You’re on your phone, scrolling through your feed one minute, and finding yourself on accounts like “Luxury Vacations” or “European Getaways” the next. You see pictures of the white sand beaches of Bora Bora and the luxury oceanside houses of celebrities and can only dream of going on such an exotic trip like the ones on your screen.

In a world of uploading and sharing, we are all exposed to the lavish lifestyles of celebrities like the Kardashians. Whether it be their trip to Greece in 2013 or their most recent trip to Armenia, it’s hard not to be envious of their many grand getaways.

If all of us could, we would be flying to places like Bora Bora and live the posh lifestyles of those in the pictures; however it’s not always reasonable for us, more importantly for our family’s checkbook. A survey conducted by Skiff.com in 2014 showed that only 13 percent of Americans traveled abroad in the past year. Also, according to The State Department, only 36 percent of Americans have passports.

People shouldn’t limit themselves when it comes to travel; who needs to go on expensive getaways when there are many other affordable alternatives that the United States has to offer?

During my many trips throughout the years; in-state and out-of-country, I have come to realize that even though trips overseas are breathtaking, they are also expensive and impractical. I now appreciate places like northern Michigan and out-of-state cities like Boston. Domestic trips are not only more affordable, but easier to accommodate around other daily commitments as well.

Traveling during the summer time is always a hassle for for many families in America. According to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, as of 2013, 61 percent of Americans are said to work over the summer. This makes it almost impossible to schedule a trip when families only have a small window of time to spend together. Granted, nothing sounds better than exploring a foreign country, yet trips in and out of state are easier to plan than a voyage across the Atlantic.

Not only do domestic travels make vacation planning more convenient, but it makes traveling more appealing to families who aren’t looking to spend a fortune on a two week vacation. A vacation doesn’t have to be extravagant, and the more travel newbies and travel veterans know what’s to offer in their backyard, the more people will explore what there is at home rather than halfway across the globe.