Lockdown Escape Vlogs

[samsteele]

Sometimes we all need a mental escape. Here are some of my fav youtube vlogs that let me leave the lockdown blues behind. None are travel companies or WDW or any rival DIS channels so hopefully no problems with the mods. Just a complete breakaway from reality. Maybe post your fav dream or escape channels below.

Gone With the Wynns (in Tonga on a catamaran. Bonus points for tropical blue water)
Sailing Zatara (Texas family now sailing the bite off south Australia. Bonus points as above)
Sailing Florence (nice young British couple stuck in Indonesia)
Nicki Positano (Amalfi Coast Italy Life complete with beaches, home gardens & yummy Italian food)
My Self Reliance (think he's just north of the Muskokas so not true north but still interesting)

Everyone needs an evening microwave popcorn escape hatch. Let me know below if you have other vlogs that transport you out of lockdown stress.

 

[Hopeful8]

Wow, watched some of the videos on that first one you posted, Gone With The Wynns....SO beautiful! Very entertaining and really takes your mind off of things here.
Thanks for sharing!

 

[bankr63]

+1 on Gone with the Wynns. Have been watching them since they started (as RVers before they bought the boat). Also a sometimes watcher of Sailing Zatara.

For those who enjoy sailing (@samsteele?) check out Odd Life Crafting. Young Brazilian couple who bought a steel boat after it sat 30 years on the hard. As an engineer I love the process of completely rebuilding a boat. They are just about ready to float again, after a short period on the water before they had to haul out for more repairs. More about dreaming about the living than living the dream.

For those who like the RV life check out Keep Your Daydream (KYD), a family of (almost) full-timers who travel across the US, Canada, and Mexico. I have found this past season a bit disturbing as I don't think I've seen a single mask, but the locations are great and the adventures are fun.

If you like Mexico and all things Mexican try Kinetic Kennons. A 30ish couple who moved to Mexico full-time. When her work called off the arrangement, she said goodbye to them and they have been living the expat's life since. Great videography of locations all over Mexico, not just the tourist destinations.

 

[samsteele]

Thanks for this and your suggestions. Will def check them out. Do try Sailing Florence as some sailing and design substance to it. Think may be in your wheel house. I've only been watching the Wynns and Zatara for a year since the first lockdown. Big catalogue of past vlogs so good to have those to dip into. Really appreciate good quality photography and interesting story lines. So many sailing vlogs try to coast on the string bikini and abs but really nothing there. Always happy to be directed to good quality vlogs. Take care!

 

[samsteele]

ps @bankr63 have you read Ann Vanderhoof's 'An Embarassment of Mangoes'? Read 10+ yrs ago and highly recommend. Former editor of Ontario's Cottage Life magazine. She and her husband left on their small sailing boat from Toronto down the intercoastal waterway to Florida then through the Caribbean. An excellent read. Also good recipes. Can pick up on amazon. A summer reading treat and wonderful escape.

 

[pigletto]

Along the same lines .. I am loving some Disney podcasts lately. Does anyone else listen to any ? I was listening to Unlocking the Magic on my walk today and really enjoyed it . I also listen to the Dis Unplugged sometimes too .
There are so many different ones. I find they are just the right amount of lighthearted to listen to while I’m out walking . Really lifts my spirits .

 

[bankr63]

ps @bankr63 have you read Ann Vanderhoof's 'An Embarassment of Mangoes'? Read 10+ yrs ago and highly recommend. Former editor of Ontario's Cottage Life magazine. She and her husband left on their small sailing boat from Toronto down the intercoastal waterway to Florida then through the Caribbean. An excellent read. Also good recipes. Can pick up on amazon. A summer reading treat and wonderful escape.

Well, if we are getting into travel literature recommendations, I'll take your "embarrassment" (read it, still on the shelf in case I need to escape again - so yes gets my two thumbs up), and up the ante with:
- "The Voyage of the Northern Magic - A Family Odyssey" Diane Stuemer 2002. This story of an Ottawa family's round the world sailing expedition was serialized in the Ottawa Citizen over the length of the journey. I looked forward to each weekly installment. The book brings it all together. At times I wondered at the magic of it all - at times I wanted to scream at the them for the idiocy of exposing children to such a dangerous adventure. Shows my tendency toward helicopter parenting. Nobody died and the family is all the richer for it. The author lost her battle with cancer a couple of years after returning, but the family is richer for the living.
- "A Trip to the Beach" - Melinda and Robert Blanchard 2000. A couple's Caribbean vacation leads to the purchase of a beachfront restaurant. Great escape literature
- "On Mexican Time - A New Life in San Miguel" Tony Cohan 2000. Probably my favourite travel lit book. Expat couple carving out a new life and integrating into Mexico. You can almost smell the bougainvillea in the air while you read this.

I read a lot of travel lit (I like to escape) but these four books live permanently on my bookshelf to be revisited when I need a vacation without leaving home.

 

[samsteele]

I'll take your "embarrassment" (read it, still on the shelf in case I need to escape again - so yes gets my two thumbs up)

I also have her follow up 'Spice Necklace'. It was good but just couldn't match the original. Sometimes sequels struggle a bit.

Frances Mayes' 'Under The Tuscan Sun' is another incredible and now classic pick. The unfortunate movie is a good reminder to leave classic travel books alone.

 

[Sue M]

I’ve been watching Rick Steve’s travel shows, and the Moving to...Mexico, Hawaii, Caribbean etc type shows. Also Island of Bryan lol! And Escape to The Country!

 

[boop0524]

Along the same lines .. I am loving some Disney podcasts lately. Does anyone else listen to any ? I was listening to Unlocking the Magic on my walk today and really enjoyed it . I also listen to the Dis Unplugged sometimes too .
There are so many different ones. I find they are just the right amount of lighthearted to listen to while I’m out walking . Really lifts my spirits .

Totally agree! Disney podcasts saved my spirit during covid. My rotation is Be Our Guest, Disney Dish (the best...LOVE Len and Jim), the Dis, Marvel Us Disney and WDW Prep to Go on occasion. The thing for me is I want Disney magic, but also hosts who are going to the parks now and can share that back with me.