The year 2020 was (and is) anything but planned. The worldwide pandemic has transformed our daily lives and messed up our travel plans. We were left with local traveling and discovering our own countries. And there is nothing that our creative minds couldn’t solve when hungry for the joy of discovery and adventure. Presenting to you – your home country – and how to unravel it.
What is local traveling, and why you need it?
In an era of globalization and endless possibilities to be a modern cosmopolitan human being, local traveling sounds quite vintage, to put it mildly. The idea to use your precious holidays for cruising around the country you live in when you have access to all those famous places that you have seen on Instagram and Pinterest? The choice was a no brainer. Then, the quarantine happened. Today our sight has turned to our own countries as the restrictions have been made to travel abroad.
Your country is the place that shaped you, so understanding the nature, history, and people around you will lead you to know more about who you are.
While traveling overseas allows you to discover different kinds of cultures and get to know how people roll with this life on the other side of the world, local traveling is the key to getting deep into your heritage’s roots. Your country is the place that shaped you, so understanding the nature, history, and people around you will lead you to know more about who you are.
Benefits of traveling in your own country
First of all, it is much easier to access places nearby as you do not have to plan a 5 step trip for only reaching the destination point. Remember early mornings, including taxi/metro/bus and then the flight, possibly followed by another connecting flight? That sounds exhausting compared to hopping in your car or having a single train ride and – boom – you are there.
If you are a genuine traveler who likes to meet new people on your journey, you have probably made at least a few friends on your trips who live far away. This is a fulfilling practice, yet it has a considerable disadvantage. After your trip, you go back home while your new friends stay right there where you met them. By traveling local, you can make new friends and be sure you can see each other more often.
Traveling locally lets you feel the appreciation of your homeland. Get the sense of where you, your parents, and grandparents came from. It is essential to understand the value of your traditions and create a connection with your community. It feeds your soul from the ground and makes you calm, connected, and well prepared for your life’s new challenges.
Traveling locally lets you feel the appreciation of your homeland. Get the sense of where you, your parents, and grandparents came from.
You will fall in love with your homeland straight away as you discover some things you have had no idea existed right next to you before. Believe me, every place and every human being has its hidden gems. You just have to keep your eyes and heart wide open.
Less stress is one of the many perks of traveling locally. When you know the language, the means of transportation, the mindset, and the people’s attitude, there is only the excitement of the new for you to experience.
Also, while traveling in your own country, you support its economy and make a smaller carbon footprint than going abroad. This will definitely put you on Santa’s list.
Also, while traveling in your own country, you support its economy and make a smaller carbon footprint than going abroad. This will definitely put you on Santa’s list.
Tips for being the best local traveler
- Save money by avoiding hotels and live with the locals instead. Maybe you can visit a long time no see relatives? You will also learn a great bunch of stuff from them and be amazed at how friendly your compatriots really are.
- Connect with nature – let it amaze you while you try to look at it with a foreign tourist’s eyes. Wildlife has the magic in itself, let it speak to you through the desert wind, the ocean air, the sea salt, or the sound of birds in the forest. No matter what form of nature you have in your country, it is pure and unique. It does not have any beauty standards.
- Dig in that plate and unleash the power of tasty food. Get to know the regions of your country via the cuisine the locals had for years. Let the food talk to you. Find the authentic places where you can taste the food and ask lots of questions about it – the history of the recipes, maybe even try to make it? The world is your oyster, take all the opportunities you can!
- Do you think you know all about your countries culture? Well, I dare you to think again and get curious about the architecture, theater, art, dance, literature, or any other arts in your country. Pick one or two that you are most excited about and go to places, see the buildings, hear the stories about the architects, writers, actors, or dancers, see where they lived and how their creativity built your surroundings.
The whole concept of traveling is not about how many kilometers you have made. It is about exploring and learning new things no matter how far (or close) they are to your home. Enjoy the ride around your hood or you can check these nature documentaries to get the spirit of the outside!
