For as long as I can remember I have had the Travel Bug, my Dad calls this my “itchy feet” since I could never stand still. I loved going on road trips and vacation getaways with my family as a child, then exploring on my own as I got older. I was excited to get my Passport so I could travel to distant lands and experience the World!
After two trips outside the United States I realized that my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona was an exotic location for many people. The locals that I was visiting were just as fascinated by USD currency, desert climate, and the “wild, wild, west” as I was with their home. Some of my new British friends even made the trek out to Phoenix to see for themselves. Treating my home as base camp, we explored my neighborhood through tourist eyes. And I discovered treasure in my own backyard!
Why Local Travel?
Local travel is a great getaway option when time and money are limited.
Local travel, by definition, requires little to no travel time, zero hotel expenses, and light packing!
Get into Travel Mode
Is there something unique or natural wonders in your area that tourists travel to see? Have you been lately? Maybe it is time to see what draws people from far away to your area.
Have you been to the local museum or art galleries lately? Consider all of the activities that you do while on vacation or traveling someplace new, and look for those types of activities in your local vicinity.
Exploring in your own back yard is easier to bring pets (my dog loves road trips!) and large groups of people. Grab your besties and plan a girls day out!
My comfort zone for a day trip is less than 3 hours travel each way, which allows me to explore desert (including this desert garden), mountains, lakes, and even stop for lunch in Mexico! An overnight trip expands my options immensely.
Check out your local state or area tourism sites for top tourist attractions in your area. Ask your local friends and neighbors for their favorite day trip destination recommendations.
Far flung destinations are great travel goals and should be savored, but you will be amazed at how many incredible activities are waiting to be explored only a few hours away from you right now!
Remember to mix it up and explore the exotic location hidden in your own backyard.
Love the idea of ‘traveling’ in your own backyard. So, fun to explore and learn new things about your own town! Love this topic.
Such a lovely back yard — mine is covered in snow right now.
It’s so true that we often become jaded to the things in our own backyard and often fail to see things that would be of great interest to others.
Agreed! We often look past our own cities and dream of exotic locations. Well, our cities are exotic locations to someone as well! Might as well enjoy them.
What a beautiful back yard you have! I’m big on exploring locally when I’m not travelling. I call it microadventures:)
Oh man…what stunning photos! I’ve never been to Arizona, but now I might just have to make the trip if I’m ever back in North America. It’s so true – being a tourist in your own home can be so exciting. It’s especially nice to take a look at all the things that pass you by in day to day life through the eyes of visitors seeing it for the first time.
A great reminder – I live in London and sometimes I forget about all the tourist things that are so easy for me to access, whether that be art, free museums or even just day trips!
I definitely need to embrace more than just the bars and restaurants here!
Katie
http://whatskatiedoing.blogspot.co.uk
It’s amazing what we take for granted! I host couchsurfers and am always struck by how the most mundane things (to me) seemed so amazing to them. As such, I’ve made it one of my travel goals in 2016 to explore more of my own backyard!
Ugh I love this post! I’ve been away from home for 16 months and I’m moving back to the UK for a couple of months at the beginning of February, and I’ve made it my mission to start writing about adventures around me! I come from the South West of England, that like your hometown, is the holiday central area for many English people as it has the sea, and moorlands (where I live). I’m definitely going to be taking a leaf out of your book!
Great post!! I definitely agree!! It’s funny, living abroad and meeting people from all over made me realize just how much I HAVEN’T seen or done at home!! I’m definitely going to be doing more local travel once I get back to the states.
It’s so great that you live in Arizona and have mountains all around! I would love that. I live in BA, Argentina and it’s mostly concrete all around me but I love the city. Nice post!
Totally agree – I’m on maternity leave this year, so money is tight. Local travel will be my go-to. And really, I live a stone’s throw from the Canadian Rockies, so it’s not like I’m missing out on great experiences by traveling local.