Context #1

Gary: What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?
Chris: Well, normally we go to my parents’ place. But this year we’re heading back to my wife’s hometown in Nebraska.
Gary: Nebraska? I hope you have a nice warm jacket to take with you.

Context #2

Amanda: How do you celebrate the Chinese New Year in China?
Yi Fei: Well, a lot of people head back to their hometown to spend time with their family.

«head back to one’s hometown» is a common American idiom that means «to return to one’s hometown.»