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Travel locally, where you are

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Re: Travel locally, where you are

#12

Post by eastof »

I am a huge proponent of this. I find it shocking how many people I talk to in California have never even heard of so many amazing parts of the state outside of a few urban bubbles of SF/LA/San Diego and major attractions like Yosemite. Such a better experience in nature when you aren't surrounded by tourists in places like the Mendocino forest or the Inyo mountains. I also learn so much about our history and how regular people live in small rural towns, they often put effort into preserving it, and the locals love to talk about it. I also love seeing all of the huge mines, factories, infrastructure projects, etc. that support our cities, but people rarely think about.

Re: Travel locally, where you are

#14

Post by snicky »

zazuke wrote: post #5
jerf wrote: post #2

It isn't the same as travelling to truly remote cultures, of course, but odds are, your area has more stuff going on than you realize. My wife and I have taken to planning our occasional 2 week vacations with 2-4 days that we have plans for, and then plan to just use local resources to figure out what to do from there. And we always find things. Sometimes literally just driving down the road on the way to something e…

I find it also much more relaxing if you just go, with less planning, and more surprises. Travel as the wind takes you, that's it.

I usually prefer to make a detailed plan for my trip, but I allow myself to break free from it anytime I find something more interesting to do. This way I'm more sure that I won't waste too much time or money staying in wrong places, choosing wrong means of transport and falling for some tourist traps or common scams.

Re: Travel locally, where you are

#15

Post by eastof »

oneneptune wrote: post #10

This is great unless you live in an area of almost absolute geographic and social homogeny in a 100 mile / 160 km radius. "Yo friends, want to drive an hour and see if the fast food in a strip mall is the same as our fast food in a strip mall" just doesn't quite land or "Want to drive 45 minutes and walk in a park that was built in the early aughts and lacks proper shade and had all it's benches removed just like our…

Would you mind sharing the general region where you are? Based on your criticisms it sounds like the US, but my experience is quite different. I have only lived on the West coast though, and we're quite spoiled with amazing natural beauty around every corner here. I had a great time road tripping around small towns in the northeast around Vermont and Maine though.

Re: Travel locally, where you are

#17

Post by zazuke »

dewey wrote: post #11

I like the name that Alastair Humphreys uses, it's not 100% the same but the same direction: Microadventures https://alastairhumphreys.com/product/microadventures/

amazing, thanks for sharing. I was curious if there's already a name for this local travel. Micro-travel or planless-travel are close. Mini retirements are another term I like to use. I heard from the Pathless Path book (I think), which is traveling for up to 4 weeks - it's not 100% related, but it is what came to mind when I heard Microadventures.

Re: Travel locally, where you are

#18

Post by jubilanti »

oneneptune wrote: post #10

This is great unless you live in an area of almost absolute geographic and social homogeny in a 100 mile / 160 km radius. "Yo friends, want to drive an hour and see if the fast food in a strip mall is the same as our fast food in a strip mall" just doesn't quite land or "Want to drive 45 minutes and walk in a park that was built in the early aughts and lacks proper shade and had all it's benches removed just like our…

Yeah, not everybody lives in Switzerland or the San Francisco Bay Area.

I've been in many a road trip up, down, and across the Great Plains of the US, where I spend a full day driving only to arrive in a town and geography that looks the exact same as the one I woke up in that morning. Only the signs are different.

Re: Travel locally, where you are

#19

Post by whall6 »

oneneptune wrote: post #10

This is great unless you live in an area of almost absolute geographic and social homogeny in a 100 mile / 160 km radius. "Yo friends, want to drive an hour and see if the fast food in a strip mall is the same as our fast food in a strip mall" just doesn't quite land or "Want to drive 45 minutes and walk in a park that was built in the early aughts and lacks proper shade and had all it's benches removed just like our…

I live in Texas, which is probably very similar to where you’re thinking of, and I could list off at least 10 different places within a 1 hour radius that should be visited.
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