When was the last time that you hopped on the train to take a closer look at an interesting place nearer to home? Have you ever thought about exploring all the amazing spots in your own country? Here are six reasons why you should start thinking about Traveling In Your Own Backyard.

Traveling In Your Own Backyard

When you hear the word travel, your mind automatically comes up with the image of exploring a far away exotic land that you have never been to before. A place where you do not know the local language, having a culture that is alien to you, and practices that leave you mesmerized – these are most people’s first thoughts when they think of travel. But even though international travel is super exciting, is it the only kind of enjoyable travel?

Statistics show that in the past US citizens have not been very inclined to consider domestic travel when taking a trip for pleasure. However, in the recent years, the trend has been changing quite a lot. In 2017, US travelers took almost 14 million more trips in their own country than outside of it. And every year since then, this number has been constantly on the rise.

Why Should You Consider Traveling Locally?

But why are we seeing such a change in the preferences of a US tourist? Why are people suddenly more willing to consider local travel?

Well, the answers to these questions are many fold. But the simple truth is that people are finally recognizing the true potential of travelling within their own backyard. They have come to see exactly what they had been missing on their exotic international vacations, and what their own homeland has to offer.

If you have been putting down local travel, then today’s blog is for you. In the next few paragraphs, we will discuss all the advantages that local travel has over international trips.

1. When international flights close down, your local tourist spots welcome you with open arms

With the dawn of 2020, all my travel plans came to a sad end. The spread of the coronavirus was so rapid that it was no longer safe to visit different countries. And so, the government took the smart decision of closing down all international flights, except for the very urgent ones.

Though this decision was important for our own safety, it also sadly cancelled all the international vacations we had all been saving up for for ages. However, I soon realized that this does not necessarily mean that I cannot make different travel plans.

And so, as the situation stabilized, I altered my travel itinerary a little. That is, I modified the destinations I had originally wanted to go to. I turned towards local travel – and so far, it has played off amazingly well. When international flights were banned, I found my solace in the local tourist spots.

2. Domestic travel is a lot more economical

A huge reason why people do not travel more than they do is because of the financial constraints. If I had the means, there would never be a month in which I did not explore another place. But sadly, even a single 2 week vacation abroad can have you saving up for months before you can finally afford it.

However, when you start considering local travel, your expenses automatically reduce a great deal. Your flight ticket, your accommodation, the taxi fare – there are so many things that you do not have to worry about with domestic travel!

3. You can take more trips in a year with local travel

Because domestic travel is so much cheaper than international vacations, you can do more of it in a year with the same amount of money. This means that you get more frequent breaks from your boring routine to do something exciting. While you had to save for an entire year for a short trip to Bali, you could take many more vacations only if the destination was a little closer to home.

Taking frequent trips refreshes your soul, rejuvenates your mind, and makes you able to perform better in your everyday life. 

4. There is a lot less anxiety involved with domestic travel

Some people forsake the exciting travel experience because they consider it too much hassle for what you get in the end. From planning the trip and getting your documents together to actually boarding your plane and reaching the destination – every journey is full of unique challenges of its own.

Travelling surely does stress you out, but the likelihood is much less if your destination is not a far away land you know nothing about.

This is especially true with people whose anxiety comes with flying. Because you have the option to very conveniently take a train, a bus, or even your own car to the place you want to visit, you can cut out the flying aspect entirely from your local travels.

5. You get an insider’s knowledge about your own culture and heritage

There is no better way to learn about your own local history and culture than visit the places you are curious about. It’s convenient, it’s economical, and it’s a whole lot of fun!

When you are living the experiences that you have read about in a book, you learn so much more than even the most detailed scriptures offer you. You get to experience everything you heard of or read of first handedly, and there is no other source that can compare this.

6. It fits in better with your work schedule

A lot of times, taking a vacation is just not possible with the kind of work schedule you have. If you are a particularly busy bee, then you might find the answer in local travel as well.

Because there are no long flights or train rides, you reach your desired destination much sooner. And due to the time you save during commute, you can significantly cut down the number of days you have to take off from work. You can even schedule a spontaneous trip over the weekend without it affecting your work in the least. For more Travel Blogs Go Here.

Wrapping It Up

Local travel is something that just keeps on giving. When you are closer to home, there is little to no language barrier to deal with. The friends you make on these adventures are also ones you can keep seeing throughout the year because they are not living on the other side of the world. And the best part – you end up supporting the local economy and small businesses.