If working at my normal office I walk there and back and normally have a stroll during my lunch hour. Normally this amounts to 13,000 steps or so.
I have a Garmin Vivoactive HR which records steps, heart rate and lots more and uploads it for analysis. It is quite addictive and I also use the Stepbet app which sets you targets over say six weeks and, if you hit them, wins you money (you can also lose :-)) On my last one I won $10 plus my $40 stake. It did get me out walking on slack days and was more about not losing my stake but it did work.
I do think that walking is not really a good exercise for me personally – my heart rate rarely gets into a zone that stresses it but that is ok as I do not want to be a sweaty mess. If I want exercise I now either cycle or do kettlebell workouts.
I would say that maybe the op does not need to go out for long walks but maybe just try to hit a step goal each day. Walking to the local shop twice a day knocks off 4k steps for me. A few more brief walks around the block and target would be hit.