Explorable area

An explorable area is your party's instance of a zone that lies between cities, outposts, and missions. Explorable areas are where most of the PvE content takes place (the other being missions.)  Mobs in explorable areas and missions are typically geared for a certain level of player. When you walk through an explorable area, the map shows you moving, creating a path of red dots which traces where you have already ventured during that particular journey.

Explorable Areas Are Different From Missions
Explorable areas differ from missions in a few important ways:
 * When your party dies in a mission, the mission ends. The party leader is given the option to return everyone to the previous town. When your party dies in an explorable area, they are usually transported to and resurrected at a Resurrection Shrine. There are, however, exceptions to this.
 * Missions have a set list of goals or objectives, which yield a reward upon completion, whereas explorable areas have none. Explorable areas, however, often feature quests.

Getting to explorable areas
To get to an explorable area, you simply leave the staging area you're in by walking through the area boundary. There will be a sign near the area boundary indicating which area this exit leads to. If anyone in your party leaves the town, the entire party will leave too.