What comes to mind when you think of the word travel? You probably think of exciting, exotic, new places far away, right? That’s usually what I think of. When I was about to return from my semester of study abroad, I thought to myself, wow I’m really going to miss traveling. But then it dawned on me that I haven’t even seen my own backyard. I’ve never once explored Chapel Hill, Raleigh or Durham in the same way that I’ve made it my mission to see and experience as much of Sevilla or Paris or London as I could.

“That’s just what happens when you have an indefinite amount of time in one place. You forget to explore. You forget how much there is to see and do in the places right next to you. You get so consumed with the day-to-day that you forget to live.”

That’s just what happens when you have an indefinite amount of time in one place. You forget to explore. You forget how much there is to see and do in the places right next to you. You get so consumed with the day-to-day that you forget to live. That’s why I’ve decided to devote this post to not forgetting to “travel” in your own backyard.

You see, travelling is all about having new experiences and meeting new people. This can 100% be done in places near you. There’s always a restaurant you haven’t tried or a hiking spot that you didn’t even know existed. In going to these new places too, you’ll likely find people, people whom you’ve never met before, people you can learn from.

So this weekend, instead of sitting in bed all weekend watching Netflix, grab a friend, or yourself J, and try something new! In the end, traveling is all about living and experiencing, and you can do that in the town that you call home. Don’t let the day-to-day make you forget to live.

If you’re from the Triangle area in North Carolina, keep an eye out for my post on Friday on hiking spots in the area! I’m sure there will be ones that you didn’t even know existed!

How have you taken the time to explore your own backyard? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!