How Traveling Where You Live Can Broaden Your World

In the current state of the world, it is easy to feel unheard and alienated. Communities stand more and more opposite each other, rather than next to each other, whether we like it or not.

Some influential people in our society want us to question the people we share our space with.

How do we resist, and continue to accept and appreciate the way other people live, love, and believe?

One of the easiest ways to resist this fear-mongering culture is to get to know your own country more in-depth. To get to know and understand the people you meet on a day-to-day basis. To celebrate exactly those things that make us different. To share experiences and promote a greater understanding of each other and spread a message of acceptance, love, human empathy and connection.

Meaningful Backyard Travel

Not everyone has the means, the time, or the ambition to travel the world, let alone the rest of the universe, but getting to know the people you share your space with can be done by just stepping out of your front door.

Here are 5 ways you can explore your own backyard that will broaden your world:

Be Curious

Just as when you’re traveling outside familiar places, asking questions and avoiding routine are one of the easiest ways to get to know a destination. Why do you always visit a certain neighborhood? Why do you take the same way home each day? Why do you always have the same lunch? Make the effort to understand more about your behavior and the immediate world around you and you’ll be surprised at what you can find. Don’t forget to search for unexplored viewpoints, local hiking trails and buildings you can publicly access.

Visit Local Events

Browse through local magazines and newspapers to find local festivals and events in your hometown. From farmers’ markets to special exhibitions and from arts festivals to open house days, you’ll be surprised how much is being organized every month! Perhaps there is even some volunteering you can do to meet your neighbors?

Discover Through Food

Discover your neighborhood’s latest pop-ups, caf?s and restaurants, or bring home produce that you’ve never cooked with before and learn more about different world cuisines that way. Food is one of the best ways to learn about other destinations without having to move very far, it brings back memories and feed your wanderlust for the future at the same time.

Get Into Nature

Even when you live in a dense city, chances are there is some green not to far from where you currently are. Find fresh air and some quiet time in and around a local park, reserve, river, pond or lake, wood or even local beach. If you?re look to meet other people, see if there are any running groups or yoga classes being organized outdoors.

Take Photos or Draw

When you really want to get to know a place, stop and take the time to really look at it. When taking photos, or even better, when you draw something, you focus on the details that are otherwise so easily overlooked. Ask your neighbors, friends, family and (local) bloggers or Instagramers for recommendations on where to explore next. We all see the world around us from another perspective, so chances are they know an interesting place that you haven’t been before.

Adopt a traveler?s mindset and remember that no matter where you live, there is something special to be found. Don’t be afraid to do things differently and have the determination to find positivity and happiness around you.

Let us know: have you already started to explore your backyard? What did you discover?