Top Places I Keep Returning To (2022 Edition)
As travellers we are obsessed with the idea of ‘new’. We visit those new towns or counties, have an amazing time, and refuse to return because there's so much else to do and see out there. Our bucket list gets longer over time even though we keep ticking them off! This… Need… to find new things or places is not bad, in fact, it was the original reason we started travelling in the first place. It makes sense that we’re in a constant search for new experiences but lately, this has got me thinking, there’s so much to be said about returning to the familiar.
So I went about and asked a couple of my fellow travellers which place they keep returning to. Here’s what they had to say.
Sydney
Russell Crowe once ranted “If you put 20 cents on me and ask me to talk about South Sydney, I’ll play all night.” What pulls me back to the Emerald City is its unrivalled beauty - the eclectic nature of it, how you can lounge on the blue ocean shoreline in one minute, then be in a vast suburban sprawl in the next 20. The exceptional Sydney Harbour dinner cruise which treats you to a slew of harbour attractions including the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, in one go! When I visited New Zealand a year after, I knew I had to return to Sydney for some unfinished business. And I did! But this time I decided to explore the places that I missed out on earlier and then head for a relaxing lunch cruise in Sydney. From the barren outbacks in middle Australia, to Cairns, Gold Coast and Melbourne, it was an eye-opening experience. I may live in England but if given the opportunity to return here even for a week, I would accept it without a single doubt! - Melanie
Tokyo
1st or 100th. There’s not a dull moment in Tokyo. The thing about revisiting is that now you have more time to meet the locals, uncover some hidden spots or even notice the frivolous details which despite their size somehow manage to shape your memories of the place. On the first visit, the expectations were off the hook, so we ended up staying near Asakusa, took a good look at the Sensoji temple, shopped for kitchen goodies at Kappabashi-dori and headed to the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, Shibuya. The second time, I tried avoiding the mega cities and enjoyed more of the rural towns like Takayama, Nikko and Shirakawa-go. Even though Japan ain’t that big and has the best train system in the world, I still feel like there’s plenty for me to unravel, so I'm already planning my third visit. - Xavi.
South Africa (Kruger National Park)
No two days were ever the same after I visited South Africa. Cape Town was probably the best city here, it was a mecca for food and wine enthusiasts, for adventure lovers; we even had our first safari experience here, both guided and self-driven. The first time we decided to pace ourselves, driving 4WD on our own, easing our way into it. For the second time, we had only one thing left to do, exploring the park on foot. Led by experienced and armed guides, our walking safari was set on an intimate trail that had no public access until recently. Barging through the bushes, we encountered some fascinating creatures including the ‘‘Big Five’’ and spied on some of them, before engrossing in the ultimate immersive experience - sleeping under the stars! Hemingway once said, “If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa”, I couldn’t relate more to a quote. - CJ
