Image Source: PexelsThat Touristy Feeling
Know that feeling when you arrive in another country for the first time and you're completely overwhelmed by all the sights and smells? Back home, we’re often too used to our surroundings to appreciate the amazing experiences right under our noses. Once you start seeing your country as a tourist destination in its own right, you realise how lucky you are to have easy access to the places so many people travel from all over the world to visit. While your hometown might be too familiar to offer much excitement, going further afield can change your surroundings sufficiently to spark that touristy feeling in you.
Eco-Friendly
As the world gets smaller and air travel becomes more accessible, the ethics of travel is coming under more scrutiny. Predicting the carbon footprint of your travel plans comes down to two things: your mode of transport and the distance you intend to travel. Just as some people opt to travel by bicycle rather than drive a car, many people have started exploring closer to home rather than rack up air miles by flying across the globe. While each person has to make their own choices when it comes to environmental impact, it’s worth bearing in mind that whether you’re driving a horse and cart or hiring private jet charters, you’ll be doing the environment a favour by keeping your travel local, rather than heading further afield.
First Language Heaven One of the greatest challenges when travelling overseas is often the language barrier. If you’re going to a foreign country where they don’t speak your language, you will need to either invest hours on Duolingo or spend so much time on Google translate that you’ll miss out on a lot of the attractions. And there’s nothing like being out of your language element to make you realise how dependent travellers are on signage and communicating with locals. Travelling at home, you can sort your hotel bookings, order your food, read maps and navigate without having to overcome that extra barrier. Heaven! If relaxation is what you want out of a holiday, then travelling at home, where you can understand and be understood, is a sure bet.
With the rise of Instagram and travel blogging, it’s understandable that many of us feel immense pressure to pack our bags and travel to exotic parts of the world. But the impulse to travel far from home is not always the right one to follow. These benefits of being a tourist at home will help you appreciate your home country like never before.