As a traveler, I am always on a mission to check something off the bucket list, get another stamp in my passports or add an experience with a new country on my blog. I often get asked if I am looking to travel to new faraway places or continue to visit some countries that I have seen before.
Like most things in life, there are many yes or no responses.
The country I will be talking about in this post is Barcelona, located in Spain. Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia of Spain, and it is the second-largest city in Spain with a population of 1.7 million. At the same time, its urban area has a much larger population of 5.5 million.
I went to Spain in 2019, and to this day, it is defiantly on my bucket list again. Below are the following reasons.
The place might change.
Even though you have seen a place before, there’s a good chance things have changed since the last time you visited that destination. Take the building Sagrada Familia Barcelona – the structure is currently projected to be completed by 2026. Once that building is complete, can you imagine the number of tourists ready to visit due to its new look, its new architecture? I can only imagine how difficult it will be to get tickets to get a tour inside.
There is more to discover.
You might have heard this before, “I have seen it all!” Well, there are times we miss the hole in the wall places. For example, while in Barcelona, I never went to a place called “La Rambla,” which might be described as Barcelona’s Social Hub. This location is lined with shops, restaurants, and outdoor cafés, making it one of the city’s most popular hangouts. Another site I did not visit while in Barcelona was the magic fountain. The large Art Deco fountain is a light and water show choreographed with music that lasts for about an hour. Carles Buigas designed it for the 1929 International Exhibition, which took place in Montjuïc. Even while on a bus touring the city, I do not recall seeing a fountain.
You know what to expect.
I have shared what could be new and exciting, but let’s not forget that you will not get lost as quickly as the first time you traveled there if you have gone to places like Barcelona. Sometimes showing up in a new country is a lot of work. You have to figure out a new transit system, learn a few words of the local language, adapt to new customs, and fit into contemporary culture. Depending on the country, this can be really exhausting and challenging. Spending three days with a tour guide meant that I learned a lot about the culture and main places to visit and relax while in Barcelona. Also, even if I explore new territory, the chances are that I can get lost and still find landmarks that help me get back on track. In Spain, the metro was not difficult to maneuver like in France.
You can revisit new destinations.
Have you ever read a blog or seen someone’s Instagram photo and think, where was this on my trip. In Spain, I passed by Casa Batlló, but I never went inside it, which means I have something new to do while re-visiting Barcelona. While researching some things for this blog post, I did uncover beautiful photos that made me think, “where was I, and why did I not take that photo?”. You are bound to find ah-ha moments if you follow bloggers, photographers, travelers, and so on.
You learn the quality outweighs quantity.
I read this on, Teaspoononadventure, a travel blogger’s post, “It doesn’t matter how many countries you’ve been to. The number is meaningless, and you’re not a better or worse traveler for having been to 5 or 50 countries. We may love keeping count, but at the end of the day, no one is traveling for the number.” This is very true because traveling is an experience, and it is what you do with that experience that draws people to read the blog. I personally love storytellers because I want to know what happens on your trip, did you get lost, did you see something nice, and so on. I sometimes read blogs, and it is clear, you got your awesome photos, and you probably left, or your trip was more isolated than the traditional touristy trips take. Whichever floats your boat, this notion of quality overweighing quantity spoke to me as a new blogger and as someone who had all these trips planned but cannot travel per COVID.
Juan Velez Photography 