EDIT: I wrote this post during lockdown in 2020. Luckily, things have improved and people travel again. But there could be lots of other reasons why you may not be able to visit Germany.
So, if you would love to visit Germany but can’t, this post is for you!
Planning a holiday has become more complicated these days. Airlines are offering fewer flights. Schools are unable to predict when they’ll be open or closed. You may be tightening your budget while you spend more time at home.
Even when borders are closed (which, at the moment, they might or might not. It seems to change all the time), you can create your own magic. Try these ideas for making your next holiday a virtual adventure.
Enjoying a virtual holiday in Germany
The internet gives you instant access to any venue or experience. Design an itinerary based on your personal interests.
Consider these ideas:
1. Appreciate art. Gain free admittance to great museums in Germany. See my blog post about 10 German museums you can visit virtually
2. Explore German history. Journey back in time via LEMO Lebendiges Museum Online or, if that’s too difficult, use Zeitklicks
3. Tour one of the 16 German national parks. Wikipedia has a list of those 16 parks. Choose one and then go to YouTube, search for videos of that park and enjoy!
4. Watch animals. Get up close to wildlife with webcam feeds from zoos and aquariums or watch YouTube videos. Again, Wikipedia has a list of zoos in Germany.
5. Ride a roller coaster. Skip the long lines. As before, Wikipedia has a list of German theme parks for you to choose and then search for on YouTube.
6. You could also plan a virtual holiday in a specific area in Germany.
- Choose a German town or area you always wanted to visit.
- Find that place’s website with sightseeing information.
- Find websites, videos etc… about the attractions you want to see.
- Plan your days like you would if you were there for real.
- For authentic food find some German recipes and cook them and/ or buy German cake, beer, wine … (unless you’re really lucky and have a German restaurant in your area, in which case, go there!)
- Listen to German music or radio channels
- Watch a German film
- Speak German to whoever wants to hear it or not ☺
Have I missed anything? What else could you do to pretend you’re in Germany?
Where would you go?
