I’m a firm believer in weekend trips. In adventure and exploring. Visiting new places and eating delicious foods.

I was fortunate enough while growing up to have a mother that took us traveling. From a young age I was taught that you could (and should) travel the world. Visiting Europe wasn’t just for rich families, or a once in a lifetime opportunity. London was a perfectly reasonable destination for a few days away with your mom and your sister.

When I got older and had school work to think about, and holding down a job, my big travels got less frequent (although if you ask my mom, it’s still perfectly reasonable to spend ten weeks out of the year wandering around Italy).

I spent a few years in Chicago where I was, for the most part, stuck in the city – although Chicago is a world of it’s own and I never ran out of places within the city to explore. Three and a half years ago I moved to Maine, and my world got a little bigger again.

I knew nearly no one when I arrived and so I’d spend the better part of my time taking day trips to small New England towns. I spent my first Easter in North Conway, New Hampshire, overlooking the snow-capped White Mountains. That summer I swam in the lake atop Tumbledown Mountain, camped in Acadia National Park, and rode a lobster boat in Camden.

These trips were a way to explore my surroundings, but they quickly became a part of my regular routine. I live in Portland, and I love my city, but there’s a great big world out there and so many of us only see so little of it.

I believe everyone should travel, every chance they get. This doesn’t have to mean big trips. You don’t have to board a plane to Scandinavia (although, if you have the opportunity you should absolutely do this). Start small. Start local. Start exploring.

Take one weekend away a month. Grab a map, pick a point nearby that you’ve never seen, and go to it.