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Hands up if you love the way you feel when you travel?
There’s a freedom that comes with travel. You feel like anything is possible, you want to learn, you want to explore.
This carefree, life loving attitude doesn’t have to disappear the moment you step off the plane.
A travel attitude is something more of us should have in our lives, and there are ways you ensure that even after you step off the plane, you end up keeping the travel mindset.
Want to learn more about how you can do this?
Well, read on my friends…
Plan a staycation
I lived in Melbourne for my entire life, and it wasn’t until the last few years of my time there that I started to see my home city through the eyes of a tourist.
I think it all begun when I started traveling more.
Eventually, even after my holidays had ended, I had ended up keeping the travel mindset.
So wherever you live, explore more of your home city
Be a tourist.
Ask friends and family what they like to do on the weekend.
Be on the lookout for local events or festivals that are happening.
Find local hikes or walks.
The bonus of this is that having a staycation in your city can end up being cheaper than traveling to another city for the weekend.
You’ve got accommodation sorted, your car and your kitchen to cook meals!
Check Instagram, Facebook, and TripAdvisor for your local area
Before you close the window on this one, hear me out!
How often have you met a tourist who has seen more of your city than you have?
Sometimes touristy things are boring, and locals would never be caught dead doing the same touristy activities.
But sometimes, there are activities or places you can explore that you never thought of before.
Having a look to see what tourists love about your home city will help you appreciate your surrounds so much more.
The best way to do this?
Search by location on Instagram/ Facebook: this can unearth some gems you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
Look up “things to do” on TripAdvisor: sometimes there are some cool activities you can find through doing this!
Having lived in Boston for 6 months (gosh, I can’t believe how the time has flown!)
I feel as if I’ve already done all the touristy things. Unfortunately, I feel the “there’s nothing to do” here vibe coming on quickly.
Which is a little preposterous if you ask me because Boston is such a beautiful city!
My recent search for Boston unearthed the Boston Athenæum.
This is now become one of my favorite “off the beaten path” locations that I would not have otherwise known. It’s now at the top of my list when I suggest activities for friends and family who visit.
Plan a weekend away
I used to be one of those people who traveled overseas more than saw my home country.
I always said I wanted to explore Australia when I was older or retired… eventually, I realized that nothing good comes from waiting, and started planning more weekend trips away.
These short trips helped fulfill my wanderlust in between my overseas holidays.
They especially helped in the 6 months before I moved to Boston where I was trying to save money.
I still wanted the “travel mindset” so instead of traveling overseas or booking flights interstate, I started to explore local options.
We ended up taking weekend road trips and staying at cheap B&Bs to save on costs.
It’s the little things
Sometimes it’s the little things that you treat yourself to that help keep the travel mindset alive.
Have you ever thought sunsets were more beautiful when you were on holiday?
I know I do.
The truth is sunsets are beautiful everywhere.
We just don’t look out for them.
When I was traveling through Southern Florida, I thought they had the most beautiful sunsets.
And then I realized that everywhere else but my own home had beautiful sunsets.
Which sounds ridiculous, since there are sunsets in every city, no?
Coming home to Boston from that holiday made me realize that I got to see the most epic sunsets from my very own apartment.
I just never looked for it.
So now, every day when it comes to the sunsetting I look out for it.
Experiences and moments like this isn’t restricted to our vacations – we can bring them home too.
Other ways I like to keep the travel mindset at home?
Buying a bunch of flowers (pro tip: Trader Joes is cheap!)
Or, if you’re saving, visiting your local library and borrowing a travel guide book.
Another way I love to keep the travel mindset? Looking over photos from a recent holiday.
It’s all about your mindset
The one thing we all love about traveling is the way it makes us feel.
We want to learn, explore and take lots of photos.
The next time you’re on your way to work, or running errands, take a moment to look at your surroundings.
Take a moment to appreciate what’s beautiful about where you live.
So the next time you come back from a vacation?
Take a moment to figure out how you make your travel mindset stick around for longer. Whether you:
- Explore more of your home city
- Take a staycation
- Plan a weekend away
- Or just appreciate what is around you
Try and see what works for you, what suits your lifestyle. Your travel mindset doesn’t have to leave the moment you disembark your plane.
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Loved this post MG! Everything you commented on resonated with me, esp the sunsets and being a tourist in your own city. I put in more effort to do touristy things before I moved abroad and can’t wait to rediscover what’s changed in Melbourne over the last 2 years. Still need to explore the rest of Australia – esp WA, NT and SA
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Definitely agree – a lot will have changed in Melbourne, it’ll be so exciting for you to explore when you move back! And there’s definitely a lot to be explored in NT and SA – I can’t speak for WA, but maybe that’s an adventure for another time 🙂