hey guys, i need advice

Basically, since 2026 began, everyone has been talking about these 'side quests' and 'if you have nobody to go with, go alone,' and I've become really convinced to try it. I'm going to be sixteen by the end of this year, and I genuinely want to explore more, gain work experience, go out, meet people, and most of all, go one these side quests. But I'm not really allowed to leave my town, like I can't go to London or anywhere nearby, which really sucks, and getting permission is an even longer process. Any tips or suggestions on how I could achieve my goal?

Are there things you could do in the place that you live?

hi, not really - i mean there’s basic shops and entertainment areas, charities and a lot of woodland too. It has the essentials, but i guess nothing piques my interest unless i haven’t discovered all of it yet. i think I’m just used to london since i was raised there and i took part of many activities

Basically, since 2026 began, everyone has been talking about these 'side quests' and 'if you have nobody to go with, go alone,' and I've become really convinced to try it. I'm going to be sixteen by the end of this year, and I genuinely want to explore more, gain work experience, go out, meet people, and most of all, go one these side quests. But I'm not really allowed to leave my town, like I can't go to London or anywhere nearby, which really sucks, and getting permission is an even longer process. Any tips or suggestions on how I could achieve my goal?

i think step one would be picking what to do - could you apply for work experience in local shops etc? is there anything you feel like doing that you could ask friends to do? are there people you know you want to see more often?
also, the way i view side quests is that they’re pursuing things that don’t help your life goals or anything, they’re just things you fancy doing at the time, whims you follow, and impulse decisions doing experiences for the fun of it or “whimsy”

Do you know specifically what you want to do?

Thanks for replying, and yeah, I would say specifically would be gaining experience that would be helpful for building profiles, CV's in the future as that's kind of my main priority right now.

I would try looking for a part time job (have a look on Indeed). It may also be worth looking at volunteering opportunities as well in your area. When you turn sixteen you can also volunteer on TSR

Basically, since 2026 began, everyone has been talking about these 'side quests' and 'if you have nobody to go with, go alone,' and I've become really convinced to try it. I'm going to be sixteen by the end of this year, and I genuinely want to explore more, gain work experience, go out, meet people, and most of all, go one these side quests. But I'm not really allowed to leave my town, like I can't go to London or anywhere nearby, which really sucks, and getting permission is an even longer process. Any tips or suggestions on how I could achieve my goal?

Honestly I love that mindset, the whole “side quest” thing is basically just romanticising personal growth and independence. You don’t actually need London or a big city to do that though. Start small — explore parts of your town you’ve never really paid attention to, try a new café alone, join a club, volunteer somewhere local, or get a part-time job. Those are still side quests. Also, you’re 15/16, so restrictions are kind of normal. Instead of fighting them, maybe focus on building trust so you get more freedom gradually. The big adventures will still be there in a couple of years, and in the meantime you can still grow a lot where you are.