The idea of this post came from the shitty experience of Mace in the Filipino movie ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ when she and Anthony ended up in a random karaoke house belting Whitney Houston’s Where Do Broken Hearts Go. I’m a member of this very cooperative group in Facebook with travelers doing do-it-yourself travels and sharing their itineraries and expenses for the benefit of the other members.
Few weeks before V-day, a random member posted a question that asked who among the more than ten thousand members experienced heartbreak and considered traveling (mountain climbing to be specific) as a mean of moving on. The post trended and earned a lot of likes and comments. With all the members who seriously shared their bitter memories of break-up and moving on, I asked them if I can use their story to compile a list of destinations broken-hearted people can visit, aside from Sagada where Mace let go all of her grudges.
BORACAY, PALAWAN, PANGLAO ISLAND
Riz found her feet playing on the white and powdery beach of Boracay. Not alone, but with her friends. This was just the first stage of moving-on. She continued it to Coron where she finally realized that she shouldn’t waste her precious time on wretched moments rather enjoying life by kayaking, island hopping, and beach basking on this part of Palawan. Finally, her trip to Panglao Island changed her perspective towards the word “love”.
BAGUIO CITY
The climate, the food, the people, the streets; it helped Wron Pin find himself again. For him, Baguio City is a safe-haven for break-up moments that always help his heart recover. When he needs isolation, a quick drive to Baguio City to move on is his main option.
BANTAYAN ISLAND, GUIMARAS, SIQUIJOR
After weeks of emotional pain, Jakie Kim wanted to take revenge and show his now ex-boyfriend what he lost. She got a new haircut and grabbed her backpack to see the world. For months of traveling, visiting these destinations, she felt that she already moved on and stronger. Slowly, the pain she had was totally gone and was replaced with great travel memories in every destination she visits. Currently, Jakie is still busy booking plane tickets and ticking items on her bucket list.
PANGASINAN, ZAMBALES
The couple supposedly was visiting Our Lady of Manaoag for Jed Lumawag’s birthday. But they broke up and Jed drove to the miraculous shrine in Pangasinan, alone. After hearing mass and offering some candles, he drove and didn’t notice that he already reached Lingayen, then Alaminos. Instead of turning back, he continued his journey until he arrived in Narciso, Zambales where he pitched his tent and enjoyed the view of the setting sun. This is where he realized that God has these beautiful creations to be thanked for.
WAWA DAM, MT PAMITINAN
For Josh Castro, going back to the places they frequented as a duo has this notion of happy memories that will just haunt him instead of helping him to move on. So he decided not to go outdoors and travel for a couple of months. Staying at home helped him recover but traveling healed his broken heart. After five months, he visited Wawa Dam and Mt Pamitinan, two of the destinations that they usually visit, with new found friends. By doing these trips, he concluded that what really mend your heart are new memories that you mark on these destinations.
NORZAGARAY, MT BALAGBAG
μαλονδα γυλματιξο, yes that’s her name on Facebook, travel to Norzagaray, Bulacan followed by climbs to Manabu, Daraitan, Marami, Pico, and trek to falls like Majayjay and Ambon-Ambon Falls. But her solo climb in Mt Balagbag was her dose of getting out of the trap and ignoring all the heartaches in the past.
CORON
Two weeks before their flight to Coron, they broke up. Jem Pablo even invited her ex-boyfriend to join her on the trip but he declined and even asked her not to go solo. She decided to go to test if she can do it alone and to prove him that she can survive a life without him. She avenged by wearing a two-piece to show his ex what he really left. Getting the chance to snorkel and see the boasting marine life underwater, Jem felt rejuvenated, gave her a fresh start and made her realized that there’s more to life than love.
To sum it all, Dada Lorenzo considers traveling as a way to move on by meeting new people and gaining new friends. Experiencing things that you’ve never done before and eating food that are new to your buds, will help you forget about your wounded heart. Visiting these destinations helped other travelers to mend their broken hearts and to take pleasure out of it. These are living evidences that traveling indeed can serve as your cure to forget all the not-so-good memories with your past. How about you? Share it in the comment section below.
