add peppermint schnapps or vanilla or peppermint vodka)
- Or, for adults, at least to me, a cold can of beer is a camping dinner staple.
- Fruit and mint infused water if you need to give yourself or the kids a break from sugar.
What travel experiences from home have you enjoyed with your family? Any fun themed activities and foods you enjoyed that you would like to share!? Or what other destinations would you like to see covered on Bébé Voyage? We’d love to hear from you!
Katy Mallory is the co-founder and CEO of SlumberPod. With stay at home orders in effect she wanted a way for her family to be able to virtually travel and have experiences from home that went above and beyond the usual. These destination experiences were the perfect answer and we hope you enjoyed them as much as we have!
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