Taking the same trip twice?

Do you ever stop yourself and think. ‘ This is the last time I’m going to be here’ ?
Do you stop to wonder whether or not this time, is the last time that you’ll speak to that friend?
The last time you will have a certain meal?

I would go on to say ‘the last time you’ll wake up’ but I’m not about to go into the ins and outs of life and death, but simply on the much lighter note. Opportunity.

We have opportunities everyday, some we take and some we chose to avoid. However, a lot of the time when we stop doing something, or something ends it’s usually out of our control. I.E We didn’t make that decision and now we’re pissed off. Who knew that when you had your Thai Fish cakes a month ago in your favourite restaurant that it would indeed be the last time because yesterday it shut down… And there you have it. Your dream is over.

I have been to countless places. I never thought I’d visit so many. When I write down a list of all the cities and landmarks it actually gets a bit embarrassing and leads me to the conclusion that I shouldn’t have a bad word to say about my life. ( but hey that’s for another post)  But when I think about all the places that I won’t go back it, it kind of makes me a bit sad. It’s not because I didn’t like it there, or because I had a terrible experience but because, well.. I just don’t see it happening, I don’t believe it’s possible. Ultimately- I just can’t visualise myself there.

The world has produced such timeless destinations such as Paris, NYC and lets say Venice. I can say, in confidence that at some point I know I’ll be back. But, for a minute lets think about places like Durango, CO, USA, A Cow Farm in Rockhampton, Australia and The Carretera Austral in Chile. When will that ever happen again? How even? The truth is it won’t. I knew it at the time. I know it now.   I guess what we can all learn from this, is to enjoy things as they happen and to live as much in the moment as possible. .. And I know..sometimes that’s incredibly difficult.  However, this post isn’t really about not being able to go back, but instead,  the possibility.

I often speak about how a trip can never be repeated. How a trip is not so much the destination, not even the people but the thoughts contained in that skull of yours. I am not going back against that. What I am saying is this. — A lot of people that travel do so for firstly the love of new experiences but also to simply tick of a bucket list, to visit as many countries as possible before they reach 30 or to get that 7/7 continents against their Instagram bio. Returning to a city or a country is no longer worth their time or money. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t tick things off lists, have ambitions, have goals ( in fact I approve of all three) but here’s the thing.

Just because you have ‘done something’ once doesn’t mean you’ll have the same experience the next time. I can assure you that you won’t. You shouldn’t let the ‘waste’ of returning ruining a place that you love and enjoy. I fully endorse taking the same trip twice. Firstly because you should do what you want and secondly because the experience won’t be the same anyway. Don’t expect that it will be, and don’t even try to make it so… you’ll have a terrible time. For all you really need to do to return to that time you got drenched in Charleston, SC.  is to dream.

 

Featured Photo – The Road to Puerto Rio Traquillo, Carretera Austral, Chile 2016

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Filmed with Canon G7X, Canon 60D & Iphone6