Many of us dream of getting away from home to somewhere more exotic. But that shouldn’t mean that the home is a place of routine and non-adventure. Why not bring a touch of the orient home by adding in some exotic features to your everyday life. Whether you’ve done some globetrotting in the past or are yearning your first adventure, these features ought to soothe your travel bug.
Build a beach-like bathroom
Make every bath feel like a trip to a faraway coast by adding some tropical details to your washroom. Exotic plants such as ferns, orchids and bamboo grow perfectly in a bathroom environment where there is little light but a lot of humidity. Add these to your bathroom and you will immediately feel transported away. Other little touches such as exotic soaps, sponges, shells, wooden towel rails and tiled beach scenes can also help to build this setting.
Connect to the world with maps
Feel connected to the places you’ve been and places you want to go with world map posters and globes. You can combine this with memories such as photos and postcards to create a more vivid representation of your travels. Alternatively you can mark out a bucket list of future locations, ticking them off on your map as you go. Immediately transform an empty wall, cupboard or fridge door.
Go bohemian with your bedding
Your bed is where many of your dreams of past and future voyages takes place. Give your bedding an exotic feel by embracing mandalas, oriental symbols and faraway scenes. Collect cushions and pillows or buy a decorated duvet that envisages your travels.
Get exotic with your pets
If you’re an animal lover, you could go the extra mile and buy an exotic pet. You don’t have to go all out and try and raise a monkey – there are many exotic pets that don’t take too much work such as geckos, terrapins and chinchillas. Braver pet-owners may even consider snakes, spiders and cockroaches. Tropical fish are perhaps the most popular choice of exotic pet. These are very easy to look after and very easy to obtain – in fact, you can get fish delivered to your door through some aquatic companies.
Show off your souvenirs
Don’t hide your souvenirs away in a drawer. Remind yourself of the good times by boasting them around the house. You can use a drawing board instead of a scrapbook for putting tickets, wristbands, leaflets and postcards gathered on your travels (as discussed already, this can be excitingly combined with a world map to give a scale to your travels). Give room to ornaments and hang masks and hats on walls. You can also get certain photos framed and blown up. Don’t let all your travel snaps go unseen on a computer hard-drive. Give them pride of place reminding you of your adventures and offering a talking point to guests.