I spent the weekend at a local lodge with James. We hiked at sunset and took in the amazing views over the Mississippi River. In the evening, we purchased a bottle of local wine, sat in front of a fireplace and talked. Sunday was a beautiful day and we walked through several Civil War-era cemeteries, reading names and dates, marveling at the passage of time on headstones and taking photos. It was local. It was simple. It was absolutely amazing.
This, of course, is contrary to what we are told is supposed to make a good vacation. The ideal vacation image is supposed to include exotic locale, tropical beaches, jet-setting agendas, and wonderful souvenirs. Never mind that when we strive for those ideal images, our vacations often morph into fighting mouth-breathers on the Express Way, body cavity searches by disgruntled civil servants, walled tourist compounds in Banana Republics and tchotchke-shit cluttering our shelves before ending up in landfills.
After this weekend, I wondered how many times I’ve overlooked a sustainable, local, simple and inexpensive vacation in favor of a carbon-heavy, “exotic” and expensive one. For local vacation ideas:
- Hit up AAA – AAA offers insurance and roadside assistance. It also offers tons of great travel maps, books and advice. A huge amount of this information is available free of charge on AAA’s site. For a small yearly membership fee, you can get travel books, have AAA plot driving routes for you and get other benefits. It’s a pretty sweet deal either way.
- Call your regional tourism bureau – Every state in the union has a tourism branch fighting to bring people into the state to spend money. Here is a super-secret…these bureaus aren’t going to deny you information just because you happen to live in their state. Also, because these offices are staffed by citizens of the state, they may have information on local parks, fairs and activities that the larger, national tourism bureaus may miss.
- Connect with locals – I love Couchsurfing.org. I have met tons of great people and, even when I am not visiting a new place, I attend local events with the local group. As a rule, couchsurfers are fun and outgoing people. Even if you don’t want to hang out with the group or there are no events happening at a convenient time, join the group (it’s free) and post in your local message boards asking for suggestions on what to do in your area. I attended my first burlesque show after being tipped off by a local couchsurfer. To think, I could have gone to my grave without seeing three almost-nude people eat fire…
Longer distance travel has its place. I, for example, as itching to get to China. But, a local vacation is much more attainable for many of us and can be just as enjoyable. Consider making your next vacation a local one.
Have you had a memorable local vacation? If so, share it is the comments!
(Photo via kmevans)
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