Life is weird. We often go through life feeling like the only way to escape everyday life is to travel far away. We often ignore activities in our backyard because we think we can do those anytime. The problem is when we always say that we never get around to doing it. We take for granted having so many things so close to home. Well, now that long-distance travel is heavily restricted, it is the perfect time to take advantage of activities in our backyards. Right now, we should support local businesses.

I recently had the opportunity of going out with a local company in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, for a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The company I went out with was Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel. Nearly every passenger onboard was an Australian citizen. I talked with a few groups, and most of them said this trip was their first time going out to the Great Barrier Reef. Hearing them say this blew my mind.

I think I have known for a long time that we, humans, ignore what is so close to home. Talking to people on this reef trip finally opened my eyes to just how accurate my thoughts have been. Now is the time for us to change this about ourselves. We have the perfect excuse to “travel” locally, so we should take advantage of that.

Many tourism businesses have had to close over the past few months. Now some of those businesses are beginning to open, and they need help. Since these companies used to rely on travelers to make money, they now need help from locals. The lack of travelers can work to your advantage, too, since many companies are willing to offer a discount to locals to drive more sales.

Most people live within an hour of some local attraction. Even big cities have plenty to offer. The most significant difference for the cities is they usually have indoor activities, whereas smaller places often have more outdoor activities. You may think that you have nothing near you, but you will probably be surprised when you really look into it.

There are a few different websites you can use to help you find some activities. The most convenient search is to go to google and type “activities near me.” This search will bring up multiple options, but for some better results, you should go to Tripadvisor or Groupon. Both of those websites will provide you with many options that you can filter depending on your tastes.

Once you find a perfect activity nearby, you should call the company to see if they have any specials. They might have a local’s discount that they do not advertise anywhere online. If they don’t, you can easily book online to get that great discount. The companies will be happy for the extra business either way.

One other thing you can do to help out businesses is to provide reviews for them. Many people look at reviews before they spend money, so by giving a review, you might help convince someone else to spend money with that business.

Many of us are finding ourselves bored at home. Why not use that boredom to support local businesses instead. If you have a little money to spend, go check out that place that you say you can go to anytime but never visit. If you are tighter on cash, help out some of your favorite businesses by leaving a positive review for them. Your review just might help keep the place open.

Comment below with places you have recently visited. Check out more of my posts on my blog page.