re: Figuring out how to make travel magical again.

I would say that you need to get further off the tourist trail. You've seen enough that you aren't wowed by Budapest or Prague anymore, and all the advice that people are giving you about taking your time with the destination aren't going to fix that---taking things more slowly may make your vacation more pleasant, but it won't make it breathtaking.

I just got back last night from 12 days in Italy with my daughter and son-in-law, and I completely understand your perspective. For me, it wasn't nearly as "WOW" as it had been in the past, and the trip was really only a great trip for me because I was with my daughter and son-in-law.

But my Ethiopia trip 18 months ago was very much WOW. My Galapagos trip in 2024 was very much WOW.

You just aren't going to get the same feeling by continuing to go to places like Japan and Europe. You've been there and done that.

The more I travel, the longer I stay in each place—usually at least five nights. And the smaller the cities, the better.