There is something exciting about wondering what might still be out there waiting for us.
Another road we have never driven, another city we have never explored, another view from the window of an airplane, and another morning when we pull back the curtains on a cruise ship and see nothing but ocean.
After all the traveling we have done over the years, you might think we would be running out of places to go.
Somehow, it feels like the opposite.
The more we travel, the more curious we become about what the next adventure might look like. ( I think we are addicted 😂)
And lately, we have been realizing that adventure does not always mean somewhere new.
Sometimes the best journey might take us back to somewhere we already love.
We Have Covered A Lot Of Miles Together
Travel has been part of our story since the beginning! Our first trip was 2 months after we met, we went to Las Vegas for Kirsten's 40th Birthday.
For more than 5.5 years, our RV was not simply something we took on vacation. It was home.
We traveled highways and back roads. We woke up in places we had never seen before. We learned how different the country can look when you give yourself enough time to really see it.
There were big destinations, but there were also ordinary mornings at campgrounds that became part of the story.
Then there have been the airplanes.
The quick getaways.
The longer vacations.
The anticipation that comes when you are walking through an airport knowing that somewhere completely different is waiting on the other side of that flight.
And, of course, there have been the cruise ships.
We still love that feeling of stepping onboard, settling into our cabin, and knowing that for the next several days the journey itself is part of the destination.
RV.
Plane.
Cruise ship.
Different ways of traveling, but all of them have given us something we value even more after 50.
Perspective.
Maybe Adventure Changes After 50
When we were younger, adventure often felt connected to doing something we had never done before.
New seemed exciting simply because it was new.
We still love discovering new places. There are plenty of destinations we have not seen yet, and our list certainly is not getting shorter.
But life after 50 has changed the way we think about travel.
We are beginning to appreciate that an adventure does not have to come with a completely unfamiliar address.
- Sometimes adventure is returning somewhere that already holds part of your story.
- Sometimes it is seeing a familiar place through different eyes.
- Sometimes it is recognizing that you have changed since the last time you were there.
And that is exactly what we have been thinking about lately.
We Are Going Back To Aruba
Next month, we are returning to Aruba for a very special anniversary and birthday trip.
Aruba will always be part of our story because it is where we got married 21 years ago.
We have returned several times since then, so this certainly will not be our first trip back.
We know the beaches.
We know that beautiful Aruba breeze.
We know the feeling of seeing that turquoise water again.
There are places we will probably want to revisit simply because they bring back good memories.
But something about this trip already feels different.
Maybe it is because of the chapter of life we are in.
Maybe it is because we have spent so much time this year thinking about purpose, connection, health, relationships, and making every day count.
Or maybe we are simply learning to appreciate familiar places in a deeper way.
This time it does not feel like we are going back because we could not think of somewhere new to go.
It feels like we are returning because we know exactly how much this place means to us.
There is a difference.
Familiar Does Not Mean Ordinary
We sometimes talk about travel as though the goal is collecting destinations.
- How many states have we visited?
- How many countries?
- How many cruises?
- How many places can we mark off the list?
Those things can be fun.
But we are not sure they tell the whole story anymore.
- Some places become special because of what happened there.
- Some become special because of who was standing beside us.
- Some simply make us feel good when we return.
And perhaps one of the gifts of getting older is giving ourselves permission to stop worrying about whether something is impressive enough to count as an adventure.
- If it brings us joy, it counts.
- If it helps us reconnect, it counts.
- If it reminds us of who we were while allowing us to appreciate who we have become, it definitely counts.
What If The Best One Is Still Ahead?
That is the question we keep coming back to.
After all the miles we have traveled, what if our best adventure still awaits?
- Maybe it is somewhere we have never been.
- Maybe it is another long road trip.
- Maybe it begins with an airline ticket.
- Maybe we will wake up one morning on another cruise ship wondering how the view outside could possibly be that beautiful.
Or maybe the next great adventure is waiting somewhere familiar.
Perhaps it is Aruba.
We will find out soon.
And that little bit of curiosity is part of what makes this next trip feel so exciting.
After 50, we do not believe our adventurous years are behind us.
If anything, we understand them better now.
We know that the destination matters, but so does the person sitting beside us.
We know that new experiences are wonderful, but familiar ones can become even more meaningful with time.
And we know there are still stories waiting for us.
Some in places we have never seen and others in places that already feel a little like home.
So perhaps the question is not, Where haven't we been yet?
Maybe the better question is:
Where do we still feel called to go?
For us, one of those places is Aruba.
And next month, we are going back.
We have a feeling there may be another chapter of our story waiting for us there.
What place would you return to again and again, not because there is nowhere new to go, but because something about it keeps calling you back?
Live Boldly. Move Confidently. Thrive Intentionally.
With love, ❤️
Kirsten & Mack
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