You Might Be a Topophile If... (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

If you asked me to describe my relationship with travel in one word, I’d say I’m a topophile - someone who loves places. Not just visiting them. Not just snapping photos. I mean really loving them. Feeling something stir when I arrive. Seeing how a place can shift my thinking, soothe something I didn’t know needed soothing, or wake me up to parts of myself I’d pushed down under day-to-day life.

I’m not just here to help you book holidays. I’m here to help you find the right ones—the ones that reconnect you with yourself. That’s what I mean when I say I love places. I love what they do to us when we let them in.

What Being a Topophile Really Means

A topophile doesn’t just love travel. They love places with personality. Places that make them feel more alive - more themselves. It’s that moment when you breathe in mountain air and feel your shoulders drop. Or when a city’s rhythm syncs up with your own. Or when you realise you’ve been walking for hours because a place just keeps giving you something.

For me, that happened the first time I stood in a Kyoto garden just after it had rained. I’d been moving through life at full speed, juggling work, motherhood, and a to-do list that never stopped growing. But in that quiet, moss-covered garden, something in me softened. I felt still for the first time in years. It wasn’t just a beautiful place - it was a mirror, showing me what I’d been missing.

That moment didn’t just make me love Kyoto. It made me change the way I lived when I got home. And that’s the real heart of being a topophile: falling in love with places that change how you live, not just how you travel.

From Checklist to Compass

Most people start planning a trip with a checklist: the must-see sites, the famous restaurants, the top-rated experiences. That’s not wrong - but it’s not where the gold is.

When I coach clients, one of the first things I ask is: What do you want this trip to do for you?

Sometimes they’re not sure yet. That’s okay. But eventually, they get to something deeper:

“I want to feel more adventurous again.”
“I want to reconnect with my partner.”
“I need to press pause and breathe.”
“I want my kids to see the world differently.”

And once we’ve got that? That becomes the compass. We start designing a trip that serves that intention, not just a list of places to tick off. The result is something way more powerful than a perfect itinerary. It’s a journey that means something.

Sarah's Story: From Overwhelmed to Inspired

One of my clients, Sarah, came to me feeling completely overwhelmed. She wanted to take her family to Japan but had no idea where to start. She’d been buried in blogs, Instagram reels, and conflicting advice for weeks. “I just don’t want to mess it up,” she told me. “It feels like such a big deal.”

What she really wanted - once we unpacked it - was to create a trip that would reconnect her family. To step out of the work–school–screens loop and give her kids something richer. Something they’d remember.

We didn’t start with hotel bookings. We started with how she wanted to feel. We created space in the trip for slow mornings, unexpected wanderings, meaningful conversations, and yes, a few theme park thrills too.

She came back glowing. Not just because the trip had been amazing - but because she’d shown herself what was possible when she let go of the pressure to get it “right” and instead made space for connection, curiosity, and presence.

The Post-Trip Glow (and What to Do With It)

One of the most underrated parts of any journey is what happens after. That feeling when you’re back home, and you keep thinking about that moment. That cafe in a back street. That view at sunset. That local you chatted to who saw life a bit differently.

That’s not nostalgia. That’s your intuition tapping you on the shoulder.

So many people come home from a transformational trip full of ideas and intentions - but then life pulls them back under. School runs. Work emails. Laundry. Urgh.

That’s why I always encourage my clients to treat the return as part of the trip. Take time to reflect. Journal. Make one change, however small, that brings a bit of that travel version of you into your everyday life.

Maybe it’s morning walks. Or slowing down mealtimes. Or rethinking how you use your time. The trip may be over, but the transformation doesn’t have to be.

Tips for Becoming a Topophile Yourself

Want to bring more meaning into your travels? Here are a few simple ways to shift your mindset:

1. Choose with your gut, not just your guidebook

Pick places that spark something in you - even if they’re not on the ‘Top 10’ lists. Trust your curiosity.

2. Build in space, not just stuff

Leave room for detours, spontaneity, and sitting still. Magic doesn’t happen on a tight schedule.

3. Travel with intention

Before you book anything, ask yourself what you really want this trip to give you. Fun is great. But meaning? That’s gold.

4. Reflect before and after

Treat your trip like a chapter in your life, not a break from it. What do you want to learn? Who do you want to be when you come back?

5. Don’t wait for the ‘right’ time

Life will always be busy. Kids will always have something on. You will always have reasons not to go. Go anyway.

Final Thoughts: Travel as a Tool for Transformation

Being a topophile isn’t about having endless holidays or fancy getaways. It’s about recognising that places have power - and choosing to travel in a way that lets that power shape you.

You don’t have to go far. You just have to go with your eyes open and your heart in it. Whether you’re planning your first big adventure or you're on the edge of a life chapter that needs a reset, travel can be the spark that lights the way forward.

And if you want support turning that spark into something real and powerful? That’s where I come in. This is what I do - help people design journeys that change their lives.