Staying at home during peak holiday seasons can not just save you a lot of money, but also give you a chance to explore your surroundings in a totally new way. You can go and visit places that you never get to see during the year, as you might be too tied up with work, or have simply forgotten that those special places exist. This year, while most of my acquaintances have been rushing off to some different part of the country, or some far flung exotic location, for their annual vacation, I have remained at home, looking at what my city has to offer with totally new eyes. I am quite amazed at how much there really is to enjoy here. How about you, do you really need to go to a different location to recharge your batteries during your holidays?
I live in an 'exquisitely beautiful' place [I'm not exaggerating] so much as there never is a need to go to elsewhere for my holiday, because I don't get to meet a lot of people here [it's a very small town] the need to travel to places where I can interact with people albeit for a short time, compels me to go elsewhere.
If you live in the northwest like me, you are surrounded by lush trees and nature. Rediscovering the beauty around you is easy. For me, I take walks in areas that I normally ignore. Also, there's the local park. All of these places help me enjoy my area much more and not get so caught up in work and other distractions.
I see the point of going on vacation when you don't have to work, but I find we come back tired and not ready to return. There is something wonderful about staying at home and enjoying the things you work so hard to maintain. Most of us have local tourist attractions we have never seen. Sometimes when I know I'm going to have a day off I surf the web as if I was someone visiting the town where I live and then go see some of the new things available. Most cities have welcome sites where they list all the local attractions and even have calendars that list current events. Many of these events are often free.
I'm not against going out of the city when the holidays arrive but I agree that we should spend some more time visiting the locations we have in our proximity. I live in a big city and I still haven't seen everything it has to offer. Just last weekend I found one park that I never set foot in, a great experience that didn't involve spending a ton of cash on transport and accommodations At the same time it's easy to see why people from smaller cities choose to leave their area for the holidays - in such cities it's hard to find something new.
