In my former life, the one where we still lived in the Netherlands, I couldn’t imagine anything worse than not knowing when I would leave the country again. So, I always had at least one or two things scheduled, and would travel abroad around six times a year – that’s how much I didn’t want to be at home. But after our move to Scotland, an interesting shift occurred: I no longer feel the need to leave.

It didn’t happen instantly. The first year, we spent quite some time exploring the country. In our second summer, we travelled to Ireland, as that had been on my wish list for so long. But when the time came to plan our holiday for this year, I realised I wanted to stay at home. And we did – although my husband wasn’t too enthusiastic about the idea, as he seems to equate a longer period off work with travelling. So we compromised. While we spent most of the summer at home, we took several day trips to explore Aberdeenshire, and spent a weekend in the Cairngorms to try our new tent. And it was the perfect quiet season I longed for.

With the constant influx of travel content, we’re made to believe that a holiday doesn’t count if we haven’t travelled somewhere new and popular. But the reality is, that some destinations have got too crowded, and being there is so overwhelming that you can hardly count it as a holiday anymore. Meanwhile, we’ve learned to dismiss anything close to home as it’s too mundane. But, if you’d take a little time, you might find that where you live isn’t so bad.

I know, I speak from a privileged position as I live on a hill in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, but I’m sure where you live is more beautiful than you think. You just don’t realise it because it’s so familiar to you. And if you don’t believe me, I have two things I’d like to share with you about this: 1. While Scotland is one of the most popular travel destinations on social media, most people I’ve met who have lived in Scotland all their lives, haven’t seen very much of this country. 2. When we were back in the Netherlands earlier this year, we discovered some beautiful places. Sure, the flattest landscapes on earth are not as captivating to me as the hills and mountains I now call home, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some beauty to be found.

So, when for whatever reason you’re not able to travel to the current trending location, don’t let it get you down. Your worth isn’t diminished just because you can’t keep up. Moreover, trying to keep up is much less interesting than doing whatever you want and staying within your budget. And perhaps you find a new favourite spot that you never knew existed.