Adventure in your backyard

Some people call it a ‘stay-cation’ but I call it an adventure in your backyard.  It’s summertime and vacations are on people’s minds.  While traveling to exotic or far-away locations can be adventurous and transformative, so can staying near home and exploring.  In my home I have an Airbnb, which allows me to meet travelers coming from all over to my town.  Having worked in Manhattan for so many years, I’ve adventured in many neighborhoods around the City.  This may be curious, but I realized that I had never done played tourist in the area where I live now!

Costa Rica inspiration

A few years ago I took a trip to Costa Rica.  I have always loved traveling, and my habit is to wake up early and explore the area near where I’m staying.  I especially remember doing this while studying abroad in Paris.  One morning, near the Costa Rican volcano, Arenal, I was exploring the streets near the Airbnb we were staying in.  To me, it was exotic to be in a warm place with palm trees, beautiful blooming flowers, and fields with horses grazing.  As I walked around, I came upon a long driveway.  At the edge of it sat a dog, eyeing me carefully.  If I stepped too close (I was still yards away), he became agitated and would start barking.  At that moment I realized – this was someone’s backyard.  And that no matter where you traveled, you were always near someone’s ‘backyard’.

I was far away enough, but the dogs were protecting their home…and made me realize what was a scrapbook shot for me is their everyday backyard!

Every day, the owners/caretakers of these horses see the touristy scene of the volcano, Arenal, making it commonplace for them.

Seeing from a guest’s point of view

To make my Airbnb more guest friendly, I have been stocking a drawer with tourist information that I pick up from spots in NYC as well as a rest stop upstate.  After a remodel, my town’s train station offered local tourist brochures.  I started gathering those too.  When one of my guests asked for a restaurant recommendation nearby…I didn’t know many choices.  It was shortly after that I decided to check out my area as if I were a guest in my own home.

Always be curious

I’m glad my curiosity motivated me to adventure in my backyard.  I discovered some fun places and cool art.  It’s made me feel more connected to where I live now, and I talk about my discoveries as if I were talking about a foreign trip I’ve made.

Local explorer tips

Here are some tips for being a tourist in your town and finding local adventures:

• Put on holiday clothes, good walking shoes and get out your camera. Go!
• Get out and walk to the center of town – what do you discover along the way?
• Check websites tourists would use, like Yelp or TripAdvisor. You may be surprised with what others have already discovered.
• Airbnb offers “experiences” – are there any listed in your area?
• Look at the postcards sold in your town. Have you seen all those sights?  Are there spots that you think represent your town that aren’t (yet) on postcards.  Take and share those photos.
• Town history – does your town have some local myth? Or maybe you can create your own imaginative stories for people who lived in your town throughout history.
• Where’s the “best” anything in your town? Pretend you’re writing a top 10 list for a travel site.  Maybe go one step further and see if you can get your reviews published.
• Does your town support local artists? If not, do you know any artists who would enjoy giving  you a tour?  (Maybe even make an event out of it – like those wine & paint places, but at the local art studio.  I don’t think the local high school would allow the wine part, but you could ask)

Tell me about the adventures in your ‘backyard’ (your home, your town, your county…!)  And please don’t actually trespass in other’s literal backyard…