New Visit or Revisit? Selecting a Vacation Destination

Selecting a vacation destination can be one of the most difficult aspects of vacation planning.  There are countless places to visit, each with its own attractions.  Do you want a dose of history? Adventure? Culture?  Choosing the right place to spend your hard-earned money and limited time to give you what you want can be a challenge.

Going to the Same Place Time and Time Again

I know many people that take an annual family vacation to a certain destination each year.  They will stay in a favorite lodging situation, eat at the same restaurants, and do the same thing that they have done year after year.

Recently, I was talking with one of my friends that falls into this camp. He and his family visit Hilton Head Island in South Carolina each year – sometimes twice within the same year – and they have been doing it for over a decade.  I asked why they continued to go to the same place.  His response was that it gave him and his family a chance to really relax and to look forward to what they know is sure to be a good time.

Benefits of visiting the same places again and again:

• You really become familiar with the place / develop a relationship with the land / community there
• You know the ins and outs of the destination (i.e. favorite times to visit, favorite things to do, things to avoid, etc.)
• You have likely seen the place in various lights / states (variations on weather, people in different settings, etc.)
• You have a more “relaxed” experience in terms of how you spend time – you likely have experienced many of the attractions in the area over multiple trips, and fill your time with more relaxation than scheduled events
• You get to know a place more deeply because you spend a larger chunk of time there, and can attest to the way that the place changes and evolves over time

Going to New Places

We are constantly going to new places in our quest to visit the National Parks.  By planning and researching different routes to the National Parks, we are able to identify new and interesting places to stop along our routes.

Going to new places means that you can enjoy the thrill of exploring a state / place that you have not been before.  You will get to see different people, architecture, landscapes and communities.  This can be both exciting and rewarding.

Benefits of visiting new places:

• You take in new sights, people and experiences
• You get to see more places than if you traveled repeatedly to the same place
• You get to interact with new / different people
• You may discover something that you now love that you never knew that you would have before

What is the right balance for you?

So, what is the right balance for you?  Do you enjoy the comfort of routine when you vacation?  Do you seek adventures that promise to (at a minimum) teach you to something new?

Whichever approach you prefer, travel provides the opportunity to expand your world-view.  You will inevitably find yourself in situations where you get to interact with the world in a different way than you do in your normal day-to-day life.

Let us know what you think.  Leave a comment below to let us know what you prefer – the same place, or new places – when you plan a vacation.