Staycation: a holiday spent in one’s home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.
Before I took to Travel, I was a little colorblind.
I’d never been anywhere. I saw mountains and seas out of documentaries, iconic cities in movies, and I made a habit out of imagining my own adventures ( read #bookworm)
Traveling brings back the child in me. It’s the pure joy of playing with your best friend in the backyard, or blowing on a dandelion.
So I guess at some point I kept pushing limits and going further, and further – because I could. TravelFar soon got mixed up into TravelBetter. The farther, the better.
Which is nuts!
So Fifty Weeks of Spain is me becoming a grown-up again, and not in a bad way – I am not planning to lose any of the joy this time.
I mean: the kind of adult that knows traveling better isn’t always traveling far.
The adult that re-discovers the backyard.
That knows joy is everywhere waiting to be discovered.
The adult who also keeps a bit of that joy intimately hidden away from likes and shares.
I am on a quest. A quest to find that backyard Spain even locals don’t know about.
Why Staycation?
1. Because I’ve burned a lot of oil (literally) – in the last 7 years in particular – and I need to take responsibility for my trailing, growing carbon footprint.
2. Because it’s childish to be searching for wonders only if they’re at a 10h flight distance away from home
3. Because I need start managing my knee-jerk reaction to travel & travel better, not farther.
4. Because, despite your social media drug of choice, travel near is just as satisfying as travel far (and for some this will be travel far anyway)
5. Because there is so much wonder still, in losing yourself in your own backyard.
6. Because I failed to do staycations in the past & neglected the wonders of my own home country.
7. Because I always love a challenge! And digging for Spain hidden gems that even locals rarely know of is a good challenge to have.
8. Because I can
9. Because Spain can
10. Because you can too
I present to you: My Year Long Staycations
Fifty Weeks of Spain
You might as well mistake this for a postcard from Chile, Japan, New Zealand or Singapore. It’s not – This Is Spain.
I aptly named my endeavor Fifty Weeks of Spain. Because if I was going to do this, the hell if I’m not going to take advantage of all those weeks & weekends & extra days off.
50 Weeks of Spain is me attempting to discover the exquisite nooks & crannies of underrated Spain.
My quest is to travel six continents – without setting foot outside Spain!
- Viking landings
- Flamingo lakes
- Endless sand dunes
- Miniature cities
- Underwater sculpture museums
- Mountains you could mistake for Torres del Paine
- a walk down 1 Milion cherry trees that overshadows Japan’s Hanami
- ….and so much more
All found in one. Single. Under-prized Spain. A Spain that few travelers know.
Travel. Differently. Are you coming with me?