Traveling and writing is my passion. That’s why I became a travel writer. It is my dream to travel and see each and every part of this world in the years to come. I have traveled for months at a stretch when I planned the year 2013 in different parts of India. However, there are times when I am at home doing nothing but staring at a computer screen, or trying to sleep, or dreaming about places I want to go to. It becomes frustrating to be sitting at home. I wonder what I can do while I am not traveling:

1. Make this a topic to write an article on (lol) – After writing for couple of years, I know that anything can be transformed into a story. There are many fellow expert and newbie travel writers who feel the same restlessness when they are not traveling. It is a good opportunity to write and share a familiar story with them

2. Plan and book tickets to the next place you want to go to – The moment I book tickets, I find that everything begins to fall into place. I begin to think of what I want to pack, people I will meet, food that I will eat and the stories I am going to write. Breaks between travel is a great time to fantasize your next journey

3. Do some house hold work – Yes, you heard me right. Wash those old dusty curtains, straighten up the book shelf, fix the broken tap, polish your shoes, clean your room and sell off any old and unwanted stuff (get some money for your next journey), and get an electrician to fix that bulb which broke six months ago. Indulging in the house hold work makes me all the more eager to get back to writing

4. Cook your favorite food – While traveling, I taste some of the most amazing and unfamiliar dishes around the world. But, the charm of making that cup of hot tea in the middle of night with the fragrance of ginger, cardamom, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon is unparalleled. I also take the opportunity to cook my favorite smoky chicken while I am at home

5. Watch movies and listen to music – I hardly watch any movies ever since I started traveling. Movies launch, wait for me and go away in disappointment. Last week I saw more movies than what I saw in the last one year. Trust me, it cleared up my mind and left me eager to chase my dreams once again

6. Fetch that old family album – Every family has that rustic old album with yellowed photos that are attached on their four corners. We are so busy that these treasures get easily buried under heaps of clothes or books. Find that old album and laugh over some old forgotten moments

7. Go for a spa – Travel writers live anywhere and everywhere they can. They wear the same jeans for weeks and sometimes forget to comb hair. While you are at home, go for your favorite spa experience. Surround yourself with fragrant candles, flowers and soft music. Even this experience will create a new story in the mind of a travel writer

8. Volunteer for a cause – There are umpteen opportunities if you want to volunteer for a cause. Teach English to students, or volunteer at an organic farm, or plant trees, or take care of street animals. Spend some time just giving to others without the need to get something in return. Global Help Swap is a good way to start with.

9. Meet old friends, they need you – They feel you are busy and let go of their need to give you a call. You feel that they are busy and let go of your need to give them a call. While you are taking a break from traveling, meet them for a coffee or climb that old school wall once again from where you used to jump off and run away for a movie

10. Give a surprise gift to someone – It could be just a postcard, a surprise visit, a book or something handmade. Last week I saw a drive on facebook where you had to say ‘I am In’ to a post. The first five people to say this would receive a surprise gift sometime during the year. You had to do the same to five other people. I received gifts from long lost friends and sent gifts to people I had never spoken to. Trust me, it was fun.

What other things you do when you are not Traveling?

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Gaurav Bhatnagar Travel Writer, Photographer, Public Speaker, Entrepreneur @ www.thefolktales.com