“Where is the first place you will visit now that you have a job?”
“When are you going overseas?”
“Now that you are working, when will you book your next holiday?”
These are the main points of conversation since I started my new job. Seriously, why are people always in a rush? Why does it feel like it is all a big comparison and competition? Life is so crazy as it is, everyone seems to be in a rush to tick off that bucket list, to rush through and get to the next bigger and better thing. They rush to travel to new places, but can they honestly say that they have truly savored the experience? Most people I find are waiting for Friday, waiting for their next holiday, waiting for a new year – why? Why are we not focusing on life as it is right now in the moment?
Why do people assume that to travel means to leave?
You can still explore and travel by staying at home. So often we think that to be living our best life we should be filling up our passports with visas and stamps in foreign countries – how many people can say that they have truly explored their home town? Have they have been a tourist in their own city? Making life an adventure every day, by slowing down and savoring what we have right in front of us is truly what I think makes your life infinitely happier, relaxed, and much more fulfilled.
Here is how to explore your own city first. And no, you don’t need a huge budget, and you don’t need to jet off to distant lands to become an explorer.
- Create a staycation. Some weekends I like to plan a mini itinerary on what we can see and do in Dublin, where we can eat and how our whole day will go. Just like as if we were visiting Dublin for the first time.
- Keep a bucket list for your city. We have an ever-growing list of things we want to do in Dublin, and we had a similar list in Johannesburg. On weekends when we are not sure what to do, we can go through the list and find ideas that we wrote down. It is a great way to remember and get to see everything.
- Try visit a new place every time. One of our rules is that we try not go to the same restaurant or pub more than twice. This is because there is such a wide variety, and we want to explore everything. Also routine can be so boring and monotonous. If you feel like you want to spice up your routine, change it first by trying a new place instead of sticking to your local go-to spots.
- Get creative and find the things to do that don’t cost a thing. Not everything in life has to be expensive and over the top. Sometimes exploring a new park, or museum, or finding a free event makes life exciting!
- Do one new thing. Key to exploring is to fully explore something, you can’t say you have truly experienced a new place if you run in, snap a picture and leave. Slow down. You don’t need to rush through your whole weekend, doing everything. I like to pick one or two things we can do each weekend, but leave it really casual, and play everything as it goes – some weekends you just want a pj and series day and that is OK too.
So many people use Dublin as a chance to jet overseas without fully exploring what it has to offer. And while I will admit that was definitely a reason we chose to move to Ireland (it is so central to all sorts of wonderful countries) because we have been short on cash recently, it has forced us to get creative on how we get out and enjoy our free time. Through living on one salary and still wanting to explore, it has made us realise that it doesn’t have to cost a lot to explore your home town, and for us, it’s still an adventure exploring Dublin from the inside out.
The biggest benefit to exploring your own city first is to really fall in love and appreciate where you live. You start realising just how much your home has to offer, and it turns you into a travel expert and brand ambassador for your own city – you can become that go-to person on where to go and what to see in your home town. And because things are always changing, new restaurants are always opening up, life never really gets boring because there is always something new to explore.
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY? HAVE BEEN A TOURIST IN YOUR HOMETOWN?
Unlock the simple life,
~Meg~
p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.
p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!
PIN THIS AND READ LATER:
Love this! I’ve friends obsessed with the idea of travel, but who never have the time and the money. Their scope is too big, their dreams to broad. They make it an impossible achievement before they have even left the house. I’m disabled so dreams and bucket list ticks have had to be scaled down, but in a way this has helped me achieve more. Tiny things, spread out over time, sure. But far more attainable goals for all walks of life. Me and my partner wanted to see more of Ireland, visit at least every county once. But with his work, my pain and fatigue making it difficult to even sit in a car, we have been taking short trips (mostly one night stays) to various places around the country, in what we call our five year mini bucket list. Travelling like this means we don’t have to put our pets into kennels, it isn’t a financial strain, and it’s all round just so much easier. Ireland is so tiny. I’ve never really considered what I could be missing in my own town though, so you’ve spurred me on to explore more locally too!
Thanks so much Kitty – we also want to get to every county in Ireland! Happy travels!
Such a lovely post. One of my favourite sayings is “I love being a tourist in my own country” – never though of ‘in m own city’. Going to try it!!
Thanks Cheryl! So often people think about far away places – when you could discover something new just down the street from you! 🙂