With New Zealand’s closed borders, domestic travel became my expertise, birthing overtime this list of pros and cons. After 6 road trips in 8 months across New Zealand, here is some insights on the pros and cons of domestic travel, and these may be particularly interesting for mindful travelers on a budget.
When COVID-19 ran rampant across the world, I decided to start a travel blog. Seems counterintuitive, but I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
To generate content, I traveled extensively around New Zealand. Closed borders and no tourists meant this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience this country in solitude. Beaches stretched endlessly without interruption. Natural phenomena existed in silent peace. And the land caught its breath from tramping feet.
And although my travels have been exquisite – New Zealand is magnificent after all – some part inside of me never quenched.
There’s something special about going overseas. I craved that passport stamp, different smells, different sounds.
This post came together on my latest road trip around the South Island… my insights on the pros and cons of domestic travel to make sense of the gratitude conflicting with the longing in my soul.
The Pros and Cons of Domestic Travel: Insights from 6 Road Trips in 8 Months
The Pros of Domestic Travel
1. Cheaper
It’s obvious that domestic travel would be cheaper, and that’s a big incentive to hit the road. When we’re limited to our backyard, we save on plane tickets, money exchanges… even accommodation.
We know the ins and outs of our own country so we know how to navigate for the best deals, how to negotiate. Family and friends are abound so we crash on couches for free.
Or, in my case, at all the freedom camping spots. Most nights, we pitched a tent somewhere gorgeous for zero pennies.
Related: Two Weeks, No Shower: a Guide to Freedom Camping in New Zealand
2. Economically Friendly
When you skip planes, trains, or cars, your travels are economically friendlier. Personally I enjoyed having a smaller carbon footprint on the planet this year.
Although we used a car to travel the length of New Zealand, constant time in nature turned us minimalists. Simpler holidays that don’t include fancy hotels or expensive itineraries raise waste awareness and gentle treatment of the earth around us.
Something about domestic travel leaves that sense of frenzy at the door and humbles us. And a humble people is a conscious people.
3. No cultural and language barriers
Life is easier when there are no cultural or language barriers to navigate. Domestic travel usually runs smoothly and although we can spin that to be a con (more on that below), it makes for a relaxing holiday. And that’s what holidays are meant to be: relaxing.
You know your culture’s customs and norms so you’re not constantly checking yourself. You know the law, road rules, and all the signposts are in your language. Life is good and your holiday trickles along with nary a hiccup.
4. No distractions or challenges means a focus on mental health
On the same note, domestic travel means there are less things to distract or challenge you. We already established no cultural or linguistic challenges. But there are also less “shiny things” to keep you entertained.
I’ve been living in New Zealand for over three years so I didn’t feel the urge to jampack my itinerary with all the things. There were no “must do’s”, no FOMO.
And this presents an opportunity to slow down. To be honest, this was hard for me. Big chunks of free hours made me anxious. And I realized how fast I’d been going for the last year. It signaled that I needed to tend to my wellbeing. A reminder many of us need.
5. Plans with friends are a lot more likely
I don’t know about you but I could never convince my friends to save enough to travel overseas with me. Luckily there are no excuses for domestic travel.
Traveling together can enrich friendships and domestic travel is much friendlier for planning and organizing. It doesn’t take much to pack your crew in a car and hit the road. As we already established, domestic travel is cheaper, but it’s also more convenient when friends don’t have the luxury of holiday leave.
6. Support for local economies and businesses
The travel decline had a devastating impact on the tourism industry. Domestic travel is an opportunity for all of us to support our local businesses and stimulate the struggling economy.
New Zealand launched an initiative called Do Something New, New Zealand to address precisely this problem. And it saw notable success! The hashtag is always trending on Instagram and many Kiwis are on the road these days, frequenting small towns and putting their dollars toward the businesses that need it. It was heartening to watch the country come together and help our neighbors and I was happy to be part of it.
The Cons of Domestic Travel
1. No new food
I’m Lebanese and I’ve said this before: I’m very food-driven. And this is one of the greatest joys of international travel. My first thought every morning is finding the best café and by noon I’m already thinking about dinner.
Domestic travel can be… boring in the food department. Although some cities offer unique dining experiences, it’s just not the same. On my NZ travels, there was only so much salmon and pie I could have before I got completely bored.
My palette aches for exotic spices. And that will be the case until the day I hop a plane out of here.
Related: Reflections on Travel in the Age of COVID-19: Why Travel is Essential for Humanity
2. No foreign cultural immersion
Another big reason people travel is to experience a different culture. And that’s something domestic travel doesn’t really provide. Although some people argue that different cultures exist within one country (the US falls in this category), it’s not the same.
People with a different belief system, a different set of values and way of living, exist outside our borders. Experiencing this facilitates understanding and compassion for humanity. It opens our eyes and causes something to shift within. It’s one of my favorite parts of traveling. Domestic travel offers very little in this department.
3. Less sensory
Another con of domestic travel is that it’s less sensory. Different countries sound and smell different. It’s a feast to the senses and fosters a state of presence and wonder. Exploration is much more fun as you bend and study a foreign species of moss or exotic birds. Even the rain smells different. City chatter is in another language and different customs may expose you to different behaviors.
Unfortunately this facet is completely missing from domestic travel, and one I’m still longing for.
4. Less growth
I always say travel is accelerated growth. This is why avid travelers tend to be growth-seekers.
Remember how I said domestic travel means no cultural or lingual barriers? Well that can also be a disadvantage. Extracting these challenges from our travels means we’re missing out on opportunities to problem-solve.
We learn more from mistakes than successes. And although domestic travel is more relaxing, it yields less friction. Which means less growth.
I love the ease of domestic travel. But I miss asking for directions! I miss getting lost and stumbling through a conversation with someone who doesn’t speak my language. Testing my wits and navigational abilities.
I miss that painful, sometimes embarrassing, growth.
5. Harder to disconnect
The last con to domestic travel is that it’s harder to disconnect. When we’re just down the road, it’s harder to access that relief of being far away from our work, our problems, and our self-stories.
Domestic travel usually means little to no time zone difference. And no beloved jet lag!
On my road trips, I had perfect access to cellular service so I continued working and texting all the people. I had a hard time disconnecting from my life, much to the annoyance of my partner, who asked me countless times to get off my phone.
As grateful as I am that domestic travel is even possible in this country, a girl needs some spice sprinkled in! Domestic travel has so many benefits and I’ve loved every second of it. But I can’t wait to experience the world out there again.
Let me know if I missed any other pros and cons of domestic travel! I’m curious what others’ travel experiences have been like during these strange times.
Stay safe and much love,
P
