The joy of newness
And how to find it, even someplace you’ve already been.
Drinking a Russian River Brewing Pliny the Elder IPA during a Russian River float trip was definitely new.
(The links in this blog are not affiliate / paid. Just places I love.)
On the one hand, I love visiting places I’ve never been. Everything is unexplored, different, new. So much possibility. So much stimulation.
Newness has a special quality. It’s more alive than sameness. More kinetic than repetition.
On the other hand, there are places I love so much that I want to go back.
Repeat destination: Santa Rosa, CA
One of our favorite destinations has long been Santa Rosa, California. We first started going while living in SoCal. We were tent campers then, driving up with friends to visit breweries.
Our first stop was always Moylan’s Brewery in Novato. Then on to the main attraction, Russian River Brewing in downtown Santa Rosa. Eat pizza, get growlers of Pliny the Elder IPA and camp at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. (Don’t forget your designated driver.)
We went every October for a long weekend, several years running starting in the late ‘00s. Mostly the same itinerary. Mostly the same group. It never got old.
Then, life started happening. The couple who originated the trip had a baby. We moved to Seattle and could no longer easily drive there with our camping gear.
Yet, I still wanted to go. Although, could we really justify flying given we’d been there so many times already?
We could. We did. Because I started looking for ways to make the same destination new again.
3 ways to find newness in a place you’ve already been
Vary where you stay
We’d already camped in the Santa Rosa area, so staying in a hotel was new. Try Hotel La Rose for some historic charm.
But, that newness only went so far. The trip really started to feel fresh again once we started venturing outside of town.
Here are some questions to help you find a new place to stay in a destination you’re revisiting.
Where’s a remote, out-of-the way place to stay?
For us, it was River’s End Restaurant & Inn in Jenner. Just north of where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean, on the Pacific Coast Highway. Stunning.
We had driven out there on a prior trip, and I was eager to stay for longer than just a day.
What town — or side of town — have I not seen much of?
While we’d been to Sebastopol for a bite at HopMonk Tavern, staying there on another return visit was new.
It gave us time to explore on foot, and we stumbled on a charming farmer’s market. Miniature ponies with rainbow tails and a steaming hot cup of bone broth. What a great find.
Do I have a reason and the means to splurge at a more upscale place than usual?
On yet another return visit, we took advantage of off-season rates to spend two nights at Solage Resort & Spa in Calistoga to celebrate a special occasion. While I had visited the spa once with a friend, I had never stayed. Divine.
2. Do something new
You can still hit your favorite spots — we go back to Russian River Brewing every trip. Just leave time for a little something new. Plan it in advance if you want newness to be a sure thing. I find doing hours of research during my trip takes away from the experience.
What’s an outdoor activity or locale I haven’t experienced?
Maybe it’s a different trail or a different area of a park you’ve been to before. Or, a hot air balloon ride.
For us, it was a 16-mile float trip on the Russian River, with Burke’s Canoe Trips. After years of going to Russian River Brewing, we were out on the actual river that gave the brewery its name. (Yes, we took a bottle of Pliny or two. How could we not?)
What’s an indoor activity I haven’t tried yet?
Maybe it’s local theater, or axe throwing. Maybe it’s a brewery you’ve been to before, but this time you sign up for the tour.
We tried something that’s a tradition in Japan but rather rare in the United States: a cedar bath at Osmosis Day Spa & Sanctuary in Freestone, followed by a sound journey in their Zen garden. We never wanted to leave.
What’s a nearby town or destination I’ve never visited that would make for a good day trip?
We headed up to Healdsburg one trip to visit the Bear Republic brewpub that used to be in town. Healdsburg is less than 30 minutes north of Santa Rosa, but it has a totally different vibe — more upscale.
3. Change how you get there
You can bet one day we’ll roll into Santa Rosa in Camper Van Beethoven and load her up with Pliny. That’ll be new. And, so will visiting Russian River Brewing’s newer, second location in Windsor.
There might be a new way to get to where you’re going, too. Rent a convertible or RV and take the scenic route. Hop aboard a train. Fly into a different airport if there’s another nearby and do some sightseeing there.
Newness lights me up
It’s why most of us travel in the first place. It gets us away from our everyday, our chores, our clutter and puts us in a mindset to be open, to explore, to relax, to try new things.
That’s why I always seek newness everywhere I go, even if I’ve been there before.
If you’d like a little newness the next time you revisit a place, try the questions above. If they don’t help, start exploring on Airbnb — look for an experience or an offbeat place to stay, such as a cave. Or, just try Google or ChatGPT. Maybe an AI trip itinerary is exactly what you need to make your travels feel fresh again.
Start simple by typing in something like: “plan three days in Santa Rosa, California.” If you want more options, add additional prompts, such as: “add a spa day” or “make it affordable.”
Or, perhaps you like your trip the way you like it. You want to keep staying in the same place and doing the same things. That’s great, too.
The point is to get out there and have a good time doing it.