We get this question a lot! Our friends and family ask us…. as well as strangers we meet while traveling… and we still don’t know how to answer it…. What is your favorite travel destination?
I can’t tell you my favorite child or favorite nephew. I don’t know my favorite band or even my favorite type of music. I don’t have a favorite movie. I don’t reread books and I like many different genres. I like Thai food, Mexican food, Italian food and… to be honest… I like ALL food. It is not that I am totally indecisive, I just like lots of things… I do have a favorite wife though.
Part of the reason we travel is to keep identifying favorites. We like some things about everywhere we go, which is why we keep traveling. We have been to a lot of European countries, but there is still much to see. The differences between countries and even cities makes me want to go more places. Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Rome are all wonderful, but are so different that there is no way anyone would anyone consider not going to another European capital because they have seen the others. Even in Spain, the food, architecture and general vibe is vastly different in Madrid than it is in Barcelona. Last year we spent almost a month in Sicily and loved it, but I won’t say it is our favorite location in Europe and we probably won’t be back in Sicily for a while because there are so many other places to see.
One of our most adventurous trips was visiting South Africa in 2016. We absolutely loved the animals, the nature and just how it felt so different to Europe and America. Driving our rental car to our game reserve and having to stop in the road while giraffes and zebras crossed right in front of us was a moment we will never forget. While it might be one of our best vacation memories, we haven’t been back. They are fighting corruption and monetary problems but the biggest reason we aren’t returning every year is because it is a long way away from everywhere. Africa is a huge country and South Africa is all the way at the bottom of the continent. It comes to mind when I consider favorite places but I can’t legitimately say it is my favorite when I haven’t returned and I don’t see us returning in the next couple years.
Last year we also made another trip to Southeast Asia. It was a fantastic visit and we are big fans of Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The beaches, warm water, and snorkeling we saw were better than our many visits to Mexico and Hawaii. Food is fantastic everywhere and super cheap and we meant a few North Americans and Europeans that decided that this is their paradise and are trying to live there full time. But every places has its drawbacks. Eventually I miss my American breakfasts and the difficulty in finding a bartender that knows to make something as simple as a martini. It also is a long ways away. I can’t expect my friends and family to take a 11 hour flight to Seoul or Tokyo and then another 10 hours to Bangkok and then another flight or ferry to meet us on one of those beautiful beaches.
Mexico is a lot easier to get to. This next spring will be the 4th year that we have spent at least a month in Bucerias near Puerto Vallarta. We always rent a 2 bedroom so we can have friends and family visit us with a direct 5 hour flight from Seattle. People say to us that Bucerias is our favorite place. It is really familiar and comfortable. We have been to most of the restaurants and have our favorite places. I have a volunteer school that I like to volunteer at. The weather is always great and in all our time there we have only seen it sprinkle a few times but then it dried up in the sun in a couple of hours. We love Bucerias but I can’t honestly say it is our fav place. It is still a touristy town with a lot of problems and isn’t for everyone. We love it and will probably continue to come back but we have been to a lot more beautiful beaches and locations with more culture and history. We have now been to at least 9 Mexican states and have plans to see some new states next year. It is hard to have even a fav Mexican town when there are so many we haven’t been to yet.
When I think of some of the most scenic and beautiful places we have been to… North America still comes up a lot. It is hard to beat the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Banff, Mount Rainier, and even Mount Baker.
I went on a backpacking trip with my boys between Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker that I am going to remember for a long time. On our retirement budget we tend to want to be abroad where our dollars go further, but we still need to make some plans for seeing our great National Parks. While we continue to search for our favorite travel destinations, we will keep checking off National Parks we haven’t been to.
We are not full time nomads and have chosen to not sell our house. Part of the reason for that is to be near family and friends but the other part is about our love for Seattle. We love the summer in Seattle and you could make the argument that Seattle and Washington state is our favorite travel destination. I love the parks, the music, the festivals, and the bars and restaurants. I am already looking forward to next summer. But home is not a travel destination so it doesn’t really count.
Besides Seattle, Orcas Island is one of my favorite places in the world. We have done many trips there and we will probably keep finding a way back. But it doesn’t match the amount of time we have spent at our family vacation house on Stretch Island. Every trip back to Washington State includes at least one trip back to our comfortable place to meet friends and family on Stretch Island and get in a few kayak trips around the island.
Our last 30 years of travel has always had a “side quest” of looking for our favorite vacation destination where we can retire. We have now accepted that we will never find our perfect place that we will always come back to. Our favorite destination is more often a place that we have never been. We continue to look for new a different places and our bucket list is still super long. I think that is our conclusion- our favorite place is someplace new.