When you think of travel, most people immediately think of far-away destinations with a climate that cannot be compared to their home country. Whether it is camping or an all-in holiday to a tropical country, the destination is usually outside of one’s own country’s borders. Given the current situation in the world, it seems that we will have to look closer to home for a while. Some of us saw their travel plans fall through and fear for the coming season. The question is: Is this a problem? Perhaps, due to globalisation and the endless possibilities, we have forgotten what assets our own region has to offer. 

Do we actually still know our own country? 

Traveling has become easier, more accessible and cheaper over the years. This has also increased the possibilities. Why would you stay in your own country when you can, so to speak, visit any place in the world? Well, there are plenty of reasons and perhaps the most important reason is the following: We have not seen our own country as the perfect holiday destination for a long time, but what is this feeling based on? Is further away better? Can you enjoy a climate that is different from your own more? Are the cities and nature reserves really more beautiful abroad? This could well be the perfect moment to discover this for yourself. Who knows, our own country may have more to offer than we think. Here are a few reasons why closer to home is not necessarily worse: 

1. The holiday starts on the first day

Camping is always about the journey, more than the destination. No matter how far we drive, the moment you hitch up the caravan or take the wheel of your motorhome, the holiday begins. However, most campers will travel the first few hundred kilometres on the motorway, stopping only to eat, go to the toilet or stretch their legs.
Are you traveling in your own country? Then you can start your discovery tour from the first kilometer. Avoid the highways and try to enjoy from the point that you no longer know the region like the back of your hand. 

2. You learn more about the past of your own country

Abroad, we usually learn a lot about the region we are crossing. Trips are often planned around sights and cities with a rich history. On the other hand, the great thing about a holiday by caravan or mobile home is that you can spontaneously come across small museums, villages and monuments. You can stop whenever you want and visit them. This is something we rarely do in our own country. So get out there and learn more about the history of your own country and its people. 

3. You can go out more often. 

Of course, faraway places remain very interesting. The greater the cultural difference, the greater the chance of an impressive trip. It is therefore not insinuated that you will never have to plan a long trip in the future. However, this is the time to learn to enjoy holidays closer to home. When you start to realise that your own country also has a lot to offer, you can go out more often in the future when you have a short period of free time. In the future, when all borders are open again and all countries are accessible again, there is a good chance that you will travel abroad for a slightly longer period. By (re)discovering the love for your own region now, you open the door to future trips in your own country. The advantage is that a few days are enough for this. Preparation is also less crucial. So whenever you hear that the weather is going to be good for a weekend, you can get in your car or mobile home and leave.  

4. Fewer language and cultural differences 

Sure! Not understanding each other, trying to ask for directions with your hands, feet and a few words in the local language is one of the charms of travelling. Cultural differences make the journey more interesting. This is all true. However, there is also a very practical side to travelling, which becomes a lot easier when the differences are not too great. Some people like to travel for the nature or the environment of their destination and are less interested in difficult conversations and strange customs. For those who do enjoy the barriers, in most countries you can also look for them within your own borders. In few countries do you find the same people, customs and language in every corner. 

5. Combine your trip with a visit

Rarely do all your friends and family live nearby. Or maybe there is that one friend from your student days with whom you have lost touch due to the distance between you. The nice thing about a holiday in your own country is that you can plan a route along all those people. A few days of discovery and immersing yourself in the local culture, alternated with a pleasant visit to family, friends or people you may have lost sight of along the way. The perfect combination. Another related advantage is the fact that the friends or connections you make on holiday will now live closer to home. Perhaps the ideal distance to be able to keep seeing new friends more often. 

Many people are rightly sad that their long-distance journey cannot go ahead. Nobody chose this situation, but it is reality. You can be angry, scared or sad about it. Yet you can also look at it from a different perspective. Some will see it as if they are being restricted in their choice to travel outside their own country's borders, but let us see it above all as a great opportunity that we are given to explore our own backyard.