Only two of the nine countries we visited in the last six months were new to us, places we hadn’t been before and were experiencing for the first time. Obviously, as travel writers, it’s inevitable that we end up returning to places time and time again, particularly as we develop expertise in certain places, as my husband Terry and I have with the Middle East where we've been based since 1998. But while I love the excitement and energy of the new and relish opportunities to get out of our comfort zone and go somewhere we haven't been before (there’s nothing quite like that first drive from an airport into a new city, is there?), I also enjoy returning to places we’ve been before, some times many times before. Because there is a certain affection that grows over time as you become more familiar with a place, don’t you think? The more you visit, even if you’re not exactly besotted by the destination, the more you come to develop a bundle of warm feelings for it. And when you return… well, it’s just like seeing an old friend again. Love them or hate them, you just want to hug them! What do you think? Know those feelings? Which do you prefer? The familiarity that comes with the known or the excitement of the unfamiliar?Pictured? Dubai, the closest thing I have to a home, and a place I love more and more each time I return after being away.
10 comments:
Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I can't believe you've been based in the Middle East for 11 years though!
I'm glad you understand. I always have people ask me why we keep returning to places... partly it's because that's where we get sent (that's where the commissions are), but I also love returning to places I feel at home in, like Venice - which Terry has a love-hate relationship with!
Nice to have you stop by!
I absolutely love both feelings. It's the same as how I love going on holiday, and then I love coming home back to my house. My #1 need is for variety :)
I was just mulling over this yesterday, Lara! Given I am to India what you are to the Middle East, I can totally relate. I've actually been toying with the idea of starting afresh, so to speak - launching into a new country (as both traveller & writer) for the reasons you state....I guess it's about balance in the end. Both the familiar and the unfamiliar have their plus points and deliver different rewards: 'New' love versus 'old' love: for better or for worse..
Sarina Singh
www.sarinasingh.com
Hi Rachel
I love both feelings too, but I increasingly meet people who say "well, I'm never going to return here, so..." It's interesting, isn't it?
Thanks for dropping in again!
best,
Lara
Hey Sarina
Nice to see you here - so how do you propose to start afresh in a country you're so familiar with? I'm dying to know what your strategy will be!
Thanks for calling in!
x
i love going to places i've been. i know the accessibility, have already sorted out how to get around, etc. it is much easier for me, then - and you're right - you have favorite places already.
that said, we can't limit ourselves! and so it is fun to explore the new, as well.
It's so difficult to beat the thrill of that first time in a new place - and there's so much of the world to see - that whenever I get to choose where to travel to, I pick somewhere new every time.
However, through work, friends and family, the airports of New York, Toulouse, Paris and London now feel like second homes. While the excitement fades, the familiarity, the comfort and the tolerance increases...
For me, it's definitely a mix of both. I love writing about places I know well like Stockholm and also the excitement that comes with discovering new places.
I've just started reading your blog, and I appreciate the reflection this and the previous post have brought on. I tend to think I'm always going to revisit a place, especially if my first visit is only a few days (or even hours). I figure if I really want to get back to a place, I will.
Then again, there are so many places I still want to see, I realize I may skip going back to Rome when I could go anywhere in South America, instead. I do love revisiting, but getting lost in a new place is unbeatable. But I guess there are always new corners of a familiar city left to be discovered.
I'm just flip-flopping here.
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