I’ve always been a bit of a wonderer. I can just get into the car and drive, with the journey being as important as the destination. But I think a bit of a “system” for finding nearby trips is needed to help with the wondering. As I write this during the COVID pandemic, nearby trips have become almost a necessity. They help with that “cooped up” feeling and long trips, especially involving flying have become difficult.
Start with some maps, one showing everything within about a 150 mile radius and one showing everything out about 500 miles. The ideal would be to set up the maps on a corkboard or something similar. Then you could put a pushpin into your home location and use a string and the miles per inch scale from the map legend to draw circles.
Draw a 5 – 10 Mile Circle
These would be places you could drive or bike to in a spur of the moment decision. Think “I’m bored” and just go.
Draw a 25 Mile Circle
Destinations within this circle require a little thought in that you probably must allow a couple hours. But you might be surprised with all the possibilities.
Draw a 150 Mile Circle
Here we are probably talking a full day. An experienced wanderer could probably find hundreds of interesting locations to visit within this area.
What About a 500 Mile Circle?
Ok, we are really pushing boundaries here, but not too much. You probably need to devote 3 or 4 days to these trips. It also means 2 or 3 overnights, be they camping, motel stays, AirBNB or whatever. But this circle opens up the possibility of some serious adventures. Some might not consider 500 miles to be a “nearby” trip, but to someone who has traveled by car cross country a few times 500 miles does not sound too bad! Of course these trips will be easier after the Covid pandemic is under control.
Now What to do With the Circles?
Start by making a list of towns within the circle. Then it’s time to hit the Internet. Just do a search for each town. Even smaller towns often have Visitor sites or Chamber of Commerce sites listing reasons to visit their town.
Here are some of the things you may find:
Parks – towns are proud of their parks and will often highlight them.
Hiking – Almost everywhere outside of the center of major cities have hiking trails.
Bike Rides – Many sites have suggested bike rides
Scenic Overlooks – Often little signs will point the way to beautiful overlooks that you would never know were there except for their mention online.
Historical Sites – Most towns are proud of their history and have at least one historical site.
Book Stores – Many towns have little private bookstores that have all kinds of treasures. I never pass up a new or used bookstore.
Unusual stores – You will often find offbeat stores, galleries and similar listed on visitor sites.
Themed Tours – Many times sites will have suggested walking or driving tours. My wife and I once spent a day on a Covered Bridge driving tour in Lancaster County, PA. She took dozens of photos that she still occasionally uses in her artwork.
What else can I do?
Photo opportunities are everywhere. Even if all you have is your cell phone camera take lots of photos. You’ll be glad you did as they will provide great memories even years later.
Write about your adventures. These trips make great writing material, whether for a blog, as a freelance writer, or just in a journal for yourself.
Maybe you should build a website. It could highlight fun things to do near “My Town” or “Anytown”
Get creative. Just the act of getting away from the daily routine will get the juices going and hopefully help your mood. Even little disasters like getting lost become funny stories with time. Just use your imagination!
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