7 Ways to Make Your Town Seem Fun Again
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We tend to take where we live for granted.
When you’re traveling, you spend every waking moment exploring the city, scoping out restaurants on Yelp, and getting more Fitbit steps in a day than you’ve gotten in months.
But in your hometown, everything seems accessible, so instead of going to those places that interest you, you push them off. Waiting for a time where you’re less busy or less broke. But the thing is, there’s never a perfect time to do anything, and there’s no time like the present.
Instead of yearning for the days where you can fly to Dubai like your fave Instagram couple, have a stay-cation in your own city and play tourist for the day (or the weekend). I bet you’ll find some cool shit you never knew existed, and it’ll be way better than sitting in your room watching re-runs of Pretty Little Liars.
1. Find A Buddy
It’s a lot easier to make the move to try something different if you have a partner in crime. Just like partnering up with your roomie for the gym helps you work out more, buddying up for your local-tourism gig will help you to actually spend your Saturday exploring rather than huddled in your bed hungover watching Netflix.
2. Make a List… And a Date
You know all those places you want to go to but you never actually do? Like that Mexican food truck by your office or that interactive museum downtown? You know you’ll get there one day, right? But why not today? Or like, this weekend, whatever. If you make a To-Do list, or more like a “to-visit” list, you can check things off as you go and actually get them done. Plus, you’ll have a running list of things to do next time you and your friends are bored, or ideas for your next Tinder date.
If you find that this still isn’t helping you GTFO out of your normal routine, set a date for when you’re going to visit certain places. That way you can’t keep pushing it off and you’ll clear your schedule ahead of time.
3. Search Facebook Events
One really easy way to find fun events in your city is to troll Facebook. It’s way easier and way less traumatizing than trying to stalk your ex on Facebook, I promise. Simply search your city, or try searching something a little more unique like “festival” or “beer” or whatever you’re tryna do. Even if you can’t find something for that weekend, you’ll find events for future dates so you can start packing your schedule.
4. Check Your Local Newspaper
If you’ve got access to the weekend section of your local paper, most newspapers highlight events you never would have known about otherwise. For those of us who have no clue where to get a real print newspaper from, the locally owned coffee shop you’ve been ignoring is a good start.
5. Make Your Own Tour
If going to some ancient ass museum isn’t your thing, make your own tour. Like a pizza tour (see a great, cheesy example here), or a thrift shop tour, or a hot guys running shirtless tour. You know, cater to your interests. Seriously though, plan which stops to include, map out the quickest route, and grab a friend or two (or maybe more for a pizza tour).
6. Get a Room
If you don’t mind spending a little extra money, treat yourself to a night stay at a cool Airbnb or bed and breakfast. It’ll make you feel like you’re actually on a vacay, without having to take off of work or book a plan ticket. This is the perfect thing to do with your boo if neither of you are ready/can afford a full-fledged vacation quite yet.
7. Don’t Plan At All
Sometimes, the best adventures are completely unplanned. If the idea of mapping out all the best pizza places in your town stresses you out, leave that to someone else. Instead, find a cool part of town that you don’t know much about and just walk the fuck around for the day. Bonus points if you do it by yourself. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet the man of your dreams of find a connection for your dream job?
