Destination for the sake of it

Why is it that we dream of certain destinations? Is it mainly instinctual or, is there much more to it?  If you live a distance away from your family or long-time friends, then travel destination priorities may well involve bringing you closer to these people.  If you sense some connection to a place you've never been, you may feel driven to get yourself to these places.  The following were eleven reasons people gave me as motivations for choosing a specific travel destination:

1) Leisure/ vacation: lured by the exotic

2) Family live in the area

3) Wedding/ Reunion/ Funeral location

4) Work conference/ meeting setting

5) "Always wanted to go there"

6) Spiritual reasons (i.e., desire to witness miracles or to make a pilgrimage)

7) Random choice

8) "Someone recommended it"

9) "Why not?"

10) Seat sale

11) Heritage (i.e., gathering material for a family tree; visiting relatives' graves, retracing immigration path or finding/ reuniting with blood relatives)

Comments

[Erin]

Where does "To visit a place from a memory" fit in? I moved a fair amount when I was young, and revisiting those old towns and neighborhoods stirs something deep in me and helps me reconnect to the past.

[Liara Covert]

If you visit a place based on a personal memory, then in a way, you're recommending that destination to yoruself. Of course, nostalgia could also be an additional category to add to this list. I simply chose the top ten reasons people gave me. This list doesn't exclude other ideas which explain your choices.