Greetings (again), everyone! Welcome back to part two of today’s blogging extravaganza. If you missed today’s earlier post (making up for Monday’s lack there of), no worries! You can find it here. Today is not Monday, though. It is most definitely Tuesday. So, let’s get this Travel Tip Tuesday show on the road.
A couple years ago I had the wonderful privilege of hosting some dear friends from out of town. I was living near Los Angeles, California at the time, so naturally they asked if I would be their “tour guide” and show them the highlights of SoCal, including but not limited to Hollywood, downtown, the beaches, etc. I assured them that I could and began to think of all the places I could take them. I came up with an itinerary of typical tourist attractions to visit in LA, but to my surprise, I had never actually been to half of them! (AKWARD…) We decided to proceed in our adventuring, despite my inability to be the most excellent tour guide for our trip. Thus, in addition to showing my guests the gems of LA living, I also had the wonderful opportunity to be a “tourist” (in my own city!).
Now pause for a moment. Have you been a tourist in your city?
Yes, it may sound a bit bizarre at first, but traveling does not always have to entail going someplace entirely new and different. Sometimes the best places to visit are right under our noses! More often than not, our cities become all too familiar to us. We commute through them, live in them, meet amongst them, but do we know them? Perhaps not as much as we think.
So when you consider your next travel destination, why not try adventuring at home? Sure, you’ll feel silly, but trust me when I say you can have a lot of fun without going very far. If you need to get out of the house for the weekend, book a hotel room for a “stay-cation” of sorts. Whatever works for you! Do some research on the touristy spots in your stomping grounds and even bring a camera along to take some fun photos. Just get out and explore the place you call home! It may surprise you.
Have you ever had a “stay-cation”? What was your experience? Feel free to comment below! It is always a pleasure to hear from you! Cheers! 🙂
This Darling Adventure 
Guilty and a bit embarrassed, I’ve never been on a duck boat tour in Boston. I see them all the time but just pass on by. They are best for the summertime and it’s snowing here now, but gonna have to take up your idea with finally hopping aboard one of those bad boys. Any advice on what to explore in San Diego? Heading that way next year!
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Nice! No shame. I’ve always wanted to try one of those as well, just for kicks and giggles. Let me know how it goes! San Diego… hmm.. I have not spent a lot of time there, but when I have visited I really enjoyed Coronado, the Gaslamp Quarter, and the Mission Bay area. Also, there are some beautiful spots along the coast with dramatic cliffs that make for excellent photo ops and beach days. When in doubt for things to do, though, check with Trip Advisor. 🙂
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Do you like animals? Because SD has seals (so many seals) and a zoo where a cheetah lives with a yellow labrador and they go for walks together and it’s goddamn adorable.
I also really liked Carlsbad mostly because the beach was quiet and the vibe was chill.
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Oh yes! The zoo is amazing! Agreed! 🙂
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Do I like animals? Imagine if I was like, nah animals suck! I HATE THOSE CUTE A-HOLES!
Of course I love animals. I’ve heard about zoos using dogs to help be companions for big wild animals. I remember watching an Orangutan and an Elephant be friends with a dog (separate dogs). Shouts to the Animal Kingdom for crowning dogs as being the kings of best friendability (this isn’t a word, but it should be).
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Hahaha!
“God I hate animals. Animals are the worst. Actually, animals are probably why we’re in this political mess to begin with. If everyone would just STOP wasting their time on the pandas and focus on REAL ISSUES instead we’d be in a much better place.
Also, puppies aren’t even cute. There I said it.”
….And everyone in the comments section then quietly side-eyes you and puts a little ‘sociopath’ tag beside your username.
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I’ve lived in the Blue Mountains for about 4 years now and still feel like a tourist most of the time! Late last year I jumped on board one of the tourist shuffle buses and had a great time, spotting things both familiar and new. It felt like the tip of the iceberg but great to start to know my own (big) back yard a little better 😊
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Wow! That’s awesome! 🙂
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Had the same experience last year in February. A couple of school friends from Singapore came down to my country and I had the honor of showing them around the capital, except I hadn’t been to any of the truly historic sites of Dhaka. We winged with Google Map but that actually added to the fun. I have great friends who are really understanding, WHEW!
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Wow! Sounds like a fun time and some amazing memories! Thanks so much for sharing! That’s awesome 🙂
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I’ve sort of half-heartedly toured around my city. Dublin isn’t very big so it’s not hard to hit up the tourist spots. The only ones I haven’t done are the ones that are clearly tourist traps… but then I avoid them in other cities as well. I prefer to go exploring and find the things the locals love to do. Not hard when you’re the local!
Having said that I have been told the Guinness Brewery tour is fun even for homebirds so maybe I’ll give it a try! At the very least I’ll get a free pint out of it.
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That still works too! 🙂 Yes, the clearly touristy traps are at times not the best places to go… I am a huge fan of staying away from them in cities we visit as well. But every once and a while you can find a hidden gem amongst them. Ooo the Brewery sounds awesome! Can’t go wrong with a free pint!
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I think its a universal habbit…we long for visiting the unseen ignoring our seen land,our very homeland which has many unseens…very true.
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