It obviously depends upon the special interest. I've made a career out of my special interest, neonatal medicine. I am a bit of a rockhound, so I like to travel around, make vacation destinations with this in mind, at some point I will be looking or digging around for specific specimens at specific locations. I enjoy growing plants,...and now fungi, indoors and outdoors, lots of orchids and tropical plants in the house, raised bed garden outdoors, and I just started my next venture, growing mushrooms. I like steam trains, so I will travel to see them, going to Scotland in May and will be traveling on 2 different steam trains. I am interested in renewable energy sources, and have been for decades, windmills, geothermal, solar, etc. and now I have a home with solar panels and battery storage, and am designing my next home will all 4 components.
So, for me, my special interests are more about what I can experience in a more physically tactile way, doing something, building, growing, etc.