A travel influencer re-created his favorite photos at home under lockdown with hilarious results

Sophie-Claire HoellerMay 5, 2020, 20:45 IST

Blogger Elnar Mansurov enjoying the view from his kitchen.Elnar Mansurov

Travel blogger Elnar Mansurov has been to around 80 countries.
Stuck inside like much of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, he decided to fight boredom and quench his wanderlust by re-creating some of his favorite travel photos from his home in Perm, Russia.
From pretending his kitchen counter is a cliff to using an ironing board as a surfboard, he made these re-creations using only what he had at home, without the use of any editing software.
He hopes to inspire people to get creative with travel without leaving home.
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Blogger Elnar Mansurov, based in Perm, Russia, has over 202,000 followers on his Instagram page, Mishka Travel.

He got his start over a decade ago when he says that many Russians didn't really trust themselves to book travel without a travel agent since he says they needed to navigate a seemingly daunting visa process at the time. He told Insider that he wanted to show people that "independent tourism" was possible, and even easy.

However, as the coronavirus pandemic put most of the world on lockdown, Mansurov, like many, is stuck at home.

Undeterred, he decided to re-create some of his favorite travel photos without leaving home, fighting boredom while simultaneously quenching his wanderlust.

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"If they really want to travel in such difficult times, then they can do it without leaving home, the same way as I did," he said.

Mansurov making a faux fire indoors. Elnar Mansurov

He hopes that his photos will inspire people to "never lose heart" while sitting at home.

Mansurov making a fire in the Perm region of Russia. Elnar Mansurov

"People often dream of visiting other countries, but they don't even know what they can find — and can be proud of — 100 miles away from home," he said.

Mansurov enjoying the view from his bathroom. Elnar Mansurov

Post-pandemic, he hopes to hit the road to explore Perm Krai, a mountainous part of Russia.

Mansurov enjoying the view in the Lofoten Islands, Norway. Elnar Mansurov

"As it turns out, it's actually enough to use anything you have at hand for reproducing the pictures from your travels. Instead of a surfboard you can use an ironing one, and your sofa can easily become a mountain peak," he said.

Mansurov with an ironing board. Elnar Mansurov

"As it turns out, it's actually enough to use anything you have at hand for reproducing the pictures from your travels. Instead of a surfboard you can use an ironing one, and your sofa can easily become a mountain peak," he said.

Mansurov is only using household items to replicate his photos.

Mansurov surfing in the Lofoten Islands, Norway. Elnar Mansurov

"Being in quarantine I especially miss adrenaline and my active way of life," he said, adding that the photos he chose to re-create mostly depict his more active travels, as well as his longing for nature and the outdoors.

Mansurov in his bathtub. Elnar Mansurov

"Being in quarantine I especially miss adrenaline and my active way of life," he said, adding that the photos he chose to re-create mostly depict his more active travels, as well as his longing for nature and the outdoors.

But that's not all he's doing in self-isolation. Mansurov decided to re-create some of his favorite travel snaps at home.

Mansurov in a homemade hot tub in the Perm region of Russia. Elnar Mansurov

Stuck at home like much of the world right now, he says "quarantine is the time to clean gigabytes of photos and videos."

Mansurov enjoying the view from his kitchen counter. Elnar Mansurov

He added: "When my foreign friends tell me that they've been to Moscow, I ask them this question: 'Okay, why didn't you visit Russia?'"

Mansurov in Geiranger, Norway. Elnar Mansurov

"I don't count the number of countries, because visiting New York doesn't mean visiting Juneau or Maui," he said.

Mansurov snowboarding indoors. Elnar Mansurov

He estimates that he's been to around 80 countries, but says that he doesn't count them.

Mansurov snowboarding in Solden, Austria. Elnar Mansurov

He had a polar bear mask custom-made for himself eight years ago, and hasn't traveled without it since.

Mansurov camping indoors. Elnar Mansurov

Elnar Mansurov, who is behind the Instagram account Mishka Travel — Mishka is the Russian word for bear — told Insider that polar bears are relatively common in much of Russia, but don't get enough attention.

Mansurov in Lapland, Finland. Elnar Mansurov

Elnar Mansurov, who is behind the Instagram account Mishka Travel — Mishka is the Russian word for bear — told Insider that polar bears are relatively common in much of Russia, but don't get enough attention.

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A travel influencer re-created his favorite photos at home under lockdown with hilarious results

"If they really want to travel in such difficult times, then they can do it without leaving home, the same way as I did," he said.

He hopes that his photos will inspire people to "never lose heart" while sitting at home.

"People often dream of visiting other countries, but they don't even know what they can find — and can be proud of — 100 miles away from home," he said.

Post-pandemic, he hopes to hit the road to explore Perm Krai, a mountainous part of Russia.

"As it turns out, it's actually enough to use anything you have at hand for reproducing the pictures from your travels. Instead of a surfboard you can use an ironing one, and your sofa can easily become a mountain peak," he said.

Mansurov is only using household items to replicate his photos.

"Being in quarantine I especially miss adrenaline and my active way of life," he said, adding that the photos he chose to re-create mostly depict his more active travels, as well as his longing for nature and the outdoors.

But that's not all he's doing in self-isolation. Mansurov decided to re-create some of his favorite travel snaps at home.

Stuck at home like much of the world right now, he says "quarantine is the time to clean gigabytes of photos and videos."

He added: "When my foreign friends tell me that they've been to Moscow, I ask them this question: 'Okay, why didn't you visit Russia?'"

"I don't count the number of countries, because visiting New York doesn't mean visiting Juneau or Maui," he said.

He estimates that he's been to around 80 countries, but says that he doesn't count them.

He had a polar bear mask custom-made for himself eight years ago, and hasn't traveled without it since.

Elnar Mansurov, who is behind the Instagram account Mishka Travel — Mishka is the Russian word for bear — told Insider that polar bears are relatively common in much of Russia, but don't get enough attention.