As the world continues to find a new normalcy among the COVID-19 pandemic, my family and I have decided to postpone all international travel until at least 2021. As with most families, safety is the number one priority in this household. As we contemplate on what close locations to possibly visit, like state parks and outdoorsy locations, we are trying to stay true to our passion of international travel by finding new ways of staying inspired. Books, movies, games and shows have a whole new meaning for us today. Keep reading for some excellent recommedations!
1. Rick Steves Europe
TV Shows are a fantastic way to get away from reality and immerse yourself into some real raw experiences. Our go to show is available on PBS and even YouTube! Rick Steves Europe is a great show for anyone who wants to take a trip to Europe from the comfort of their own home. Rick takes you to Paris, Amsterdam, Portugal, Germany, Israel, Palestine and even Iran! He has over 19 years of travel experience with over 129 episodes and will continue to film more shows once it is safe for travelers to explore. My husband and I discovered Rick Steves Europe well over a decade ago. We love his down to earth, easy going personality and take on each country he visits. His passion to give people a true representation of what to expect and feel while on holiday is very exquisite. After his shows you can literally plan out an amazing itinerary for your next trip!
We watch Rick Steves every Sunday during brunch in our home. My daughter loves his show so much that she often requests on her own waffles, eggs, bacon and Rick Steves! She has been watching this show since before the age of 1…she is now 5. We absolutely love that he is a part of our family!
2. PBS Kids: Let’s Go Luna & Xavier Riddle
As we continue to explore different shows on various networks, I cannot say enough good things about PBS Kids! My daughter discovered two fantastic shows on her own: Let’s Go Luna and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.
Let’s Go Luna is a wonderful show for children who want to explore the world with bright colors and fun characters. The show centers around three children who visit new places around the world whose parents work in a traveling troupe. Luna is the moon who guides the children to different cultures teaching them about their languages, customs, music and food! They visit several countries such as India, France, Mexico, Russia and many more! My daughter loves the catchy music too.
Xavier Riddle is another show that my daughter has truly embraced. This show follows three children named Xavier, Yadina and Brad who time travel to the past. They learn, observe and interact with historical figures such as Cleopatra, Mary Shelley, Catherine the Great, George Washington Carver and several others! After their amazing interaction they go back to the present time and use what they learned to solve their real world problem. Such a fascinating concept that children love!
Side note…we traveled to Germany this past winter and were debating on either going to Europa Park or the Frankenstein Castle. After several hours of discussing it we though it would be best to visit the Frankenstein Castle as it was on our way out back to Frankfurt. We announced it to our daughter who immediately became excited and said “mommy Mary Shelley is a writer and she wrote about Frankenstein’s Castle!” I was obviously in shock and looked at my husband who looked at me bewildered. I asked her how she knew who Mary Shelley was and she said “Xavier Riddle.” Wow!
3. Books and more books!
What’s a better way of exploring a new city, country or neighborhood than through a good old book! My daughter absolutely loves story-time at the end of a long “boring” day. Exploring a new city like Paris with her own book “Coco in Paris” or visiting the Grand Cayman Islands with “Georgie and the Stingray” are just a few favorites today. Seeing the pictures and pointing at the pages while asking a million and one questions is truly priceless. She is really engaged wanting to learn more and more each day always asking if we can visit these special spots when the virus is gone. I promise her every night that once it is safe we will most definitely visit all these wonderful places! Be sure to check out these favorite of ours:
- Coco’s Adventures, Coco in Paris
- Olivia
- Georgie and the Stingray
- Wonders of The World
- Paddington Pop-Up London
- Madeline
4. Movies
Movies are another excellent way to embrace culture and life abroad while stuck at home especially the fun colorful children movies! From London to NYC my daughter loves a variety of animated films to real live people films. As much as we adore Disney Princess movies she really enjoys films that partake in a particular location:
- Home Alone 2 (NYC)
- Paddington 2 (London)
- Ratatouille (Paris)
- Kung Fu Panda (China)
- Jurassic World (Hawaii)
As with books, she wants to visit all of these locations as well. Opening up our children’s minds to life beyond our city limits is something special. It does not necessarily mean that you have to visit these locations but that exposure at an early age can really entice them for a more adventurous future.
5. Activities
Family night games is something I believe most families haven taken up since COVID-19 emerged. This gives us time as a family to bond and explore options and use our imagination. The game Life is currently a family favorite that my little one gets to engage in all on her own. She gets to choose what car to drive, what career she wants, what home she’d like to own and how her decisions impact “life.” Then we like to pretend to be paleontologists exploring the North West US in search of dinosaur fossils and what fun dinosaur will we find in our dinosaur egg! Go Fish, Slap Jack and the Matching game are a bunch of oldies but goodies for the whole family to enjoy!
In Conclusion
I hope these recommendations are something you and your family can enjoy and utilize during this time. Anything you think I should add please let me know! Drop me a comment down below. Stay Safe!
