It’s been half a year since the country went into quarantine. At present, the workforce has slowly gone back to normal operations. However, there are still companies that encourage work-from-home policies for safety reasons.

While the setup has benefits like allowing people to spend more time with their families or learn new skills, some are still finding it hard to cope with the stress that came with it.

Many organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) have been promoting mental health care since the pandemic started, as the issue became more underscored. More people became overwhelmed by the stressful situation and feelings of isolation as a consequence of social distancing.

If you’re an outdoorsy type of person, this may be a big change for you as you need to stay at home and your favorite travel destinations might still be closed for now.

Learning new skills in the time of pandemic can be used as a distraction to care for your mental health. Some people started online businesses to earn more, while others found new hobbies and skills that they can improve during this quarantine period. If you miss traveling, you can learn these travel skills that might be helpful once you can travel once again:

1. Photography skills

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One of the most favorite things people do when traveling is taking pictures. Be it a selfie or landscape photography, it’s how people revisit memories of good times spent in another place.

With photographs, you can easily take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about your first solo travel experience or when you checked your ultimate dream travel destination off the bucket list.

Not being able to travel right now doesn’t mean you can’t practice your photography skills at home. You can try taking creative shots of your plants or the rain. This will also give you a more creative touch on how you compose your shots.

2. Basic survival skills

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Most of us travel to take a break or eat food we’ve seen and always wanted to try from movies. But aside from the glamorous side of traveling, we should always remember that accidents are imminent. It’s wise to learn basic survival skills that might be helpful in times of emergencies when you’re away from home.

Try watching Youtube videos like WatchMojo’s Top 10 Survival Skills You Need to Know. In this video, you can learn basic survival skills like performing DIY first-aid and attracting attention with a signal fire. You might never need it, but it doesn’t hurt to know some skills in case of an emergency.

3. Changing a flat tire.

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Another skill that you also need to know when you like taking out-of-town trips is changing a flat tire. This especially comes in handy when you’re doing a road trip from Manila to Boracay and you’re far away from vulcanizing and repair shops. Getting a flat tire while on trips is common, especially if you pass through rocky roads.

This might seem like a little thing but it’s best to know how to change a flat tire to prevent hassles when you’re traveling. Watch Howdini’s How to Change a Tire to learn this basic skill of changing a flat tire.

4. Upgrade your budgeting skills.

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Budgeting, whether for a trip or to manage your finances and daily expenses, is a basic skill that you need to master immediately. People sometimes overspend as they want to spoil themselves when traveling. While there is nothing wrong with spending more on yourself, you should also remember that you can still enjoy the luxury of traveling without breaking the bank.

Try reading money-saving travel tips like finding an affordable hotel with awesome service, when to book cheap flight tickets and restaurants that are worth your money.

5. Improve your language and communication skills

One of the things that people forget when traveling is that there are also people like them who are strangers to that place. Why not exchange a simple hello or small talk to the person next to your seat on the airplane? Ask them about their day or what they do for a living. Or you can have a friendly chat with the owner of the thrift store you’re shopping at. Perhaps they can even give you a discount.

Knowing other people’s stories is one of the priceless experiences you can get when traveling. You can read tips on how to start a friendly chat or conversation. Maybe even try learning some phrases from other languages?

Communication skill is essential not only when traveling, but also in everyday life.

6. Learn a new language

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Speaking of different languages, if you’re want to travel abroad, you have plenty of time to learn the language during this pandemic.

Use this time to learn basic greetings and questions in the language of your destination country? Learn helpful, basic sentences and words like ‘hello” and “thank you” as well as questions you might ask like “where is the restroom?’”

You can learn these by using simple apps like Google Translate or Duolingo. But if you want to learn more complex sentences, you can enroll online at websites that give basic language courses like Udemy and Coursera.

Learning skills during this quarantine period is a wise way of spending your time as the skills you develop are applicable to daily life and travel after the pandemic. Plan ahead, review your travel bucket list and learn new skills that might come in handy when you’re away from home.

5 Essential Travel Skills Every Traveler Should Know