Travellers are still having to play destination roulette in order to confidently get away on holiday whilst we are amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Places are being constantly put on, or removed from, the list of countries considered safe to visit. It may be a good time to look at some travel related games and crafts that you can do in the comfort of your own home, and remain an armchair traveller for the time being.
We’ve brought you just 8 of our favourite games, crafts, and puzzles. They are, of course, no replacement for the real experience, but our adventures need to await the better times to come.
1. Azul board game
Taken from the word Azulejo – Spanish and Portuguese glazed ceramic tiles. The tiles can be found on the exterior and interior of homes and other places such as restaurants, palaces, churches, etc. Originally blue and white tiles introduced by the Moors and were (and still are) in geometric shapes and when assembled form large geometric patterns.
With this particular version of Azul, 2-4 players compete to decorate the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora in Portugal. Each player takes on the part of a tiler obtaining individual tiles from the factory in order to score points based on how tiles are placed to decorate the Palace. The game lasts between 30-45 minutes and is recommended for ages of 8 years and upwards. The game is available from multiple outlets, including John Lewis, and is priced at around £25-£30
2. Colouring books for adultsThe Magical City
Designed by award winning illustrator, Lizzie Mary Cullen, this book is full of intricate designs inspired by cities such a Paris, London, and Luxor. There are 96 excellent quality pages awaiting your artistic talents as you relax into the world of colouring.
Priced at around £9-£13 depending on where purchased, this book is available from various outlets such as Amazon and craft shops. A beautifully illustrated colouring book suitable for people of all ages, but specifically designed with adults in mind.
Magical Jungle
Designed by the popular illustrator Joanne Basford, this stunning book will bring you plants and animals found in exotic rainforests. All 80 pages are crammed with intricate pen and ink drawings ready for you to add tropical colours throughout. Available from many outlets including WH Smith, prices can range from £9-£13.
If you find yourself wanting to take up this pastime, you will probably want to invest in a luxury set of pencils. Probably the highest quality are the Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils which start from around £30 for a set of 24. However, a set of 120 pencils in a wood case could set you back £260. Of course, coloured pencils are available at much cheaper prices to suit all budgets.
Why colouring? It is said that this pastime induces the same state as meditation by reducing a restless mind and helping us de-stress. It was once a pastime many of us enjoyed as children, but has turned into an adult trend. With the introduction of higher quality paper, intricate designs and a huge variety of themes, you can take yourself off to different worlds. So unplug from the technology and get creative!
3. LEGO Architecture
We’ve all heard about LEGO, and here is your opportunity to re-create some of the famous architectural buildings found around the world. Also available are various city scenes displaying a few of the buildings and monuments associated with that destination. Below we’ve brought you an example of both.
Statue of Liberty
Comprising 1685 pieces, take time out to build this monument found on Liberty Island in New York Harbour in the United States. The finished masterpiece stands 44cm/17inches tall and 14cm/5inches wide at the base. The set is complete with the statue’s 7-ray crown, tablet and torch, shield-lined base, and much more.
Intended to commemorate the friendship between France and the United States, today this is one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks. Located in the base of the monument are exhibits of the statue’s history including the original 1886 torch. Since 1916, visitors have been unable to access the torch balcony due to an explosion on nearby Black Tom peninsula during WW1.
Price for this set direct from LEGO is £90. Other buildings and monuments available include the Empire State Building, Trafalgar Square, Burj Khalifa, and The White House.
Paris
This set comprises 649 pieces. When complete, measures 21cm/8inches high, and 29cm/11inches long, and 11cm/4inches wide. Features include the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, Tour Montparnasse, and Grand Palais. Each individual building in the set is presented in scale to the other buildings giving you an idea, in particular, of the height of the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse.
Price for this set direct from LEGO is £45. Other cities available include New York City, London, Tokyo, Dubai, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Shanghai.
4. Destination cross stitchContemporary cross stitch
Cross stitch your way across Europe with these colourful and contemporary patterns from Stitchrovia as featured on Etsy. Here are just 2 designs by Emma Congdon. One features the whitewashed buildings of the small Greek island of Santorini.
The other depicts the architecture found in the Italian city of Venice including the famous gondolas. Both patterns can be downloaded from her shop on Etsy at just a little under £6.
All you need to do is then buy the cross stitch fabric (aida cloth) and threads. Of course, all the colours required will be contained on the PDF document you download together with a colour chart. Using 14ct aida (14 holes per inch), the finished items will measure just under 33cm/13inches square (Santorini) and 27cm/10.5inches x 31cm/12 inches (Venice).
City cross stitch kit
There are so many stunning cross stitch kits depicting travel scenes, but one of our favourites can be found in Etsy shop – Yarn Stories. Showing a pavement café scene in the Italian city of Verona, the finished item will measure 30cm/12inches x 40cm/16inches. By purchasing the full kit, you will receive all you need, including the colour chart, fabric, colour threads (40 colours), and needle.
The price for the kit is around £47 and will provide many hours of relaxation whilst transporting you to the Verona.
5. Jigsaw puzzlesThe World 3D jigsaw puzzle
Most people enjoy looking at and spinning a globe, so here is your opportunity to put your geography knowledge to the test and build your very own. The kit comes with 540 curved jigsaw pieces that fit together to form a sturdy globe.
The completed item will measure 22cm/9inches in diameter, and can be displayed on the accompanying stand, and be rotated. The ideal armchair puzzle for the globetrotter in your family that can be dismantled and use time and time again.
The price is around £25-£28 and can be purchased from various outlets including John Lewis and Hamleys.
For the executive desk, we’d suggest the magnetic stainless steel 3D globe which measures just under 7.5cm / 3inches in diameter. It does come completed so you will have the opportunity to study it before dismantling and spending time putting it back together. The globe does come with its own stand and is priced around £24.
6. Create your own masterpiece
I’m sure we’ve all, in our childhood, had a painting by numbers set. Move onto the next level and unwind with a set designed for the adult market. With so many stunning creations in their ‘places and cities’ category, Masterpiece By Numbers provides all you need to get started. Everything comes in a sturdy cardboard tube through the post. Included in the pack will be a small colour photo of the finished paining, paper guide, acrylic paints, high quality linen canvas, brushes. You will have all the colours you need and there is no mixing involved.
We particularly liked this kit – Walk To The Sea – depicting a Mediterranean scene of a narrow, stepped street, running down to the palm lined sea front.
The canvas size is 40cm/16inches x 50cm/20inches and is currently priced at just £23.
7. Who Knows Where? family board game
This board game can be fun for the whole family, or just a couple. For 2-4 players, or teams, this game has over 1000 questions in categories such as cities, capitals, events, facts, and tourist sites. Build up your world knowledge by guessing the location asked in each question and placing your own pyramid on the area of the map that you believe is the answer. The rules are quite flexible which can make the game easier for younger players.
Be the first player (or team) to travel around the world. You may want to play again by flipping the board over to use the second map.
Priced at around £30, this can be purchased from stores such as John Lewis, and Waterstones.
8. Build the Taj Mahal
If you have plenty of time on your hands, bring a 3D Taj Mahal replica into your home by gluing together approximately 7500 matchsticks in this construction kit. Brought to you by Matchitecture, this kit comprises matchsticks, cutter, pliers, glue, assembly board, clips, tweezers, and instruction guide. You will spend hours cutting and assembling the matchsticks according to the plans.
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum of white marble located in Agra, India. Built for the emperor between 1631 and 1648, in memory of his wife, this building is widely considered as one of the most stunning every created.
You will need plenty of room as the finished building measures approximately 60cm/24inches square and 38cm/15inches high. This kit is available from a variety of outlets and is priced from around £92.
With so many options available, especially in the craft category, you may find yourself taking up a new hobby. Which travel related game or craft is your favourite?
Gail Hewitt is Owner and Director of Corona Holidays. Corona Holidays are specialists in tailor-made holidays to the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and European city breaks.If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Gail Hewitt is Owner and Director of Corona Holidays, one of the longest established independently owned travel companies in the UK. Corona Holidays are specialists in tailor-made holidays to the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and European city breaks, although other European destinations are also at our fingertips. Whether you’re looking for a hotel, apartment, villa, package holiday, transfers or excursions, we provide a personalised service. Also, being an independent agent, we offer unbiased opinions and advice, and are fully financially protected.
Did you enjoy this article?
Receive similar content direct to your inbox.
15 Comments
My wife spends hours on cross-stitch. I think she’s already got her next three projects lined-up. The Santorini one would make a great Christmas present as it would bring back memories of a wonderful holiday on the Greek islands.
There’s always room for one more cross-stitch project. I particularly like the Santorini one. I haven’t been there, but it’s on my list of places to visit.
Not sure that I’d want to build the Taj Mahal. The original craftsmen had their thumbs chopped off so that they wouldn’t in the future create anything so beautiful that it would compare with beauty of the Taj Mahal. Making that model could be a bad omen and being bad luck.
I’ve always been addicted to travel and always found some way of getting to places even when I had very few pennies in my pocket. This year has been terrible and I’m really beginning to crave some overseas adventures even though I can’t see myself getting anywhere any time soon. Nice to see these travel themed activities, just to remind me of what I am missing.
Oh my goodness Jeff, I didn’t know that. Lots of others to choose from such as Tower Bridge, The White House and Toronto CN Tower.
I love those Azul tiles for me they really say Portugal. One we were touring Northern Portugal and somewhere above Porto we called into a small seaside town with a fish market. The market was probably only 20 or 30 years old but they had decorated the walls with pictures made up of Azul tiles. I can remember one design with fish on scales about to be weighed. It all worked very well giving a great sense of what the place was about.
Thank you Diana. I’m looking forward to going back to Portugal. Spain also has some lovely places known for its tiles, such as the Alhambra Palace. I’ll keep an eye open for tile designs going forward.
As we head towards October then it is almost time to start thinking about Christmas presents and there are some good ideas here. I always think that if you buy things when you see them, whatever the time of year, then you are more likely to give people something that they’ll appreciate.
I agree Jane. I seem to leave things too late, and I should try more to match the present with the person. We always seem to remember the unusual gifts we receive.
I’m a sucker for board games so I always like trying something new. The Azul one looks very pretty! And I like the look of the Magical City and Jungle colouring books. Adult colouring is becoming immensely popular. It’s actually really good for calming anxiety and being more mindful, so I imagine doing some of that while you’re on a plane or travelling to your destination if you’re an anxious traveller could be a useful activity. I use a range of different colouring pencils for different things, but I go for Crayola for general colouring (actually pretty good, and far cheaper), and Faber-Castell for my own art. My father used to like these kinds of construction kits you’ve got here, like the Taj Mahal. It’s his birthday coming up soon so that would be a good one to get for him. All of these would make excellent presents.
Thanks Kim. My board games tend to be used more during the darker evenings. Yes, colouring is a great form of relaxing, and some people do amazing things with these colouring books. Take a look on You-Tube at Chris Cheng – she puts my colouring efforts to shame :)
I haven’t got the room for a construction kit as large as the Taj Mahal, although it would be nice to have a go at something smaller. Hope your father has a nice birthday.
I think this would be fun if you have kids who are just starting to find their spirit of adventure. It would be a great medium to make them find and fuel their own passion for travel, teaching them how it is an important part of growing up because we learn how to interact with different people and learn about different cultures. But sometimes long journeys and being new in a strange place can take a toll on us. We need something to distract us or pass away the time while waiting. I’ve done the adult coloring books. It’s the most accessible and easiest to carry around in your bag. I haven’t finished a book, and now wondering if anyone has at all. I particularly find the Azul game interesting as it is very visual. I haven’t seen one yet. And the cross stitching, not sure that’s allowed in a long haul flight.
Long journeys can become dull at times, particularly on a flight. The colouring would be an ideal distraction for children (and adults). You can include me on the list of those who haven’t completed a book yet!
I hope I gather enough patience to finish even one of these choices. On a long haul flight, I just might. My husband is a big fan of Gunpla’s Gundam and he spends most of his time building his collection – he now has a whole display cabinet for it at home. Makes me think of bringing regular Legos now as a great way also to pass the time when you’re travelling especially for kids. The likelihood for losing pieces, though, is high.
Oh yes, losing lego under an aircraft seat wouldn’t be the easiest thing to recover. Although, I guess children could also lose coloured pencils in the same way.
We’ve brought you just 8 of our favourite games, crafts, and puzzles. They are, of course, no replacement for the real experience, but our adventures need to await the better times to come.
1. Azul board game
Taken from the word Azulejo – Spanish and Portuguese glazed ceramic tiles. The tiles can be found on the exterior and interior of homes and other places such as restaurants, palaces, churches, etc. Originally blue and white tiles introduced by the Moors and were (and still are) in geometric shapes and when assembled form large geometric patterns.
We’ve brought you just 8 of our favourite games, crafts, and puzzles. They are, of course, no replacement for the real experience, but our adventures need to await the better times to come.
1. Azul board game
Taken from the word Azulejo – Spanish and Portuguese glazed ceramic tiles. The tiles can be found on the exterior and interior of homes and other places such as restaurants, palaces, churches, etc. Originally blue and white tiles introduced by the Moors and were (and still are) in geometric shapes and when assembled form large geometric patterns.
With this particular version of Azul, 2-4 players compete to decorate the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora in Portugal. Each player takes on the part of a tiler obtaining individual tiles from the factory in order to score points based on how tiles are placed to decorate the Palace. The game lasts between 30-45 minutes and is recommended for ages of 8 years and upwards. The game is available from multiple outlets, including John Lewis, and is priced at around £25-£30
2. Colouring books for adults
The Magical City
Designed by award winning illustrator, Lizzie Mary Cullen, this book is full of intricate designs inspired by cities such a Paris, London, and Luxor. There are 96 excellent quality pages awaiting your artistic talents as you relax into the world of colouring.
Priced at around £9-£13 depending on where purchased, this book is available from various outlets such as Amazon and craft shops. A beautifully illustrated colouring book suitable for people of all ages, but specifically designed with adults in mind.
Magical Jungle
Designed by the popular illustrator Joanne Basford, this stunning book will bring you plants and animals found in exotic rainforests. All 80 pages are crammed with intricate pen and ink drawings ready for you to add tropical colours throughout. Available from many outlets including WH Smith, prices can range from £9-£13.
If you find yourself wanting to take up this pastime, you will probably want to invest in a luxury set of pencils. Probably the highest quality are the Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils which start from around £30 for a set of 24. However, a set of 120 pencils in a wood case could set you back £260. Of course, coloured pencils are available at much cheaper prices to suit all budgets.
Why colouring? It is said that this pastime induces the same state as meditation by reducing a restless mind and helping us de-stress. It was once a pastime many of us enjoyed as children, but has turned into an adult trend. With the introduction of higher quality paper, intricate designs and a huge variety of themes, you can take yourself off to different worlds. So unplug from the technology and get creative!
3. LEGO Architecture
We’ve all heard about LEGO, and here is your opportunity to re-create some of the famous architectural buildings found around the world. Also available are various city scenes displaying a few of the buildings and monuments associated with that destination. Below we’ve brought you an example of both.
Statue of Liberty
Comprising 1685 pieces, take time out to build this monument found on Liberty Island in New York Harbour in the United States. The finished masterpiece stands 44cm/17inches tall and 14cm/5inches wide at the base. The set is complete with the statue’s 7-ray crown, tablet and torch, shield-lined base, and much more.
Intended to commemorate the friendship between France and the United States, today this is one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks. Located in the base of the monument are exhibits of the statue’s history including the original 1886 torch. Since 1916, visitors have been unable to access the torch balcony due to an explosion on nearby Black Tom peninsula during WW1.
Price for this set direct from LEGO is £90. Other buildings and monuments available include the Empire State Building, Trafalgar Square, Burj Khalifa, and The White House.
Paris
This set comprises 649 pieces. When complete, measures 21cm/8inches high, and 29cm/11inches long, and 11cm/4inches wide. Features include the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, Tour Montparnasse, and Grand Palais. Each individual building in the set is presented in scale to the other buildings giving you an idea, in particular, of the height of the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse.
Price for this set direct from LEGO is £45. Other cities available include New York City, London, Tokyo, Dubai, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Shanghai.
4. Destination cross stitch
Contemporary cross stitch
Cross stitch your way across Europe with these colourful and contemporary patterns from Stitchrovia as featured on Etsy. Here are just 2 designs by Emma Congdon. One features the whitewashed buildings of the small Greek island of Santorini.
The other depicts the architecture found in the Italian city of Venice including the famous gondolas. Both patterns can be downloaded from her shop on Etsy at just a little under £6.
All you need to do is then buy the cross stitch fabric (aida cloth) and threads. Of course, all the colours required will be contained on the PDF document you download together with a colour chart. Using 14ct aida (14 holes per inch), the finished items will measure just under 33cm/13inches square (Santorini) and 27cm/10.5inches x 31cm/12 inches (Venice).
City cross stitch kit
There are so many stunning cross stitch kits depicting travel scenes, but one of our favourites can be found in Etsy shop – Yarn Stories. Showing a pavement café scene in the Italian city of Verona, the finished item will measure 30cm/12inches x 40cm/16inches. By purchasing the full kit, you will receive all you need, including the colour chart, fabric, colour threads (40 colours), and needle.
The price for the kit is around £47 and will provide many hours of relaxation whilst transporting you to the Verona.
5. Jigsaw puzzles
The World 3D jigsaw puzzle
Most people enjoy looking at and spinning a globe, so here is your opportunity to put your geography knowledge to the test and build your very own. The kit comes with 540 curved jigsaw pieces that fit together to form a sturdy globe.
The completed item will measure 22cm/9inches in diameter, and can be displayed on the accompanying stand, and be rotated. The ideal armchair puzzle for the globetrotter in your family that can be dismantled and use time and time again.
The price is around £25-£28 and can be purchased from various outlets including John Lewis and Hamleys.
For the executive desk, we’d suggest the magnetic stainless steel 3D globe which measures just under 7.5cm / 3inches in diameter. It does come completed so you will have the opportunity to study it before dismantling and spending time putting it back together. The globe does come with its own stand and is priced around £24.
6. Create your own masterpiece
I’m sure we’ve all, in our childhood, had a painting by numbers set. Move onto the next level and unwind with a set designed for the adult market. With so many stunning creations in their ‘places and cities’ category, Masterpiece By Numbers provides all you need to get started. Everything comes in a sturdy cardboard tube through the post. Included in the pack will be a small colour photo of the finished paining, paper guide, acrylic paints, high quality linen canvas, brushes. You will have all the colours you need and there is no mixing involved.
We particularly liked this kit – Walk To The Sea – depicting a Mediterranean scene of a narrow, stepped street, running down to the palm lined sea front.
The canvas size is 40cm/16inches x 50cm/20inches and is currently priced at just £23.
7. Who Knows Where? family board game
This board game can be fun for the whole family, or just a couple. For 2-4 players, or teams, this game has over 1000 questions in categories such as cities, capitals, events, facts, and tourist sites. Build up your world knowledge by guessing the location asked in each question and placing your own pyramid on the area of the map that you believe is the answer. The rules are quite flexible which can make the game easier for younger players.
Be the first player (or team) to travel around the world. You may want to play again by flipping the board over to use the second map.
Priced at around £30, this can be purchased from stores such as John Lewis, and Waterstones.
8. Build the Taj Mahal
If you have plenty of time on your hands, bring a 3D Taj Mahal replica into your home by gluing together approximately 7500 matchsticks in this construction kit. Brought to you by Matchitecture, this kit comprises matchsticks, cutter, pliers, glue, assembly board, clips, tweezers, and instruction guide. You will spend hours cutting and assembling the matchsticks according to the plans.
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum of white marble located in Agra, India. Built for the emperor between 1631 and 1648, in memory of his wife, this building is widely considered as one of the most stunning every created.
You will need plenty of room as the finished building measures approximately 60cm/24inches square and 38cm/15inches high. This kit is available from a variety of outlets and is priced from around £92.
With so many options available, especially in the craft category, you may find yourself taking up a new hobby. Which travel related game or craft is your favourite?
Gail Hewitt is Owner and Director of Corona Holidays. Corona Holidays are specialists in tailor-made holidays to the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and European city breaks.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
My wife spends hours on cross-stitch. I think she’s already got her next three projects lined-up. The Santorini one would make a great Christmas present as it would bring back memories of a wonderful holiday on the Greek islands.
There’s always room for one more cross-stitch project. I particularly like the Santorini one. I haven’t been there, but it’s on my list of places to visit.
Not sure that I’d want to build the Taj Mahal. The original craftsmen had their thumbs chopped off so that they wouldn’t in the future create anything so beautiful that it would compare with beauty of the Taj Mahal. Making that model could be a bad omen and being bad luck.
I’ve always been addicted to travel and always found some way of getting to places even when I had very few pennies in my pocket. This year has been terrible and I’m really beginning to crave some overseas adventures even though I can’t see myself getting anywhere any time soon. Nice to see these travel themed activities, just to remind me of what I am missing.
Oh my goodness Jeff, I didn’t know that. Lots of others to choose from such as Tower Bridge, The White House and Toronto CN Tower.
I love those Azul tiles for me they really say Portugal. One we were touring Northern Portugal and somewhere above Porto we called into a small seaside town with a fish market. The market was probably only 20 or 30 years old but they had decorated the walls with pictures made up of Azul tiles. I can remember one design with fish on scales about to be weighed. It all worked very well giving a great sense of what the place was about.
Thank you Diana. I’m looking forward to going back to Portugal. Spain also has some lovely places known for its tiles, such as the Alhambra Palace. I’ll keep an eye open for tile designs going forward.
As we head towards October then it is almost time to start thinking about Christmas presents and there are some good ideas here. I always think that if you buy things when you see them, whatever the time of year, then you are more likely to give people something that they’ll appreciate.
I agree Jane. I seem to leave things too late, and I should try more to match the present with the person. We always seem to remember the unusual gifts we receive.
I’m a sucker for board games so I always like trying something new. The Azul one looks very pretty! And I like the look of the Magical City and Jungle colouring books. Adult colouring is becoming immensely popular. It’s actually really good for calming anxiety and being more mindful, so I imagine doing some of that while you’re on a plane or travelling to your destination if you’re an anxious traveller could be a useful activity. I use a range of different colouring pencils for different things, but I go for Crayola for general colouring (actually pretty good, and far cheaper), and Faber-Castell for my own art. My father used to like these kinds of construction kits you’ve got here, like the Taj Mahal. It’s his birthday coming up soon so that would be a good one to get for him. All of these would make excellent presents.
Thanks Kim. My board games tend to be used more during the darker evenings. Yes, colouring is a great form of relaxing, and some people do amazing things with these colouring books. Take a look on You-Tube at Chris Cheng – she puts my colouring efforts to shame :)
I haven’t got the room for a construction kit as large as the Taj Mahal, although it would be nice to have a go at something smaller. Hope your father has a nice birthday.
I think this would be fun if you have kids who are just starting to find their spirit of adventure. It would be a great medium to make them find and fuel their own passion for travel, teaching them how it is an important part of growing up because we learn how to interact with different people and learn about different cultures. But sometimes long journeys and being new in a strange place can take a toll on us. We need something to distract us or pass away the time while waiting. I’ve done the adult coloring books. It’s the most accessible and easiest to carry around in your bag. I haven’t finished a book, and now wondering if anyone has at all. I particularly find the Azul game interesting as it is very visual. I haven’t seen one yet. And the cross stitching, not sure that’s allowed in a long haul flight.
Long journeys can become dull at times, particularly on a flight. The colouring would be an ideal distraction for children (and adults). You can include me on the list of those who haven’t completed a book yet!
I hope I gather enough patience to finish even one of these choices. On a long haul flight, I just might. My husband is a big fan of Gunpla’s Gundam and he spends most of his time building his collection – he now has a whole display cabinet for it at home. Makes me think of bringing regular Legos now as a great way also to pass the time when you’re travelling especially for kids. The likelihood for losing pieces, though, is high.
Oh yes, losing lego under an aircraft seat wouldn’t be the easiest thing to recover. Although, I guess children could also lose coloured pencils in the same way.