mdolla: I Don’t Travel Once A Year; I Travel Every Day In The Same Old Place

Traveling is always addictive. Sadly most people on average can only travel once a year, due to the monetary cost, work, etc. But life is so short. Why do we have to wait for the yearly vacation to have such amazing travel experience?

Before we look into the ways to have frequent travel experience, we need to understand what makes traveling so addictive…

When we travel, we’re highly stimulated by the new things around us. New buildings, new custom, new faces…When we get so much stimulation at a time, we pay closer attention and become more present in the moment. Psychologists say when our mind wanders less, we become happier.^[1]

If that’s the magic of travel, why do we have to travel abroad? Staycation can do exactly the same. And we can actually get that travel high EVERY SINGLE DAY even if we are not traveling, as long as we twist our mind a bit.

By doing the following small things, you’ll feel like traveling every day, though you stay in the same place.

Go to a new restaurant every day

It’s common for us to stick with the few nearby restaurants or our favorite restaurants. This gives us the sense of security. But the bad side is that it makes life predictable and boring. Spend a few minutes every day looking for a new restaurant and be bold to try it.

Try a new dish once a day

In case there are not many restaurants in your place, you can just try a new meal in the same restaurant you always go to. Even if there are over 30 choices on the menu, most of the time we just pick our favorite. Next time when you go there, close your eyes and point your finger somewhere on the menu. When you open your eyes, just order the one you’re pointing at.

Go to the same place at a different time

You go to the cafe to buy your coffee every morning. And in the evening you would walk past the park. What if you go to the park in the morning, and buy a piece of cake in the cafe in the evening? Very likely you will find that the faces change and the atmosphere is totally different.

Take a different seat when you go to the same old place

Maybe you are used to sitting at the corner of the beach. What if sitting near the water? Does the breeze feel different? Can you smell the seawater? Any little creatures around you?

Bring different people with you

When you go alone, you tend to have more self-talk and self-reflection. When you go with your family, you usually talk about the environment you’re staying in. When you go with friends, you often gossip about the strangers around. Go with different people and you’ll have very different experiences. And that’s what makes your daily life much more fruitful and exciting!