6 Ways To Become An Everyday Explorer At Home

Updated July 2024

What is an everyday explorer? I am glad you asked.

Though I’m unsure if anyone has used this term before, I can tell you that an everyday explorer is a mindset. At least to me.

A mindset I learned about and adopted as I navigated my struggles of reverse culture shock when I returned home from studying abroad in Greece.

If you’ve also struggled with returning home after travel, learning and adopting the mindset of an everyday explorer can help refresh your outlook on your surroundings at home.

This mindset of the everyday explorer can help you notice ways of seeing things with “tourist’s eyes” and, therefore, in a different way than before, which will spark curiosity and intrigue—much like what happens when we travel.

It’s about finding ways to learn about the world and about your own culture and lifestyle while at home.

More than anything, it’s mindset of reflection, appreciation, and continued learning, with the added comfort of remaining home.

When you travel, it’s constant movement, learning, looking, wondering, questioning, and answering. It’s truly life-changing.

And I don’t know about you, but what good is travel if you only feel this way while you’re out of your comfort zone?

There must be lessons within travel and feelings that can be transferred into “everyday life” back at the home base. Wherever that may be. The place where you practice daily routines, commutes, and where you have an understanding of how things work more or less.

In this post, I’ll share 6 practical and deeper ways to become an everyday explorer at home to help you answer that question that may pop into your head after returning home: now what? How can I continue living in this mindset of exploring and curiosity?

Let’s jump in and see how!

1. Look at your home with “tourist eyes”

What does this mean? To be an everyday explorer, it means to try to start to see things a little bit different.

Looking at things that you would otherwise see as mundane, typical things in your home country – going grocery shopping, your daily work commute, shopping at the mall, etc. with “tourist eyes.”

As boring as it may be, when I go to the grocery store, I try to think what would a tourist from Spain, Denmark, or Mexico think about our grocery stores in the U.S.

What would someone from another country think about our American food or our obsession with iced coffee?

Think about how someone from another country would think about our huge malls and huge cars?

What about something like setting foot at a high school for someone who grew up watching American films, and feeling so excited to be at a high school just like in all the movies?

Think about the times you’ve been tourists, and when you’ve gawked at cute little coffee shops, or cute little streets.

Simply bring this mentality into your everyday life, and bring it to when you’re doing the most “normal” thing back home.

It’s changes things a little bit.

The concept of grocery shopping as we do it here in the States suddenly may seem interesting, and you may even question a few things. It makes things a little exciting, and that is a goal here.

2. Learning a language, a new culture and reflecting on your own

Learning a language has not only allowed me to do just that, but it has also helped me meet new people, learn about other cultures, and also learn about my own culture.

One of the things I pretty much always get asked when I talk to someone that is not from the States is what life is like in the U.S.

I feel like every time I have answered this question, I have explained it different ways that have allowed me to not only reflect on our way of life here, but also how people outside perceive it and us.

Language learning apps like Tandem or Hello Talk are amazing at connecting you with different languages, people, and ways of thought.

Being an everyday explorer at home means also reflecting on our own culture, and nothing really makes us reflect instantly like explaining it to someone who isn’t from your country, and having them ask you questions.

I have had some amazing and interesting conversations through these apps about language, culture, and politics, etc.

It’s definitely interesting seeing how someone in a foreign country perceives your country, and what they think about it.

3. Join local international meet ups

I haven’t done this personally, but I know that these groups exist, and joining them is easy!

This is such a cool way to meet international people in really cool and fun settings.

It’s a win-win situation because you get to meet new people (international people) and meet up at some really cool places throughout the city. Maybe places that you haven’t discovered yet!

You’d really be an everyday explorer at home by doing this.

4. Check out the international neighborhoods around your area

I absolutely LOVE how accessible it is to access so much culture, unique foods, and specialty ingredients from other countries right here in Chicago.

Everything that stimulates your senses, from smells to different foods to advertisements and interaction with people from those countries, is closer than we think and can help us tap into that everyday explorer mindset. International neighborhoods are such a goldmine, in my opinion, and it’s so cool to be able to check them out.

Just visiting a Korean store, a Japanese mall, or a Little Mexico or Little Italy neighborhood can automatically make us feel like we are physically traveling.

It’s so cool and so accessible if you really look for them.

5. Visit your closest big city

For instance mine would be Chicago, so when it’s not in the negative temperatures and actually sunny, I like to make my way down to the windy city.

I like going in the mind of a tourist, seeing everything “for the first time” and trying to really see how cool the Sears/ Willis Tower is, how beautiful Lake Michigan looks from Navy Pier, and how many amazing little international neighborhoods we have.

Doing this has personally made me appreciate living close to a big city with so much to do.

A city that so many people outside of the U.S would love to visit, and I have it a short driving distance.

When they say “be a tourist in your own city.” they’re not lying, and it’s good to try it sometime. It’s about going back to the “tourists eyes” and really feeling the beauty.

Even in the things you have seen multiple times. Have you really experienced it? Or have you just seen it? Think about that for a moment.

To go even deeper, ask yourself a few more questions that can help you adopt the everyday explorer mindset and develop a different interest in your home country and the world.

Make sure to download my FREE 3 Everyday Explorer Reflection Questions Guide.

6. Start expanding your mind at home

We live in a digital era, a time when the world is literally at our fingertips, with access to thought-provoking media, people, and thoughts, whether through podcasts, YouTube, blogs, or books.

Specifically by people with experiences, stories, moments, and lessons from throughout the world.

There are some INCREDIBLY knowledgeable people and resources available with amazing, uplifting, and mind-expanding information that can change your life, specifically when it comes to travel.

And most of the time, it’s free. People are willing to share their expertise and genuinely want to help others reach new heights.

Take advantage of this. Reflect on what you digest, and take it into your everyday life as you look at everything with “tourists eyes.”

It changes things.

Concluding thoughts on the 6 ways to become an everyday explorer at home

What do you think of the everyday explorer mindset?

I hope this post helped clarify and, even more, inspire you to consider adopting some of these elements of the mindset of an everyday explorer, especially if you’re a traveler who enjoys self-reflection and personal growth and realizes that something always changes after each trip.

Remember to download the 3 Everyday Explorer Reflection Questions to explore the everyday explorer mindset and learn how to achieve it yourself.

I’d love to hear your responses and thoughts, so please leave them in the comments below.

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