A good holiday usually includes trying out new experiences or visiting somewhere new. There are new activities and places to visit all over the world but have you thought about bringing mini adventures into your regular routine and discovering new places in your local area?

Here are a few suggestions to enjoy your hometown:

• Visit a local museum or historical sight to learn about your homes history.

• Look at an OS map and discover a nature reserve, woodland or park that you’ve never been to before.

• Explore your town or city with a camera in hand, you’ll find yourself seeking out scenes to capture and noticing different perspectives?

• Find somewhere to take a walk - https://www.walkinginengland.co.uk/ 

• Go on a sightseeing bus or walking tour

• Get a local guide book from the library or local bookshop

• Try a new dining spot

• Visit the local marketplace

• Find out what tourists do when they visit your local area and try some of the ideas out. See your hometown through a tourist’s eyes. Take a look on TripAdvisor - is your neighbourhood known for any quirky features or street art, local history or famous residents?

• What about sporting activities - is there anything new you could try out? A watersport or team sport? Have you got a swimming pool nearby with slides or play sessions.

• Are there any sporting venues you could visit to watch a team playing? When we lived in Streatham we discovered there was an ice hockey rink down the road with a full competitive league.

• Look for local events online and social media - gallery openings, exhibitions, concerts. Try your local tourist board & tourism information offices as well as local newspapers and leaflets.

No matter where we choose to go on holiday most of us include an element of time outside in the fresh air. Whether it's a city break walking amongst historical landmarks & people watching from a park bench or a rural retreat involving hikes and a trip to the seaside, we all know that moving our bodies outdoors helps us feel alive and leads to more restful sleep. 

You don't need to save this up for your annual holiday though. Take time each day to get outdoors 

• 10 minutes on your lunch break

• walk to work

• choose to do your exercise outside

• go for a stroll in your local park or nature reserve after work

• enjoy an evening stroll after dinner, especially nice in the summer with warm, light evenings.

Save up larger adventures for the weekends when you have a bit more time to prioritise your connection to nature & can spend a whole day outside:

• visit a local woodland

• have a go at geocaching - there’s an app with loads of free geocaches to find

• take your bicycles on an adventure

• have a paddle & build sand castles at your closest beach

• take a picnic on a hike

• find a local river or lake for a picnic

• see if there’s anywhere with low light pollution locally for stargazing

I hope you enjoy these suggestions for enjoying your local area and having a mini holiday without having to travel far.

Of course there’s nothing quite like actually getting away for a night or two and staying somewhere lovely for a change of scene, to feel recharged and refreshed but don’t save up all your adventures for holidays - we recommend making them part of your regular routine locally to you for maximum benefit. These suggestions are especially needed during these times of high inflation with fuel, energy and food prices at an all time high when we aren’t able to enjoy as many holidays as we would like.