How To: Spend A Day Abroad (without leaving your town)

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Many people experience a sense of stagnation when they don't travel. Often there is some distant land that has a magical appeal while you are stuck in the same place for days, weeks, months, and possibly years. While I like my city, I day dream about London. Unfortunately travel is expensive. Really expensive.

To combat the feeling of standing still without breaking, create a little bit of the city itself in your own town. The bigger your city, the easier this will be to do, but even if you live on farm 30 miles from any city it's still possible.

Today Hubby and I went to Two Fools Tavern for lunch, the inside feels exactly like a pub in the middle of London. We had a relaxing time while he had a fish & chips followed by a Guinness and I ate a half sandwich, red pepper soup, and stole some of his chips. We sat back, ate slowly and soaked in the atmosphere.

After lunch we walked two blocks over and I bought a dozen macarons to take home.

They were delicious... Yes, I ate all 12 in one sitting. They were light, fluffy, and remind me of Europe.

Sometimes feeling like you've gotten away from it all is as simple as that. If you live in a city, do some research and create a day planned around visiting restaurants & shops similar to the region you day dream of.

If you live in a smaller city or town your day abroad may take a bit more preparation.  First find a dish that represents your destination that you can replicate at home. If it is China learn to make fried rice, Italy could be pasta or pizza, England is known for its shepherd's pie. You get the picture. The magic of Google today is being able to find all these recipes with the click of a button. Add wine, sake, beer, or whatever fits with your traditional meal and follow up with a desert. Some premade items can be found online for purchase (such as French macarons), but you can always make this from scratch too.  For a final  bit of ambiance find a CD or make an iTunes playlist of music from that region and play it in the background and settle in your for your mini staycation.