Mountainbiking man and woman, at sunset.

Three reasons why you should explore your own city and the surrounding nature

If you don't have time to go for a vacation, why not look closer for staycation alternatives. Here are three reasons you should explore your own city and the surrounding nature.

1. You will have an opportunity to learn the history about your own city and the region it is in. Europe is full of old towns and cities with exciting backgrounds. To give yourself a starting point, why not head to Wikipedia and look up a city name, and then look for “Notable people'. That serves as a great starting point to your exploration of historical buildings and monuments. You can find an abundance of cultural and historical information for European cities on Wikipedia. :)

2. You will look at your city with a changed perspective. Chances are that as you learn new things about your home, you become curious about other aspects of the city than before. Maybe you will find a park you didn't know about, or how about a scenic area which has boats for rent. Maybe you even find a nature reserve not too far from your city.

3. Getting out of your comfort scene and seeing new places even close to home can also open your eyes. You might just find that by exploring a neighbouring nature reserve you decide to take up rowing, bicycling or another active means of transport to get around to the less visited places. And there you go, you are then well on your way to creating your own adventures close to home, as well as an active lifestyle!

Puzzle! What do you know about old cities in Europe? Test your knowledge with the puzzle “Do you know these European cities (not capitals) older than 1,000 years?