#Travelfromhome

We’re all in this together, and the more we stay at home, the faster the curve will flatten. But we know you love travel…and with weeks at home, you might start to go stir crazy. Movies and books may help and transport you to another world. But if you need something more, here are some cool things we’ve discovered to help you travel from home and learn something new at the same time! 

Art

Since we can’t go to the art museums, many are getting creative on how they bring the art to us. Here are just a few museums you can virtually visit:

• Paris – From Egyptian antiquities to the Petite Galerie and beyond, the Louvre has several virtual tours to immerse you in their museum 
• Florence – Each day Gallerie degli Uffizi posts a new artwork from their galleries to Instagram along with the story behind it 
• Madrid – Daily videos & commentary from the Prado 
• New York – Explore the six-part The Met 360 Project to immerse yourself in the museum’s art and architecture
• Chicago – The Art Institute of Chicago is creating virtual experiences for some of its collections, including El Greco as the first.

Cook

Beyond your typical favorite culinary sites, check out these unique ideas that recently popped up.

• Learn from a Chef enables today’s chefs to host online classes. Started by Querida Qiu, an ex-chef at multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, this creative endeavor can help you support restaurant chefs from the comfort of your home, as all proceeds go to the chefs.
• Nonna Nerina is your quintessential Italian grandmother and she’s been making homemade pasta since she was a young girl. No longer do you have to travel to Rome to meet her in her Airbnb experience. Instead, bring Nonna into your kitchen in a live online class! Matador Network recently wrote this article about Nonna and her sisters.
• Parisian chefs have taken to Instagram stories to share their expertise. Discover 23 of them in this piece from Paris by Mouth. 

Learn a New Language

Are you like me and often plan to study a language before you visit a country, but suddenly discover the trip is next month and you haven’t learned a word? Well, now’s the time. Pick your favorite country and start to learn their lingo!

• Opera singer Gabriel Wyner needed to learn multiple languages quickly… pronunciation is critical for performing! In doing so, he created a new, neuroscience-based way to learn and thus Fluent Forever was born. Lucky you, Fluent Forever is dropping their 30-day subscriptions to $0 for Portico users! Use the coupon code PORTICO (instructions are here).
• Want more personal attention or conversational language learning? Venture over to Italki. Choose from over 10K teachers around the world for 1-on-1 lessons. Whether you’re just starting to learn or are more advanced and want to focus on a particular aspect, Italki has a teacher for you. 

Go Back to “School”

It’s much more fun to learn when you choose to do it and there are no grades! From short courses to long courses, there’s plenty to find.

• Were you always fascinated by archaeology? If so, Darius Arya from the American Institute for Roman Culture is the perfect person to know. He’s lived in Rome for over 20 years as an archaeologist. While sheltering at home in Rome, Darius is creating seminars to share his insights. Check out his recent live lectures on YouTube. 
• Are you a fan of Context Travel and their tours for the intellectually curious? With the advent of #stayathome, they’ve begun creating online seminars with their experts. First up are Bejing, Venice, and Tokyo.
• Want to step up your game even more? Venture over to Master Class and learn from the best in the world. From Annie Leibovitz to Neil deGrasse Tyson to Dr. Jane Goodall and Howard Schultz, you’re bound to find fascinating teachers.

We hope that you and your families are safe and healthy. Our hearts go out to all the medical and other essential workers who are on the front lines, and to all of you who are working from home, caring for loved ones and/or teaching your kids. We hope that some of the ideas above will give you a break and inspiration….a way to #travelfromhome. And remember that #travel will be possible again (hopefully soon)!

Stay safe at home, 

Jacqueline

CEO & Founder, Portico