The Beauty of Travel: Milan Edition | 7-18-25

I just got back from a two week trip to Milan, Italy, and I have some thoughts and reflections to make. First of all, about the destination in general: Milan is a fascinating city. I had no idea the type of crazy structures and buildings that the city houses, such as the Duomo, Galleria, Navigli, Monumental Cemetery, and more. My preconception of Milan was that it was an extremely fashion-focused city, with many famous brands having strong headquarters or bases there. However, I think that I overestimated in my mind how much it was going to factor into daily life: not everyone was dressed head to toe in designer clothes, which meant that we were thankfully not too underdressed. However, there was still a strong fashion presence throughout the city, from classic Italian brands like Gucci to huge stores and shopping centers (Rinoscente, Coin, etc.) The quality of these goods was immaculate (although I was a bit disappointed at the Men’s selection at the Galleria H&M), so if you’re looking for a great shopping city, Milan is an excellent option. The food was also very impressive coming from America, but nothing crazy (in my opinion). I think there’s plenty of great Italian places in America that, without the same cultural connection to the food, are able to achieve a similar level of quality to the average in Milan. Also, from what I’ve heard, Milan is not renowned for its innovations in food, versus Sicily or Bologna or other famous Italian cities. Still, I was grateful for some good eats! One of my friends told me to make sure that I never eat in the same place twice while I’m here, because the opportunity cost is simply so high that you’re missing out on the countless other excellent options. I definitely think this is true, even just random gelaterias on the street are a welcome surprise when they turn out to be some of the best you’ve ever tasted. As for day trips from Milan, a couple feasible options that I really enjoyed were Lake Como, Bergamo, and Verona, with Bergamo probably being the best sleeper pick.

Travelling is a really unique experience. It’s not quite as soul-baring as fully living in a new place, but it can span a range of experiences up to that. I personally feel most myself when I’m in the process of trying something new or on a flight somewhere I’ve never been. Part of this is just how central curiosity is to my individual personality, but the other part is how new experiences help expand our minds and worldview. Once you’ve travelled and explored in a new place, your frame of the world expands to include the people, culture, subway navigation systems, architecture, and style of the place. Your brain recognizes that such a place exists in the world where before it didn’t, making your view more expansive as you consider the sheer breadth of human society. I think this effect can be different for people based on their individual predilections to relaxation or safety, which is also very dependent on your situation in life: if you’re feeling drained, burnt out, or sad, maybe you’re not going to be the most open to new experiences, but rather want to enjoy a nice staycation on your couch. It’s a give and take between what your trip can give you and what you’re ready to give the trip. Personally, by the second week in Milan, I started to feel a bit drained and advocated for a stronger emphasis on relaxation in the last couple of days before our flight. It’s a personal thing, just like everything else!

Also, in regards to another common phenoma that travelers experience, I have a very strong tendency to imagine myself living in the place I’ve travelled to. Fellow travelers will often comment jokingly on how often I say the phrase “I’m gonna get a house here”. I said it a couple times in Milan, Como, and Bergamo each. I hear a lot of similar stories on the Internet and from my friends, especially from younger people who have time before deciding where to settle down, but also from older people looking to shake things up. For me, it stems from imagining the life I would lead in any one place, how it would differ from my goals or the lives I see others leading, and how it would contribute to my life as a whole. All of this is done subconsciously, but it leads to an overall euphoric effect of visualization where I imagine living in the prettiest house I can see, taking my little kids around the streets and driving around. I definitely felt these feelings throughout my trip and basically every other trip I’ve been on. However, what differentiates a real desire to live somewhere from a superficial or circumstantial one is how fully I mentally embrace living there. For example, there’s a lot of places I think about like “I would love to live here for some of the year, and then spend the rest of the year here, and the rest of the year there” and so on. If a place doesn’t draw me enought to just living there on first glance, it’s probably best as a vacation spot in the future. However, I have no way of knowing yet :) We’ll let the cards fall where they may.

As you’ll see if you check out my bucket list on this site, I have quite a looooot of travel goals. It’s always been important to me that I explore new places and “see the world”, experiences everything that it has to offer. While travel is obviously a huge investment, I’ve come to believe that it’s necessary on a semi-regular basis to prevent existential tunnel vision, where you just become ingrained in your immediate surroundings. It’s the most powerful gift we have of empathy for other cultures, and a powerful tool for making memories you’ll be glad to have on your deathbed. Overall, Milan was worth it and travel as a whole is definitely (somewhat obvously) worth it.