In April 2014, BootsnAll re-introduced the 30 Days of Indie Travel Art Project, during which we explored different aspects of what travel means to us – and we invited you to do the same.

Last week, we re-introduced the Indie Travel Manifesto, first launched in 2012. Today we want to highlight one of the aspects of the Manifesto that’s important to us at BootsnAll and, we hope, important to you, too.

You can be an indie traveler anywhere you go – even at home. In fact, indie travel isn’t even all about traveling.

We know. It sounds weird. It looks weird. But hear us out.

While we promote independent travel and help people take long-term trips, a huge part of what we hope to accomplish at BootsnAll is to challenge folks to question their purpose in life.

We want those people to start questioning that status quo, asking themselves, ‘Is there more to life?’

There are too many people who just go with the status quo and do what they think they’re supposed to do. We want those people to start questioning that status quo, asking themselves, “Is there more to life?”

One way to find out the answer to that question is long-term, indie travel.

What, then, can we say about indie travel?

Indie travel means not taking your surroundings for granted. Ever. It’s about about making connections with people – other travelers, locals, taxi drivers, hotel staff, whoever – because you’re genuinely curious about them. Indie travel bridges the gap between observation and experience, giving us a better look at life in a particular place and making us feel more a part of a destination – even if it’s only for a short time.

Indie travel means pushing the limits of your comfort zone – it means acknowledging your fears and going for it anyway.

Indie travelers are aware of and respectful toward what’s important to that place and the people there (whether it’s important to you or not), no matter what it is, no matter where you are. They make the most of mishaps, sometimes turning them into trip highlights. They see – and often seek out – whimsy amid the mundane.

Indie travel means pushing the limits of your comfort zone – it means acknowledging your fears and going for it anyway. And those indie travel moments stick with you long after the trip itself is over.

In short, indie travel is a state of mind – a worldview we take with us everywhere. It’s not just about what we do, it’s about who we are.

So, what does this mean on a practical level? It means that you can be an indie traveler anywhere you go, no matter how long you’re gone, or how far you travel – whether that’s around the world, or around the block.

We don’t stop being indie travelers when we get back from a trip. We bring the same sense of wonder and curiosity to a spontaneous detour on a drive taken regularly that we have when exploring an unfamiliar town. We can take a day trip to a nearby city with the same indie traveler’s enthusiasm for adventure that we bring to a round-the-world trip.

There’s absolutely no reason a thirst for discovery should be limited to places that require a passport or a plane ticket.

What do you think? How do you keep your indie travel mindset at home?

Are you an indie traveler? Join the movement. Sign the Manifesto. Check out the whole Indie Travel Manifesto, add your voice to the conversation, or sign your support.

Photos by: Andrey_Kuzmin, mamloco,