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This time of year, it\u2019s common to feel a little stir-crazy. The blustery days of winter are behind us, the weather is warming up, the days are getting longer, and we want to get out there and do something. There\u2019s something extra special about embarking on small adventures. Whether you\u2019re exploring your own neighborhood, a nearby town, or even staying at home, there are infinite wonders waiting to be found just around the corner.<\/p>\n
You don’t need to travel far, or go on an expensive vacation, to satisfy your wanderlust. Here are some of our favorite small adventures from the pages of Bella Grace<\/em>.<\/p>\n We’ve selected six of Andrea Farthofer’s 13 suggestions to share with you here.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perhaps the last year has brought you hardships and difficult waters to navigate. Perhaps it brought adventure and joy. Perhaps it was a mix of everything \u2014 highs and lows, ups and downs, good days and bad.<\/p>\n When I look back on the last year, I\u2019m struck by the thought that, while we didn\u2019t do many big things, it was actually the little, everyday things that made our year full and magical. We didn\u2019t get to go on any big trips, but instead adventured in our own beautiful neck of the woods.\u00a0We didn\u2019t win the jackpot or get that big promotion at work, but we found happiness and fulfillment in what we already have. We didn\u2019t go on that big romantic getaway we\u2019ve dreamt of for years, but made the most of the little pockets of time we found to spend together. We kayaked on the open ocean and felt the saltwater splash in our faces. We went camping for four nights as a family. We saw beautiful coastal scapes, ate campfire spaghetti, had many s\u2019mores, and slept terribly but cuddled together in a tent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If there is one thing the pandemic lockdown has made me realize, it\u2019s that keeping my inner\u00a0explorer fed is not necessarily about distance or exotic locales. It\u2019s seeing what\u2019s around me. It\u2019s about my neighbor at the end of my street who, while out for a walk one day in the fresh air, I found sitting on her porch. Instead of offering a quick, hurried greeting as I usually did, I stopped to chat and ended up hearing her story about how she was born in this little island town to Italian immigrants looking for a better life. I listened as she weaved her tale of growing up as the daughter of a lobsterman and a maid.<\/p>\n Expeditions that excite or enhance imagination don\u2019t necessarily require planes, trains, or automobiles. They are sometimes about opening my front door and stepping over the threshold to take a walk \u2014 to stumble upon a half-hidden bird sanctuary I must have passed unnoticed a hundred times before stopping to notice how in the springtime it\u2019s filled with bright red cardinals and blue jays, and a stunning array of old twisty trees whose trunks are wide enough for chipmunks and squirrels to build homes inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is always a happy plan to get up before the sun for a day trip. Our family loves to explore small towns and big cities in our home state. The drive is never too long to make us tired, and there are so many memorable experiences to be had in each new place. Every town truly has its own special vibe. Best of all, we\u2019re home from day-tripping in time to slip on pajamas and sleep in our own beds.<\/p>\n Here is one of Diane Baker’s 12 suggestions for a happy day in a new town.<\/em><\/p>\n Find out in advance if the town you\u2019re day-tripping to has a local festival, and coordinate your visit for that day. Local festivals and fairs are such a happy, carefree adventure. You can feel like a child with cotton candy or a giant pretzel in hand while walking slowly through the handmade items offered by locals. Buy some local fruit, step into the basement of the courthouse to view their local art and photography contest winners, browse old books on sale for a dollar, and stay a few minutes to listen to a local band playing on a stage at the end of the street. Walk slowly and enjoy the carefree fun of a festival!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Want to know what it\u2019s like to live in complete spontaneity? How can one truly capture life\u2019s adventure? Sit in your car, no map, no destination, and just drive. This is what we\u2019ve done for years, and it\u2019s how we have found the best places: little coffee shops, boutiques, and delicious restaurants in a village where we\u2019ve never been. I could honestly write a book full of unexpected places one could visit in New York alone.<\/p>\n Life is full of different roads. Hills, wide turns, and dead ends make up a lot of this journey we call life. I\u2019ve learned that you need to stop at those fields of sunflowers for a spontaneous photo shoot, or grab coffee at that tiny coffee shop on the corner. Enjoy the route. Stop worrying about the destination. I think we get so caught up in the place we want to end up that we lose sight of what\u2019s around us. And it\u2019s only when we take time to live in the moment that we can truly experience joy, happiness, and adventure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"13](\"https:\/\/bellagracemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/13-Ways-to-Travel-Around-the-World-Without-Going-Anywhere_Bella-Grace-Magazine.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h2>\n13 Ways to Travel Around the World Without Going Anywhere<\/h3>\n
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Words by Andrea Farthofer and Photo by Laura Stolfi | Bella Grace Issue 31<\/a><\/h5>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSwooping Owls, Motorcycle Dates & Coffee on the Beach<\/h3>\n
Words by Johanna Rosolen and Photo by Brad & Jen Butcher | Bella Grace Issue 26<\/a><\/h5>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Soul of a Wanderer<\/h3>\n
Words by Bobbi Lerman and Photo by Bonninstudio | Bella Grace Issue 26<\/a><\/h5>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n12 Things to do in 12 Hours in a New Town<\/h3>\n
Words by Diane Baker and Photo by Adrian Cotiga | Bella Grace Issue 30<\/a><\/h5>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n#nodestination<\/h3>\n
Words by Chantal Stephens and Photo by Thais Ramos Varela | Bella Grace Issue 25<\/a><\/h5>\n