When you think of an outdoorsy person, you probably picture someone trudging up a mountain in their worn-in hiking boots or camping out in the wilderness. But what if you love being in nature but without all of the mess and effort?
Then you’re probably an “outsidey” person.
As travel content creator Sam Cormier, who goes by @samanthas_suitcase on Instagram, put it, “An ‘outsidey’ person is someone who genuinely enjoys being outside, but without the exertion.”
“Someone who prefers to enjoy the views from a patio or roadside lookout rather than hiking to go see something,” she told HuffPost. “I think there’s a difference between ‘outdoors’ and ‘outside.’ ‘Outdoors’ to me is kayaking, while ‘outside’ is sitting at the riverside with a picnic watching the others kayak. I prefer the picnic.”
Cormier did not come up with the term “outsidey” herself. But after seeing a few posts on the topic, she created an Instagram reel with her own examples of what it means to be an outsidey person. Since posting it in December, it has gone viral and been viewed 23 million times and counting.
“I want to see beautiful mountains but from a roadside viewpoint. I want to eat a meal outside but on a restaurant patio,” she wrote in the post. “I want to take a walk through the forest but for less than a mile and nice and flat. I want to sit next to a fire in the woods but then go sleep at a hotel.”
Cormier’s dad is a very outdoorsy person who loves to camp, she said. When he’s at the campsite, she prefers to pop by, have a burger and chill by the fire.
“But then I want to go home,” she said.
Another thing that separates the outdoorsy folks from the outsidey ones? How you feel about seeking out waterfalls.
“Why are the best waterfalls at the end of a 10-mile hike?” Cormier said. “An outdoorsy person will take the challenge and spend all day getting to that waterfall. An ‘outsidey’ person is perfectly content knowing they will never see that waterfall with their own eyes and will happily look for other waterfalls that are closer to the parking lot.”
Travel expert Katrina Morrison, owner of Mocha Travel, said she, too, considers herself an outsidey person.
“Living in a major city like Atlanta, it’s much more convenient to get outside versus outdoors. Also many of the restaurants and venues are adding patios and rooftops to appeal to folks that enjoy more natural settings,” she told HuffPost.
In her city, she enjoys The Roof at Ponce City Market for good “outsidey vibes.”
“And when the sun is setting the views of the city are absolutely gorgeous!” she added.
At the end of the day, you should enjoy nature in whatever way you most like to, said Cormier.
“I have a lot of respect for people who spend their weekends in a tent 22 miles from the road because the lake at the end is worth the effort. But that’s not for everyone,” she said. “Some of us just want to see the world’s beauty in a more accessible way. And sometimes that’s just on a patio with a drink, a good view, and a town nearby.”