Abstract This introductory paper sets the agenda for the Special Issue on ‘Placing’ Return Migration. It stresses the key role of place in shaping return‐migration imaginaries, processes and outcomes, including attention paid to the routes and temporalities of return. The paper foregrounds geographers' (and others') calls to ‘ground’ and ‘spatialise’ migration, with a particular focus on the limited literature on the roles of place and space in return migration. Typologies and examples of place‐based itineraries of return are set out. Finally, the editorial introduction presents an overview of the five papers in the Special Issue and indicates the potential for further research.