Travel long enough and you’ll begin to see the world differently. In fact, you’ll learn to actively engage with your home environment more frequently. You won’t see your backyard or city the same way you did before. You’ll notice things in greater detail which heightens your senses and shapes your perspective. Learning to be a tourist in your own hometown prepares you for lifechanging experiences nationally and internationally.
Some of the ways to see the world through the eyes of a traveler while at home include:
- Experiment with seeing things from different heights. What does it look like from above looking down? Does something change about its appearance while laying on the ground looking up? What can you learn about it by looking at it at eye level? What about through binoculars or a magnifying glass? If you want to change your perspective, change your viewpoint. It’s amazing how different things look from a different height or angle!
- Become familiar with texture. While walking around your city, try to identify at least ten different types of textures available. From the crumbly bark on an old tree to the glistening asphalt of a newly poured parking lot. The idea is to see things in greater detail than you did before. You’ll stop staring at your phone, and instead, look for things that set the location apart from other places that you’ve visited. If you want to get really creative, photograph the textures or do a rubbing of them with a crayon and paper. You can add them to your travel journal to make cool backgrounds for your next spreads.
- Take photographs of twenty items you’ve never noticed before. Zoom in on their details and then try to identify them after you’re done exploring. It will likely be much harder than you thought it was considering you’ve never really paid attention to them before. It’s a great way to get you to be mindful of your surroundings so you’re not in a position to rush by things on your way to somewhere else. You’ll be able to appreciate the beauty of a place you’ve never been to more when you’re not hurrying from one destination to another.
It’s all about the details and the things that you once may have not noticed while traveling. It’s easy to get complacent when at home because things are so familiar to you. Rather than allow yourself to get too comfortable with your environment, try exploring it in new ways. Doing so gives you great practice when it’s finally time to travel.
Paying Closer Attention to Your Surroundings Makes You a Better Traveler
Enhance your travel experiences by learning to pay close attention to details. The more you exercise engaging your senses wherever you go, the more enriching traveling becomes for you. You won’t miss one fantastic thing because you’ll be fully engaged with your environment. You’ll be able to enjoy every trip you take because you’ll be able to spot the beauty and wonder in every city, state, and country that you visit.
