By: Hogga
It’s not hard to fall in love with a city, country or even a culture. All kinds of places around the world give me female wood. I continue to tell everyone, even when they don’t want to listen to me speak, that people really make a place for me.
I can be in an absolute shithole and have the greatest time because of the awesome people I meet there.
I’ve left a few countries, back to Toronto with plans to go back in just a few months and have come close to buying a ticket back to that exotic country within weeks of being home. I tell my new BFF’s there that I’m coming back as soon as I can. But time passes and new adventure catch my eye. Plus, majority of these people are not willing to
come visit me and unfortunately many of them can’t afford it due to the economy and education systems where they live.
I’ve recently made some great friends in Liberia, Costa Rica and Granada, Nicaragua. I would love to go back and visit them. As I left these places I thought about when and how I could get back. Alas, I’ve thought this way while leaving friends in Tokyo, South New Zealand, Peru and Argentina. But I’ve never gone back. Whenever I’m ready to travel again, I have some new and exciting place in mind to dominate.
I think to myself, “but I’ve already been to _______. Shouldn’t I go somewhere new?”
What about all the other awesome travellers I meet? Not only do I want to go back and visit my friends from Tokyo, New Zealand, Peru, Costa Rica and so on, but I want to visit the travel buddies I made who are back in England, Russia, Holland and France now.
So, my question for you is:
Have you ever been back to a destination more than once because you loved it or the friends you made there so much?
23 Comments
Not yet. But I agree… the desire is there.
What I usually do is agree to meet people in a new country/place that neither of us has been to. Or, if I met them travelling, I visit them in their home country. Nothing wrong with going back to a place… but as you said yourself “I’ve already been to _______. Shouldn’t I go somewhere new?”
For the right people there’s no where I wouldn’t return to, or head to. But I’m a champ like that 😉
You are a champ! I’ve actually never met anyone twice either though. Minus my RTW trip, I met the same group different places since they were doing the same.
I’ve never been back… but I intend to, at least to some places. Tokyo I will for sure, even if it’s just like a stop over on the way to a ‘new’ place, and then eventually for a reunion tour… but I mean that’s just a pipe dream, we’ll see if it actually turns out.
Yeah, you HAVE to go back to Tokyo. You lived there for a year!
Ahhhh it’s such a hard choice! I want to go to new places, but I also want to go back to faves. I keep going back to London because a) I love it b) I have tons of family and friends there and c) I’m addicted to Hula Hoops. Howevs, for all the places I go back to, I force myself to go somewhere new too. I’m dying to go back to HK, because it’s ridiculous, so I’ll likely go somewhere else in Asia via HK next year…two birds, one big ass airplane stone.
HAHA I was thinking about that in terms of Central America. I want to see some more of it, but I could always stop in the places I’ve already been there.
Before this trip, I would have said no. But I’m coming back to New Zealand….
OH YAY! NZ is BEAUTIFUL!
Yes!! I’ve been to Kyoto countless times, and have very different experiences each time. I think that while it’s great to see as much of the world as you can, going to a place more than once allows you to really peel back the layers as well as see how places change, both of which can be very valuable.
It might just be me, but the number of countries I’ve visited is meaningless compared to the experiences and lessons that I’ve learned while on the road as a whole.
Wise words hommie slice.
Feel the same… 😀 I have not gone back to the places I have been to but I and my husband are planning to do that.. and do stuff we missed to do and go to other places that we missed in the past visit. 😀
Awesome!
In some ways I’m hesitant to go back to places I loved for fear they won’t be the same as the special memories will be a bit tarnished. The people make the memories and without them…
Ahhh very true! That’s one point I missed.
The fear of ruining your love for a place because it’s different
I first came to Thailand three years ago for two weeks and knew I would be back…now I’ve been living here for the past year. I also have been to Paris several times and would go back in a second. With some places (like Vietnam or Laos) once I’m done, I’m done. But others (France, Spain…) I know I’m not ‘finished’ with yet; I don’t even feel like I’ve started. There’s a certain luxury about being able to go back to a place…
I hear that! I have places I’m finished with too.
Ooh this is a tough one. I was of this mindset until very recently but there are certain places I simply have to return to (las Vegas, New York, Rome, New Zealand, Maldives to name but a few). Recently have been to Detroit a few times as have friends there and they are not in a position to travel and I really want to spend time with them. I think very often the people make the place so going somewhere again can be just as exciting if not more the second time!
I feel like there are places I MUST go back to too.. but SO many more place I haven’t seen yet.
ive been back a lot of times in Bangkok and Siem Reap… ive met people there who became my friends plus i really like Bangkok and these cities are just one flight away from my home country…
I wish somewhere like Bangkok was a flight away from me!
Yes! Rio de Janeiro is one place that I keep returning to over and over again. I’ve been there 5+ times and I know I will be back again. That city just has an incredible energy! 😀
WOW! That’s impressive! I wonder if I will ever love a place that much.
Have been to London several times, but that’s really a weekend trip for me.
As far as travel friends go, I’ve only seen one of them again and that turned out as a big disappointment…
There are some people I’d like to see again and I might go visit them in their home countries, but when and if I really will… I don’t know yet.