Travel has always called to men with its siren song, from sailors to adventurers to rascals. The sense of adventure that comes with blindly heading to a new place, the chance for discovery, and the feeling of exploration, all make travel feel important. Exposure to new places and new cultures is a rewarding experience.
But what if you can’t visit another country or even another state? Is travel off the table for you? Of course not. You just have to redefine what travel means, and what your expectations are.
One way to reframe your travel experience is to focus on a local trip. Not necessarily a staycation, as fun and interesting as those can be. But an opportunity to get to know more about a nearby city or attraction. Even if you have been there before, take the time to revisit them with a new perspective.
Seek Out The Locals
When planning your local travel experience, the first thing you are going to want to know is what the locals may recommend for you to do when visiting their hometown. If you are lucky and have friends or family to ask from the area, then you get to be confident that at least you won’t be steered in the wrong direction. Also, they are already familiar with you so they have an insight into your likes and dislikes already, which they can use to recommend an itinerary sure to satisfy you.
If you don’t have any friends or family from the area, give social media a try. Hopping on Instagram and using a hashtag search to find out more info about the city or its attractions can give you visual evidence of a location's suitability for your local hang experience. Facebook typically has a group dedicated to any city or point of interest, so do some research there as well. The benefit of Facebook is that you are more likely to see the negative reviews as well as the positives. But be sure to use a grain of salt when taking any advice from the angry mins who post continuously about someone who’s “done did them wrong.”
Add In Chance
Some of our best memories from travel are the moments that happened unexpectedly. The delicious ramen eaten at a suspicious side alley food cart. The friends met while waiting for a tram. The amazing sunrise that came after a night spent soaking in all the ambiance that a city had to offer.
So when you approach the adventure that is local travel, make sure to keep the idea of chance in your mind. Planning a trip can help make sure that it will be successful, but leaving some room for improvisation will help make the trip memorable and exciting.
For example, on your first morning in your nearby locale, take a walk and stop at the third breakfast place you come to. Anyone can look up the local top 10 lists, but randomly choosing a spot out of chance keeps life interesting. You never know when you may find a gem.
Make It A Game
Once you add chance to the mix, you might as well make a game of your trip too. Deciding on a theme to adhere to can make the trip more humorous. Perhaps you choose to only make left-hand turns while walking through the city. Or maybe, since you are on a local trip, you get by with only what you can pack in a backpack.
The key to making a local trip memorable is being creative. Taking a trip to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre is obviously going to be something you remember forever. Creating that same type of impact with a 2-hour road trip to a local roadside attraction may be more difficult. Unless you add in the fact of making that same trip on a 1945 Harley Davidson Flathead.
Travel doesn’t have to involve connecting flights and seaside resorts for it to be fun. The intent you take into any trip is what matters, so apply that intent to doing something local next time you feel the need to get away.
