Some places you leave knowing you’ll never return (at least voluntarily). Other places just keep calling you back again and again.
There seem to be two major schools of thought vis-à-vis revisiting places you’ve been before. They are:
- The “Life’s too Short” People– There are so many interesting things in the world to see that you can’t possibly get around to them all. There’s no point dwelling on ground you’ve already covered when you could be exploring brave new worlds.
- The “Quality over Quantity” People– Why mess with what you already know you enjoy? Sure it’s good to branch out a little, but if Spain is what you love, stick to Spain.
I, of course, am conflicted. I’ve been visiting London over and over for years now and I can’t seem to get enough of it. Seeing Big Ben and the gherkin is like visiting old friends and yet I still feel different and learn something new every single time I walk along the Thames. I adore that city and will never, ever pass up an opportunity to visit.
On the other hand, outside of England there aren’t very many places I’ve been more than once. At this point in my life I’m far more focused on seeing new parts of the world than returning to the ones I already know.
Still, in the back of my head, there is a list of places I need to get back to. These places are all very different, and my reasons for needing a second encounter vary. Among them:
- The place I didn’t give enough time: Zagreb
That one hurried evening in Croatia’s beautiful capital before I rushed to catch a bus left me intrigued and wholly unsatisfied.
- The place I may have misjudged: Prague
The rainy November weather and bickering travel companions may have clouded my judgment on this city that everyone but me seems to love.
- The place where I felt a connection: Rome
If London is my favorite European city, Rome is a close second. Even though it was late December, my time in Rome felt like constant sunshine. I’d love to go back and soak up some more.
Other places I’d add to the list: Amsterdam (never did see the red light district- that’s a story for another time), Puerto Rico, and Edinburgh. I’m sure that as I continue to travel this list will only grow, until one day I get around to making a second round.
What places would you most like to revisit?
( Post your answers in the comments and I’ll make a post of the best ones next week.)
I’ve only been to 6 cities in Europe. My mom treated me to a Globus tour during Christmastime for a graduation present two years ago.
I love Prague, and I’d love to revisit. I felt like I had a connection with that city, like she and I were kindred spirits.
Also loved Budapest and would love to go back there. Another city I went to, but we only stopped in for a few hours, was Bratislava. The people were so friendly, and although it was freezing, it was beautiful.
Now the places I haven’t been that I want to go? That list is a mile long 🙂
my list could be very long. I would love actually to revist lots of places starting with Australia, Thailand and NZ which we just visited few months ago…I can’t be that travel-greedy, could I? plus the world is big and I have still lot of places to explore. Would love though to revisit Barcelona and Paris, been there few years ago but this time I have some friends to show me around which is always great, and as you I could never get enough of London.
I would definitely like to go back to Paris because the first and only time I went I sprained my ankle and it was raining all the time. I’d love to go back in the spring or fall and give it another shot. On the other hand, I only get so much vacation time from work that I like the idea of visiting one new country every year so that I can have the chance to see as much of the world as possible.
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I studied in Prague in 2005 and was there for the warmest Fall in the past 30 years. It was gorgeous. Then we had the coldest winter in the last 10 years. My mom, sis and cousin came to visit when it was cold and they were miserable and wanted to go home early. Luckily, they did some research after the fact and realized they came at a tough time weather wise and want to go back.
Great post!
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It’s so hard to decide which places I’d like to revisit. Venice, Tuscany, Prague and Santorini come to mind. I went to Venice in late December, and it was drizzly and cloudy all three days when I was there, so I’d like to give it another try. Tuscany was beautiful and I would love to spend more time traveling around the small towns. And Prague and Santorini are both beautiful and really left an impression on me. I’m definitely one of those who LOVED Prague and think you should give it another try!
I went to Italy in December as well and would love to visit again in better weather. Definitely makes a difference I think!
Sevilla, Spain. I studied abroad here and I loved it.
Granted it might not be the same going back, but there is just something about the Andalusian lifestyle. Maybe it is better to live than visit? However, I worry that if I went back it would not be the same and the romantic nature of the city would be lost. Perhaps it would be better to state that I wish to travel back in time to when I was there before and live it again, in my early 20s. As you can see, I am conflicted between the desire to revisit and the worry of (to quote Thomas Wolfe) You can’t go home again.
That’s a good point that hasn’t been mentioned. Sometimes revisiting can destroy our image of a city.
I have to go back to Estonia one day. My first trip ever outside of the country was there in 1995 and 1996. I am sure a lot has changed but I wouldn’t have the desire to travel if I hadn’t gone there in college. Something inside of me stirred – a passion I never even knew I had. It was a divine trip for me, in many ways. Estonia will always hold a special place in my heart. Your “first” always does.
To add to this, I would love to go back to Budapest and Lisbon as well – two of my favorite cities in Europe.
I have two kinds of places I go back to.
1) Places where I had a bad first impression that wasn’t the city’s fault. First time in Paris, all the museums and the garbage collectors were on strike. So it was stinky and nothing to do.
2) Places I just enjoy being.
Another vote for Croatia. I never get enough of Italy either. I also go back to Prague and Vienna regularly. Oh and NYC.
Going back to places at different times of years with different people are like going to different cities.
It’s hard sometimes to separate our impressions from outside influences. I think that our understanding of most places could probably benefit from a second look.
I absolutely France–and don’t regret my many, many visits here–but I know there’s more to see in the world, so I’m hoping that my next adventure takes me out of my comfort zone.
I feel very lucky that I’ve fallen in love with every city I’ve visited (with the exception of Berlin) and would be willing to go back to any–especially Munich, Interlaken, Budapest or Florence! However, I’m going to try and knock out my top 10 I want to see for the first time before I double back 🙂
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I know that Italy will always live on my list of favorite countries. Although I have no plans to live there, I absolutely adore visiting for a couple of weeks, scoping out a new area and indulging in the amazing food and wine. I doubt I will ever tire of visiting!