By organizing a close-to-home holiday we can get back in touch with our traditions and rediscover what is wonderful around us, those places of our cities and our territories that we may have crossed thousands of times, but which we have never explored and looked at with the eyes of a traveler.

Close-to-home holiday: your last minute vacations

Due to the proximity of the “destination”, a close-to-home holiday does not require long vacation periods, can also be organized at the last minute and in any season: slow tourism in less crowded periods will allow you to fully enjoy the places and get in touch with people, knowing their customs and traditions.

You can take a tour of the surroundings over a weekend, allowing yourself an overnight stay in a holiday home or a B&B to get away from the daily routine. Stop by the local tourist office, find a map with the main attractions in the area and choose where to start your visit: step by step, day after day, your city and your region will no longer have secret corners. Plus, in the off-season you will save money!

Close-to-home holiday: a sustainable choice

A close-to-home holiday has another great advantage from the point of view of sustainability: to get to your destination you will not need to take a plane or a ferry, highly polluting means of transport. Maybe you could also give up the car and opt for a bus or a train, a bicycle or … your feet! And if you just can’t give up the car to travel, follow our 10 green tips to consume less.

The more you decrease the ecological impact of your travels, the greater the opportunities for socializing, and your physical fitness will also benefit from it.

You can take a path and live a fantastic experience in the midst of nature, or discover how pleasant it is to walk in the city with your nose up, to find its hidden treasures and savor its atmosphere.

Your travel postcards on Fairbnb.coop

What kind of vacation is it if you don’t take home a souvenir? A close-to-home holiday can also create great memories, to share with your partner, family or friends. But when it comes to buying your souvenir, keep in mind that yours is a sustainable vacation: choose a shop run by locals to buy the item you want or a local product that friends and relatives who have stayed at home can taste. You will also contribute to the economy of the local community!

Another “must” of every vacation are photos and videos: try to capture landscapes, glimpses, details and faces that can well represent your close-to-home holiday experience. And then … share them! 

You can send the images of your close-to-home holiday to your friends, as we used to do with postcards, or share them on the social channels of Fairbnb.coop: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube…

We are always happy to publish news and images of the destinations, seen through the eyes of those who live there. And if your gaze reveals particular depth and passion, you could be contacted to become a Fairbnb.coop Ambassador and activate your city on our platform!

Tips for travelers with severe wanderlust

What?!? Do you think a close-to-home holiday isn’t enough to take the desire to travel away?? Well, of course: it is undeniable that the emotions of traveling to discover distant cultures are incomparable but…

Be inspired by the many regional culinary traditions in Italy and elsewhere. Treasure the suggestions of our hosts who invite you to explore local communities in art cities such as Málaga, Paris, Marseille, Antwerp, Florence, and Naples, in small villages rich in cultures such as those in Liguria and the province of Cuneo, or historical Italian regions such as Maremma or Tuscia.

You can start your journey right from your sofa at home, accompanied by the expert local guide Luisella Romeo who proposes an amazing Live Venice Virtual Tour! Many of the virtual tours uploaded on their websites by museums or local and national institutions give the opportunity to get a taste of the culture that awaits you. The website of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, for example, hosts various links through which it is possible to “visit” the Archaeological Area of Pompeii, the Royal Museums of Turin, and many other museums, palaces, castles, and archaeological sites in Italy.

You may find that it is possible to get excited by the sudden changes in the perspective of an architectural masterpiece even without seeing it, that it is possible to grasp the plastic and material secrets of a work of art even from behind a screen… or simply decide to start planning your next holiday on Fairbnb.coop and concretely support sustainable projects for the community that will host you!