September 2, 2024, 4:35 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
There is a certain amount of pressure when it comes to planning a vacation. Wouldn’t it be better to discover new places instead of traveling to places you’ve already been to umpteen times? TRAVELBOOK author Jessica Wagener has found her answer: that it’s okay to travel to the same place again and again.
I used to ridicule and despise them: People who travel to the same place over and over again. I deemed them Philistines lacking in experience, risk-averse creatures of habit, and bores. Their aura reeked of geraniums and brown-striped permanent camper awnings in Timmendorf, perhaps even of hotel pool chlorine in Alicante. People who travel to the same place more than once? They also have a hunter’s fence in their front garden! But now everything is different because I have unexpectedly found my place.
Since the first time I stood on Sugar Loaf Mountain, gazing at the city of Rio de Janeiro with my mouth open and my heart pounding, I’ve fallen in love with it. I’ve been there three times already; as soon as I can, I’ll fly there again. Yes, I have become one of them. But I love the light, the air, and the people in Rio. The music. The beach in the middle of the city. The heat and the breeze. Even the dirt. This is where I first understood the expression “like a fish in water.” When I’m in Rio, everything feels right; I feel right.
My love for this place and my repeated trips there have not been a rational decision, but rationally, there are some advantages:
1. I know what’s worthwhile.
When you’re in the same place for the third time, you know where to go and where not to go. While fellow travelers are frantically trying to squeeze as many tourist attractions as possible into a few days (We still have to go to Cristo! And Sugarloaf Mountain! And Santa Teresa! And Lapa!), I lie quietly on the roof terrace, close my eyes, and just be. I have no more tourist pressure; I’ve already seen everything—several times.
2. I know my way around.
And that reduces the stress level considerably. I don’t have to devise a complex plan about how to get from A to B and where exactly I can buy what, where I can get something to eat – I now know it by heart. I also know that, as in my case in Rio, you need patience, and not just for the traffic.
3. I speak the language.
At least rudimentarily. I can now communicate reasonably well in Portuguese and am not completely helpless or dependent on dictionaries. This makes life on site and contact with the people much easier.
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4. I have made friends.
They are like a second family that I unfortunately only see once a year (which is more often than most of my “real” family, by the way). They are happy every time I come. It feels like home, only with a lot more sunshine.
However, perhaps my changed perspective also has something to do with my realization of the difference between a trip and a vacation. A trip is there to discover and experience new things, which gives you a lot but also challenges you. A vacation, on the other hand, is for relaxation. And the best way to do that is without a lot of thinking. Where you know your way around and feel comfortable, where you can let yourself go – the main thing is to be happy.
And that’s why it’s perfectly fine to always go to the same place, whether it’s Rio, Alicante, or Timmendorf.
You can read more posts by Jessica Wagener on her blog “Jessyfromtheblog”!
You can also follow the author on Twitter!