Feeling Nostalgic? Take a Nostalgia Trip

Sometimes you have to go back to go forward. That’s what nostalgia trips are all about. A growing travel trend, nostalgic travel involves visiting destinations of years past to reconnect with memories and experiences that shaped you. Such nostalgia trips can provide not only emotional connection and comfort but also the opportunity to gain perspective on your journey. Plus, they can be a ton of fun.

Nostalgia trips can take many different forms. The vacation could be:

• A return to a place where you took family vacations as a kid
• A trip back to your hometown, home country, or place you once lived
• Recreating a memorable trip you took, such as a road trip during a college summer
• Exploring your ancestral roots
• Doing a retro trip, like Route 66

The concept of nostalgic travel is not a new one. We all have places that are special to us, and we make sure to visit them when we have the chance. However, time often gets away from us. Years can go by, and we haven’t seen that special place.

The emergence of nostalgia trips as a travel trend can serve as a call: We should be more intentional about taking trips to personally meaningful places, those places tied to our memories, experiences, and cultural roots.

Time Tripping: Why Nostalgia Trips Are Increasingly Attractive to Travelers

A Hilton Hotels & Resorts survey found that 58% of global travelers plan to revisit childhood travel destinations. The popularity of nostalgic travel is undeniable.

People desire to reminisce and reexperience. By traveling to destinations of years past, you can recapture the sense of joy and freedom you felt while there before.

But there’s more to nostalgia trips than that. Nostalgic trips are increasingly attractive because they allow you to:

• Recreate new experiences in old destinations: For instance, you can make new memories by taking your children to a beach destination you visited as a child for family vacations.
• Enjoy simplicity in a busy world: Today, travel from point A to B centers on speed and convenience. While that’s nice, nostalgic travel involves returning to simpler, happier times. Being in a destination that brings back such memories offers the chance to be fully present and enjoy what’s in front of you.
• Gain a new perspective: Perhaps you studied abroad in Ireland during college. Revisiting the country today offers you the chance to reflect on your experience through a different lens, while enjoying your time there in the present.
• Journey through the past: A nostalgic trip does not have to be about recreating a specific trip. It could involve traveling the old way and discovering joy in experiencing the past. For example, you could take a slow train ride instead of a flight to your destination. You could stay at a vintage bed and breakfast instead of a chain hotel or vacation rental.
• Find wonder and awe: Everyday obligations make it easy to miss the beauty in the world. Visiting a destination that takes you back, whether that be Disney World or a national park, can inspire and recharge you.

Types of Nostalgic Travel: From Hometown Visits to Retro Trips

Ultimately, the type of nostalgia trip you take depends on what you want and need. Your options abound.

An article from Amadeus, a travel technology company, explains all the types of nostalgic travel well. It states nostalgia trips can take many forms, such as “revisiting cherished destinations” from our youth, “reliving milestone experiences” such as “honeymoons and gap years”, and immersing yourself “in the charm of past decades”. The main aim of nostalgic travelers is to find “comfort and connection in an ever-changing world”.

The following ideas are some of the most common forms of nostalgic travel.

Revisit Childhood Family Vacations

If you went on summer vacations to Myrtle Beach as a kid, you could recreate that trip with your family and children. As you walk along the Boardwalk, your senses will remember those past times, and the memories will come flooding back.

Relive Personal Milestones

Maybe you and your partner traveled to Costa Rica for your honeymoon. On an anniversary, you could redo that trip. It would be a wonderful way to reflect on how far the relationship has come, as well as realize how much happiness lies ahead.

Visit Your Hometown

If you don’t often get to visit where you grew up, planning a vacation to your hometown can help you reconnect with your roots and see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. You’ll also enjoy visiting the old arcade, playground, or wherever else you used to hang out.

Recreate an Epic Vacation

Perhaps you had the time of your life on a summer road trip or a study abroad trip during college. See if it’s possible to recreate that trip in some way. You may enjoy it even more the second time around.

Explore Your Cultural Roots

Your ancestors may have migrated to where you now reside. Returning to your ancestral country is an opportunity to connect to your family history (and family still there), build your sense of identity, and create new relationships and memories.

Connect with Nature the Old-Fashioned Way

A survey from Campspot found that one type of nostalgia trip gaining traction is the 1980s-style camping experience, free from digital devices and the noise of the modern world. If this interests you, you could stay in a camper or tent in a beautiful nature preserve, national park, or camping ground of your youth.

Take a Trip Back in Time

This type of nostalgia trip is not necessarily based on personal experience, but rather a desire to experience things the way they once were. Your travel back in time could be a train journey, a historic road trip, an ancient town tour, and more. You could even venture off the beaten path to Havana, Cuba, for the 1950s architecture and cars.

The Art of the Nostalgia Trip: Making the Most of Your Trip Back in Time

Nostalgia trips can be restorative. As an article from Further.net notes, nostalgic travel merges the present and past, enabling you to experience “both the same original happy hormones again and those associated with enjoying a new experience”.

To enjoy the powerful benefits of a nostalgia trip, you don’t need to follow a specific formula. Rather, you just need the right mindset. Here are a few things to keep top of mind:

• Stay Present: Practice mindfulness while traveling so you remain immersed in the experience and relaxed.
• Don’t Copy: Don’t worry about doing everything the same as you did the last time. This creates unnecessary stress and potentially disappointment. Instead, focus on enjoying the time and place, and let the road take you where it takes you.
• Bring Old Photos: This is a great way to bring back the memories and remind you why you’ve traveled there. Also, the nostalgia such photos evoke can give your mood a boost.
• Focus on Connection: You may be traveling with family or to a place that was important to loved ones. Use this time to deepen those relationships.
• Reflect on the Experience: Nostalgia trips aren’t only about reliving the past, but also examining where you’ve come from and where you’re going.

Nostalgic Travel Is Calling You

There is always a reason not to travel. Day-to-day obligations make it easy to put off nostalgic trips, but life is short, and the experiences that uplift us should be prioritized. The rise of nostalgic travel is a good sign that people are prioritizing this.

So, are you ready to take your nostalgic trip?

To help you with planning a nostalgic vacation, or nostalgication, read through our travel guides:

• How to Make a Travel Budget
• Travel Insurance Guide
• Family & Group Travel
• Travel Tips Resources

Have you taken a nostalgia trip recently? Let us know how it went. Join us on Facebook and start the conversation!

About the Author

Nick Callos has always had a passion for reading, writing, and discovering the new and unknown. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Nick holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Boston College. He currently splits his time between his hometown, Chengdu, China, and the open road. A full-time travel writer, Nick hopes his work can inspire others to explore the world more deeply and enjoy the digital nomad lifestyle.

Featured image by David Trinks on Unsplash