Bring the Joy of Travel Home
Are you old enough to remember home movies? Though I’ve never experienced it myself, I’ve heard stories about folks who would “graciously” share their travel movies with their friends. The joke is that the friends were mostly uninterested, but would sit through the slide show (and, often, too many details) out of kindness for their friends.
With the advent of social media, we have our own sort of “home movies” on social media. This gives us access to our family and friends’ travel adventures without having to leave our living room. In one way, social media is a better option because we can ignore the photos and videos that we don’t care about and focus on the ones that we do.
On the downside, it’s possible to become jealous about other people’s travels, thinking that everyone is having fun besides us. That may lead us to believe that we need to travel to faraway places ourselves so we don’t miss out on the fun.
Recently a friend of mine posted her travel photos on Facebook. She was in Europe and, having been to Europe myself, I saw familiar architecture which reminded me of my own travels. The thing that struck me the most, however, was her many photos of the food she and her husband were eating.
I’m not judging her or anyone else for sharing whatever brings them joy. Food and the restaurant experience certainly can and should be a part of that. But it did make me wonder…
Why do we need to fly halfway around the world to experience new things and to eat delicious food?
This has always been a bit of a mystery to me. While I have definitely enjoyed my travels, especially to countries beyond my U.S. home, I often think that the majority of us fixate too much on seeking experiences away from home.
Again, travel is fun and I do highly recommend doing so if you can. What I want to emphasize is that if you do not have the means to travel or if you don’t enjoy the logistics of travel or if, for some other reason, travel is not in the cards for you right now, there are ways to “travel” while staying local.
When I looked at my friend’s photos of dining in Spain, I realized that I could generate similar photos from restaurants in my own city. Maybe food in Spain is fundamentally different from food in Austin, Texas, but could I find a restaurant with some sort of new-to-me cuisine if I tried? I’m quite certain that I could.
In terms of the sites my friend posted, we don’t have European architecture in Austin, Texas, but I asked myself what sites do we have locally that I could take advantage of if I wished?
I’ve been surprised to find that I have visited places in Austin that even some locals haven’t. To be honest, Austin isn’t the most fascinating city I’ve ever visited, but when I moved here, I made a point to visit the touristy sites right away.
Since I’ve settled into my life in Austin, I rarely take in the local sites anymore. I noticed that the same thing happened when I got used to my Virginia home (right outside of Washington, D.C.). When it became “home” to me, I no longer viewed my new city as a place to explore, even though there were endless opportunities to do so.
What if you took a new view of your own city or town? What is there to see and do that would feel like taking a vacation? If you were a visitor to your own city, what would you want to experience?
Perhaps the city or town in which you live isn’t interesting to you because you’ve seen everything you wish to see. Is there a nearby city or town that would be interesting? The key is to look around and see what is already within a reasonable distance and could be enjoyed without all the expense and planning of a faraway vacation.
Learning to see your surroundings as a tourist isn’t just about saving money on travel (though that’s a great side benefit). More importantly, it’s about taking a fresh look at the world around you so that you can find the joy in “hidden” places. When you learn to do this, you could literally feel like you are on vacation on a random Wednesday evening.
But HOW does one go about finding things locally that can elicit joy?
I often begin by reading the advice given for travelers to my home town. I like to start by making sure I’ve seen many of the most popular sites in my city. When that list has been exhausted, I will search further for more obscure things to do or I will ask locals what their favorite activities or sites are.
I don’t spend too much time on making sure that I see all of the touristy sites, though. There are often hidden gems that never show up in a Top Ten Sites list and these can be a lot more fun than the most popular sites.
Small museums, off-the-beaten paths markets, and local restaurants contain a wealth of interesting things to see, do, and experience. Local festivals celebrate arts, music, and cultural traditions. Even local libraries often contain surprises.1 Ask friends what their favorite things to do and see are and you might finding yourself exploring some new local favorites.
I used to travel regularly, and one thing I discovered over time was that I didn’t actually need to fly across the world to have memorable experiences. What I had to learn, though, was how to find locally the types of experiences that captivated me when I was traveling and to begin to view my local world with the wonder of a tourist.
Perhaps it will give you some ideas for yourself if I share a few examples of what I’ve learned from my travels (and some self-reflection):
I did enjoy seeing the Notre-Dame cathedral (in Paris), but when I visited there, I’d seen a lot of cathedrals up to that point and most of them were running together in my memory. But I remember Notre-Dame clearly because I was there during a church service when a beautiful singer’s voice wafted through the space. I was studying voice at the time, so I knew a bit about what made a voice pleasant — and hers certainly was!
I later wondered whether I could find a place in my own home where I could listen to a vocalist in a beautiful setting. Not only could I do so, but I realized that I already do so. Every Monday evening, I get to experience more than 100 singers in a beautiful church when I sing with my local community choir. If I were not a singer myself, I could attend performances of this choir and the many others near me.
When I visited Switzerland, one of my most vivid memories was walking with cows up the side of a mountain. They had those cute bells hanging around their necks that you see in photos, which was charming, but some of them weren’t excited about the trek they were making, and that was funny to me. Swiss cows can have attitudes just like us! ;) As we walked, I was so close to them that I felt like I was part of their group. I felt as though I’d made new friends!
Years later, I visited some cows who lived across the street from my house (in Austin) and when I chatted with them, it was a bit like talking to the Swiss cows (though these cows obviously spoke English!). It turns out that cows are similar, no matter where they live, and it’s fun to chat with them no matter which language they speak.2
When I went on cruises, I enjoyed seeing Caribbean islands, but one of the highlights of my cruises was singing with the pianists on the ship late into the evening and ballroom dancing in a fancy outfit before dinner. I certainly didn’t need to be on a cruise to do those things and I actually did them when I was at home. I often sang at open mic and, for a time, my then-husband and I were avid ballroom dancers. Choosing outfits for these occasions was part of the fun and I didn’t have to go further than my own closet to do so.
When I observed what brought me joy when I was traveling, I was able to deduce what could also bring me joy here at home. I enjoy making music, caring for animals, shopping for clothes, and a host of other experiences that I can find locally. In fact, some of these I can find in my own backyard.3
The key to traveling joyfully is similar to the key in having a joyful life, in general. Being able to shift our view of the “mundane” to see the wonder in everyday life is how we find happiness consistently.
The next time you see photos on social media of someone who is enjoying their travels, consider how you might find something new in your own hometown — or in your own backyard! Having fun while traveling is no different than having fun at home. You simply have to be able to see the world in a new way.
If you can find wonder where you live, you can effectively be on vacation 365 days a year.
Recently when visiting friends in Virginia, my boyfriend and I stopped at the library in Winchester. The architecture is beautiful and the story behind the library is fascinating. My favorite library find, though, was an old choir book in Galveston, Texas. It was a find that surprised and delighted me and ended up being the highlight of my brief trip there.
In Texas we have Longhorn cattle, and the first time I saw one up close, that was a pretty exciting day, too!
Cats! I’m currently caring for a feral cat and her two kittens in my backyard. I also have a garden and sometimes I play my flutes in the backyard, as well. :)