14 ways to stay occupied, entertained and engaged during isolation

by Joanna McGuiness
With the re-occurrence of local covid cases, hotspots and fresh lockdowns popping up all over the country, there is a good chance many of us will have to experience 14 days of isolation, either in hotel quarantine or at home, or at least have a lot of down time in lockdown! 


Here is a 14-day checklist of lockdown activities to get you through isolation:


1.Virtual Tours: Australia

    Take a guided virtual tour of Uluru, the Kuniya Walk, and experience the songs and stories of Uluru, by the Anangu traditional owners.  
    Using 360 imagery, take a virtual Ferry Ride from Milsons Point and follow the journey to Hyde Park, and make sure you click on the additional images on the bottom right of the page for more views of each location.  You can also view the Opera House at sunrise, take a sneak peek inside and some rehearsals whilst listening to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.  The video is interactive so make sure you click and drag to look around each scene before it changes.



    2. Learn a language – the fun and easy way!

    Learning a language improves your memory, improves multitasking skills, encourages cultural appreciation, and lets face it, impresses your friends!   Duolingo is a fun and free way to quickly pick up some new language skills through games and activities.



    3. Experience David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef

    Interactive Tour

    The Great Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the worlds largest coral reef system.  In this interactive tour Sir David Attenborough reminisces about his first trip to the Great Barrier Reef, all the changes he has seen over the years, and how we can help protect and repair this ocean habitat.  Scroll down through each of the 5 chapters and learn with video and interactive activities, how we can save the Great Barrier Reef. 



    4. Virtual Tours: Castles and Palaces around the world

    Regardless of international travel bans most of us would never have the opportunity to step foot inside a royal palace or historic castle, but now we can, virtually!  Take a guided tour around the stunning Palace of Versailles in France (hint, click CC to turn off the subtitles, they’re wrong!) and then scroll down to explore Versailles room by room.  Wander through Dracula's castle, aka Bran Castle in Romania, explore Prague Castle and even walk the lavish corridors of Skokloster Castle in Sweden.



    5. The NASA App

    Join the space race and download the free NASA App, to see historical photos, augmented reality models, space station sighting schedules, plus hundreds of 360 videos and an interactive solar system to play with.



    6. Virtual Tours: Europe and Ancient Egypt 

    Walk like an Egyptian through the Tomb of Queen Meresankh the third in Giza, gaze from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and experience the gorgeous Dutch tulip gardens in springtime.



    7. Google Arts and Culture

    Explore an interactive map of street art from across the world, put together by Google Arts and Culture, and including information about the artists who created each piece.  Click on any location in the world to see the artwork, and then click on the name for more information.  Test yourself with Googles ‘What came first?’ game, and check out the Play tab on Google Arts and Culture for many more fun and interactive experiences.



    8. Take an interactive tour of the Carlsbad Caverns

    in New Mexico

    Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    Witness the stunning footage of the Carlsbad Caverns, featuring more than 100 caves and home to a huge number of bats, National Park rangers will virtually guide you through.   



    9. Learn to play the piano in the comfort of your bedroom with

    the Virtuoso Piano app

    With amazing sound quality and musical accuracy, learn the basics of music or just have some fun with this free music app.  Featuring sounds of a grand piano, guitar and even a broken pub piano, there is plenty to keep you entertained.   (Android users check out the free Perfect Piano app instead).



    10. Virtual Tours Americas: The Grand Canyon, the Amazon Rainforest and exploring a cruise ship

    You can take a 360 virtual tour of the Grand Canyon, no need for hiking boots for this one, just sit back, relax and explore!  
    Brave the Amazon rainforest with the behind the scenes footage from Conservation International, from tree climbers to a loping sloth, and from there join them as they dive down to Valen’s Reef in Indonesia (Scroll to the bottom of the page).  
    If you are one who is missing the cruise lifestyle, check out this narrated virtual tour of the Carnival Horizon, or take a virtual walk down the corridors of



    11. For your daily dose of cute check out these Zoo live cams

    From live footage of cuddly Koalas from the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Queensland, to the Penguin Cam, Giraffe Cam, Snow Leopard Cub Cam and Zebra Cam at Melbourne Zoo, you won’t be able to resist saying aww!  If nature is more your thing, the Churchill Northern Studies Center in Canada is live streaming the Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights, keep your fingers crossed
    for clear skies!



    12. Look UP London

    Check out Look Up London, founded by Katie a Blue Badge Tourist Guide in London, who has been coming up with creative ways to keep Londoners and Wanderlusters entertained during the long lockdown and tight restrictions in England.  She has some amazing and informative blogs on her website you can read up on, or follow her on Instagram for fun facts, videos and hidden secrets.
    You can also take a 360 tour of London courtesy of Visit London, with an interactive map and 360 views of all the famous landmarks, and even take a virtual ride on the London Eye, queue and all!



    13.Smartphone entertainment

    Sushi Monster is an app for the kid inside us all, to challenge our minds and practise critical thinking while playing a fun and interactive game.  Starting from basic level maths this one is for everyone to enjoy, oh and did I mention, its free!   For something even more challenging, try Sudoku by Volcano Entertainment, one of the top-rated free Sudoku apps, with 8 difficulty levels and different game variations. 
    If maths is not your thing, get onto Color Therapy by Miinu Limited, a beautiful paint by number app designed for adults, for a mess free, stress relieving way to pass the time.  With classy designs, loads of different categories and 30 free colours to use, it’s just as satisfying as a real painting!  If you head to their website, they even have a free mental health toolkit you can download.



    14. Virtual Tours Asia: Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal

    If you have ever wanted to walk both the Asian contributions to the Seven Wonders of the World, now you can do so from the comfort of your own home.  The Great Wall of China is one of the worlds largest construction projects, estimated to be between 8,000 – 21,000 kilometres long (depending who you ask), in total taking over 2,000 years to be fully completed. 
    Another site not to be missed is the Taj Mahal, in the Indian city of Agra, constructed in the 1640’s as a mausoleum.  The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and famous worldwide for its stunning architecture, intricate designs, and the iconic reflecting pool which is part of the Mughal garden.



    Lockdown and isolation aren't easy situations to deal with, but staying occupied, engaged, and keeping in touch with family and friends, can certainly pass the time.  Don't forget to bookmark this post, and if you have enjoyed any of these activities whilst in lockdown, tag us on social media! 
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