In recent years, it’s become kind of a holiday tradition for us to go to London at the beginning of December (so much so that we went 4 times in the last 5 years). This year’s trip happened a little bit earlier due to some scheduling issues, but we still made sure to come close enough to December to experience the wonderful London Christmas vibes.
So, why spend money and valuable traveling time on going back to the same place year after year? This is what I wanted to touch upon a little.
Even though my fiancé and I travel quite a bit throughout the year nowadays, our travel resources are finite at the end – both in terms of money and time we can allocate to being away from our respective businesses. So, whenever we put together our travel plans for the year, we are always faced with the issue: should we go to somewhere new or revisit a place we’ve already been to?
The answer may seem simple at first: going somewhere new is awesome and I do have a very, very long wishlist of places I’d love to visit.
And isn’t this the essence and main goal of traveling? Exploring a new country and a totally different culture?
Well, not necessarily.
Whenever we are having these discussions, the thrill of the possibility of going somewhere new is definitely there. But very often, an equally enticing thought is knocking to be taken into consideration: revisiting some of our old favorites.
And the more I think about this possibility, the more attractive it gets, for several reasons.
Traveling is not about ticking boxes
For me, the principle of been there, done that can never really apply to travel. Anyone whose main motivation to travel is to cross off an item on a bucket list doesn’t really grasp the true value of it. By the way, this is why I think traveling is not limited to faraway vacations or going across the world. It’s more like an attitude or way of seeing the world – and you can experience it even in your own country.
It’s impossible to really get to know a place in one trip
I cannot even say I know every corner of the city I was born and lived most of my life in – how could I get to know a totally new place in a couple of days or even weeks? It’s impossible and that’s one of the reasons it’s worth returning again and again. Case in point: even though I’ve been to London many times, somehow I’ve never made it to Shoreditch or the Design Museum – and now I know how much I missed.
With each subsequent trip, you’ll become less of a tourist
Not that there’s anything wrong with being a tourist, but returning to a place is a whole new experience. You can concentrate more on the hidden gems, stress less about seeing everything, and spend more time observing the small details and really immersing yourself in a new environment. In a way, it’s the perfect combination of familiar and new.
Places change – and so do you
Even a couple of years can transform places. Cities constantly reinvent themselves and in a way you can never return to the same place – you’ll always find something new, something exciting. And it’s not only places and cities that change – we do, too. Our interests can change, our traveling style can change, and that means that every single time, we’ll see a place through a whole new lens.
Some places just steal your heart forever
Sometimes it’s just a matter of seconds – you arrive and immediately fall in love with a place. Often, it’s difficult to know why; you just feel a deep connection and that destination will always have a special place in your heart. Those are the cities I keep revisiting.
I’m curious: what does traveling mean to you? Do you prefer going to new places or old favorites? Do you have a destination that has a special place in your heart?
