Why You Should Visit Places You’ve Already Been

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A tale as old as time. You’re ready to head out into the world to explore, left with the dilemma of where to go. 

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself looking at my old travel photos, wishing I could go back and re-explore places that I’ve already been.

But with a world as big and as diverse as this, should we visit places we’ve already been? Or do somewhere entirely new?

Let me tell you why I LOVE revisiting places that I’ve already been.

There’s Always Something New

The place has changed, you’ve changed, and there’s no way you’ve done and seen it all when you’ve visited before. I love keeping up with blogs and Instagram pages so that I can make a list for the next time I visit a place!

There were so many things we missed doing on our honeymoon in 2015, I can’t wait to get back and explore London and Paris again. 

No Pressure

If you’re visiting for the second, third or tenth time, there’s likely no pressure to visit all of the main attractions, as you’ve probably done them before.

It can be more relaxing because you can take things at a slower pace. You can take in some of your favourite spots, without feeling like you need to do everything.

I feel this way about New York City, we’ve visited 3 times, and will definitely go again. I don’t feel like doing all of the tourist things, which gives us more time to explore and wander.

Less Planning

Now I LOVE travel planning, it gives me so much to look forward to while I’m not traveling, but it is a lot of work and can be time consuming.

When you visit somewhere again and again, you don’t need to plan as much! There’s not the same amount of research as there is when you are planning a trip to a brand new destination. 

Although Disney still involves a lot of planning, because we’ve been often, it’s not AS MUCH work as it would be.

There’s something comforting about showing up at your favourite place and you know where all your favourite restaurants are, and where to find the GOOD bathrooms (at Disney especially!)

Explore Off The Beaten Path

When you’re visiting destinations that are high on a lot of peoples wish lists, there’s always a beaten path where most people go. Personally I love the beaten path; it’s well worn, it’s usually accessible to tourists and I love seeing the places that I’ve been dreaming about.

However when you’re on a return trip, you can get a little (or a lot) off the beaten path to see what else is out there. 

After visiting Iceland for a second time, and staying only on the beaten path, I’m very much looking forward to the day that I make a third trip, and we plan to get out of Reykjavik to explore more! 

Final Thoughts

When you choose to return to your old favourites again and again, you get to explore the place a little deeper, maybe you fall in love with a place all over again, or maybe you get it out of your system and you feel ready to see somewhere new!

How do you feel about re-exploring your fav places?