Prior to starting Follow My Gut, I did travel, but not very often. I visited a few places around the United States and even took a few trips to Jamaica. But once I started this website, I quickly embraced the unfair idea that “real” travel meant boarding a plane. Often, several planes.
For a while, I believed the most meaningful adventures required a passport, long flights, time changes, and destinations far from home. It didn’t take long for me to realize how limiting that mindset was.
Of course, traveling internationally can be (and is) incredible. Experiencing new cultures, languages, and landscapes is something special. But crossing oceans doesn’t automatically make a trip more meaningful than the places waiting to be explored close to home.
At some point along the way, I realized there’s a unique kind of joy in discovering the cities, neighborhoods, and landscapes that exist just outside your everyday routine.
Living in Altadena, and close to such a major city like Los Angeles, has made that especially easy to appreciate.
Some of my favorite outings here have been to places right in my own backyard. Destinations like The Huntington Library, the GRAMMY Museum, and the California African American Museum, are places that can be reached within an hour, yet each one offers a completely different experience filled with art, history, and beauty.
But the joy of exploring close to home expands a bit beyond that.
Some of the most memorable discoveries have come from driving just a little farther, two or three hours beyond my normal routine. Southern California makes this kind of travel especially rewarding because the scenery, food, and culture can shift dramatically in just a short distance.
On different trips, I’ve found myself wandering through the Danish-inspired streets of Solvang, exploring the national park in Soledad, eating along the coast in San Diego, or enjoying art in the desert just an hour away from Palm Springs.
Each of these places offers something different: new restaurants to try, art exhibits to get lost in, museums to explore, and landscapes that make you pause for a moment longer than expected. And the pictures and video taken in each place? Priceless moments to look back on far after you’ve left.
As someone who is exploring close to home more and more, I’ve realized that there’s something refreshing about leaving your zip code to see what’s out there. Even if only for a day or a long weekend, seeing what lies outside your own county lines is an opportunity in itself that should be taken. Exploring nearby cities gives you the chance to see familiar regions through a different lens and appreciate the creativity, life, and natural beauty that exists just a short drive away. It’s often overlooked when travel can be seen as catching a flight, but it’s something that should be done whenever possible. Since we never know how much time we have in this life, this is something I suggest you start sooner than later and do as often as you can. The world is at our fingertips, we should reach out and see it first-hand.
The joy in exploring close to home has its own degree of excitement that every person should experience. To see what’s out there comes with small discoveries that can transform the way you maneuver through the world. While you can hop on a plane or train, when given the chance I encourage you to drive somewhere close and experience what you can find when visiting a place that may not require a stamp in your passport.
Location in Images: Salvation Mountain – Niland, CA (3 hours south of Los Angeles).
