Travel is astonishing. It can help us marvel at the scope of the world. It can help us feel more experienced. It can broaden the mind, and also help us relax with those we love. Travel abroad with someone, and provided the stresses of travel don’t take their toll, you are almost guaranteed to get closer to that person.
But ironically, travel can also allow us to appreciate our homes more. This can seem completely odd, and something unexpected. But it’s true. Travel more, and you’ll likely start to come home with the intention of making the most of your local space. We hope that those seasoned travelers who read this can discover that within themselves, and perhaps could be more inclined to explore their local area, and appreciate the value on their doorstep.
Too much travel advice on the internet has been geared to one of two extremes. ‘Make the most of your local area’ or ‘always travel somewhere new’ both come to be two sides in a war. But what if we fused them? Let us explore that, together:
You See The Value In People
When you care to travel abroad, you begin to see just how varied and interesting culture can become. This might lead you to explore some of your own where you live. Of course, it might not seem exotic to you because if you’re living in your home country – you’re likely very familiar with the culture there. But there might be things that you’ve missed. It’s very likely that there are people worth meeting near you as well, stories to hear, and impromptu friends to make. When you don’t brush people aside as simply the ‘default’ you are used to, you might end up appreciating where you live more, and consider it more vibrant than you have in the past. This can usually only be a good thing.
You Make The Most Of Your Area
Perhaps your local area has many worthwhile events and features that you’ve been ignoring thus far. When you’re a seasoned traveler, you’re used to looking up events, to taking a chance, to attending things both blind (in order to be surprised,) and with deep research on the event. You might come across cafes, restaurants, pet shops, a vape shop, anything that you might have just ignored your first time through. Making the most of your area can often be incredibly enlightening to this degree, so it can be worth the effort.
Why not apply that mindset to where you live currently? You might live near one of the most respect safari parks in the country, or perhaps your state or county is known for its ice cream production, or perhaps there’s a local landmark you’ve avoided thus far because it’s the ‘tourist’ thing to do. Make the most of your area. You’ll often be surprised just what you can see, and learning about it can help you feel more at home in your environment, more prideful of the place that you live.
You Travel Further Afield
It can often be that travel within your home country has been limited to the ‘must-see’ events. But when you travel, you learn that often, the ‘must-see’ attractions do not fill up a whole vacation, or can be tiring after a while. For example, walking around an old Italian village that might not hold much in the way of novelty to the residents can seem absolutely engaging to you and your travel companion.
Why not travel somewhat further afield near your home? A bicycle ride with a friend for miles can help you find all sorts of things you may not have already, such as fantastic shops, restaurants, home-spun businesses and attractions in quaint and small towns you may never have visited. Not only that, but you don’t need to board a plane to get there, or spend much at all. When you focus on days out like this, or even weekend trips somewhere not-too-far, you make use of that appreciative mindset you may have learned abroad.
You Become More Grateful
Travel abroad can help you adopt that gratitude mindset, the fact that you can see so many amazing things in one locale can keep people returning to an area time and time again. Perhaps there are opportunities like this near your home. Heritage sites or beautiful views at the top of a hiked hill might provide you that feeling in droves, and also help train your endurance for the next trip you take abroad.
With these tips, you’ll see just how beneficial travel can be, and also how many use of your home area is important. With these two things fused, you can become a much more textured traveler.
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