Local travel is good for us as individuals and community members. After years of isolating ourselves more and more due to social media, a lack of third places, and a pandemic, our towns are coming back to life. People, especially young people, are finding that they feel disconnected from their local communities. And yet, social media consistently shows us global journeys, glamorous destinations, and luxury vacations.
I, myself, have tended to save up all my vacation time for one or two epic trips every year, but recently I’ve started to rethink this. Learning more about sustainability in particular has led me to consider a different kind of travel. The benefits, it seems, are not just for the planet.
So what does “local” mean?
Everyone will have a different answer to this. For me personally, it’s probably any place I can reach within a 3-hour drive. That’s doable as a weekend trip without taking any additional days off work. I particularly like day trips rather than overnight trips, so most of my local travel is within a 1-hour journey of my home. “Local” definitely means travel by bus, train, or car—not any location you have to reach by airplane!
Local travel benefits you by…
…Building a deeper appreciation of your area.
If you’ve ever played tourist in your hometown, you’ll know that traveling locally shifts your perspective completely. You’ll look at your town differently. Suddenly you’ll notice historical sites and monuments you never noticed before. You might stop to appreciate a view that you never fully enjoyed before. Perhaps you’ll discover a local history museum you didn’t know existed. You may notice new things about your town’s art scene, festivals, or parks.
Learning about local history and legacy might even lead you to engage more actively with your community. Visiting regional and national parks can make you care more deeply about local environmental problems. And interacting with local business owners and patrons builds your social network and creates stronger ties between community members.
…Costing less than long-distance travel.
International flights nowadays can cost thousands of dollars, and even domestic flights can cost hundreds. And when you get there, you’ll still need to pay for hotels, food, and activities. Local travel cuts out the largest expense of travel. And if you take day trips instead of overnights, you’ll cut out the two largest expenses.
…Allowing for shorter, more frequent vacations.
Many of us are lucky to get a couple of weeks’ vacation once a year. When you have only 2-3 weeks of paid time off, you have two options: you can take one major vacation once a year, or you can take multiple, shorter vacations throughout the year. Taking a couple of extra days, paired with a weekend, allows you to make a relaxing trip to a nearby destination.
It might also allow for more variety. You can take one trip to a city, another to a national park, and another to a small town.
…Being less stressful to plan.
Researching and booking flights, hotels, excursions, restaurants…it’s a lot of work! Local trips are easier to plan with fewer variables to figure out. They can be planned last minute as well, making local travel more flexible than longer trips.
Also, if your trip is disappointing, that’s ok! If you take four short vacations during the year, each one carries less expectation. It’s alright if you run into constant problems on a trip to a town a few hours away. It’s easier to call it quits and go home if things are really terrible. Try doing that when you have flights and hotels booked on the other side of the world!
Local travel benefits your region by…
…Supporting the local economy.
Dollars spent in at locally-owned businesses are more likely to stay within the community. So rather than giving your money to airline corporations or chain hotels, consider spending at local restaurants, shops, and boutique hotels. Even spending on local transit supports the transit agencies that provide daily transportation for your neighbors. And all that local spending creates jobs in your community and contributes to local tax revenue.
…Being more sustainable than long-distance travel.
Train travel is more environmentally-friendly than flying, but traveling by train is unfeasible for long-distance trips. Flying creates enormous amounts of carbon pollution and short haul flights are particularly polluting. So while it’s tempting to hop on a short flight to a famous city, it’s more sustainable to take a train or bus to a destination closer to you. Even driving in a private car, in most circumstances, is more sustainable than flying.
Additionally, certain international tourist hot spots are experiencing over-tourism, leading to environmental degradation and strain on local resources. To protect natural ecosystems, look for off-the-beaten-path destinations.
Upcoming Series on the Blog
In the coming months, I’ll be sharing some of my local travel adventures around the San Francisco Bay Area. I hope that these will inspire you to explore your own region!
