10 Tips for Choosing Your Next Travel Destination
Tourism has exploded in the last few decades bringing about more affordable options to fit every budget. Internet access has also brought about simple and quick ways to find anything from same-day flights to accommodations to booking overnight trains, all with just a few clicks. Not to mention the different forms of having a home base, from hotel chains to couch surfing to renting an Airbnb. Heck, you can even rent a hammock over a canyon if you want to take a walk on the wild side. Or rather a snooze because walking may not be the best thing to do in a hammock over a 200-foot drop.
For some people, choosing a holiday is an easy process; however, for those who overthink and want to see everything, this decision can be overwhelming. I am one of those people and have a list likely too long to satisfy in my lifetime, although I’ll keep trying. If you are one of those overthinkers, try these ten tips when thinking of your next holiday.
How Much Time Do You Have For Your Trip? Deciding your time constraints will help you determine how far you can travel. For example, if you only have three days, you might not want to spend an entire day traveling to your destination. On the flip side, if you have several days, weeks, or months would you prefer to immerse yourself in one area or experience several locales? Deciding your time constraints may assist you in choosing how far you can travel as well as how many places you can logistically travel to and therefore may narrow your choices.
Decide your budget. Flying to Greece or The Maldives would be fantastic, right? However, if your total budget only allows you to drive a few hundred miles without maxing out your credit cards, taking that far-off destination might not be in your best interest at this time. Also, your budget will help you determine where to go, how to get there, what type of accommodations to stay in, etc. Of course, traveling doesn’t have to break the bank, but your bank account usually helps decide how to travel.
What activities do you love to do at home? Are you a hiker and have always dreamed of hiking mountains larger than those near you? Do you love reading historical fiction or biographies and dream of visiting the places discussed in the books? Have you binge-watched shows on The Food Network and dreamed of taking cooking classes in France or Italy? Consider activities you enjoy to find destinations that will help you develop skills around your current interests.
Are there new activities you want to experience? Did you read about some historical landmark in a book that exists in a place you never thought you’d want to see, but you’re dying to see that landmark? Was the diving with shark stories from your friend so exciting that you just knew you had to try it? I chose to go to Belize, a place never on my radar, to become SCUBA certified. There are millions of things we experience in a lifetime. So why not use one you’ve always wondered about to take you someplace you never considered?
Consider what you’d like to accomplish with this trip. Do you need to relax or are you always at a desk and consistent movement appeals to you while on vacation? Are you exploring a healthier lifestyle? Perhaps a yoga retreat would suit your needs. Do you want to immerse yourself in another culture or improve your language skills? A friend wished to brush up and improve her Spanish skills, so she spent several months working with a tutor before booking a trip to Mexico to take immersive classes to become more fluent.
Have you ever written a bucket list? What if you picked a destination around an item on your list? For instance, someone I know had “bungee jumping” on her bucket list and decided to choose a location known for bungee jumping and hiking. With these activities in mind, she set her sights on New Zealand. I have multiple things on my list centered around things I love to do including diving the Great Barrier Reef and seeing a hockey game in all of the original 6 cities. I’ve always loved nature and wildlife and have been fascinated by the idea of visiting the Galapagos Islands ever since I watched a nature documentary about them. What’s on your bucket list and can you choose a destination to fulfill one of those items?
Who, if anyone, are you traveling with? Do you have young children? Going to an all-inclusive with no childcare might not be for you. Are you traveling with your parents? Would they be interested in an overnight train or ferry to your final destination? Not all places are easy to get to by plane and may require additional transportation steps which may not be for everybody in your party. Does anyone have physical limitations preventing them from easily walking on cobblestone streets? If you are traveling solo, do you want to go way outside your comfort zone or join up with a group?
What time of your are you traveling? Are you dreaming of Patagonia, Argentina, or somewhere else in the Southern Hemisphere? Remember the seasons there are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere, so if you are traveling in August expecting the weather to be the same as in the United States during summer, you might be in for a shock. If your job only allows you time off at a particular time of year or you need to have specific dates blocked off on your calendar, examine your destination for weather and holidays. Also, be mindful of major events taking place in or near your destination. My parents traveled to coastal Delaware in late September, thinking they would have no difficulty finding accommodations since the kids were back in school and the weather was starting to get colder. Little did they know one of the major NASCAR races was taking place and after already driving for several hours, they had to continue on to find a hotel with rooms available for a reasonable rate.
Are there specific accommodation types you prefer? You may love the idea of a log cabin in the middle of nowhere for its solitude; however, if you prefer daily housekeeping and the convenience of nearby restaurants, you may want to go with a more populous place. Or consider a suburban hotel for the quiet, but you still have access to the creature comforts. Maybe you prefer boutique hotels to chain hotels; therefore, a smaller city might be more for you. I’ve known people who chose places and islands in the Caribbean to have access to all-inclusive resorts because they did not want to think about anything or go further than outside their door while on holiday. It may seem silly to choose a destination around your preferred accommodations, but consider how comfortable you want to be, and if your accommodations don’t exist in your target destination, another location might be more suited to your desires.
Take into account your safety. This is a multi-layered concept and can include such things as political unrest in your target country or neighboring countries, disease, and even your gender. Shortly before a trip I took to Greece, there were reports of riots occurring in Athens, one of the places we planned to visit. Things calmed down before our trip, but we watched the news frequently to determine if it was possible to see the city. There are some countries I dream of visiting and admit I wouldn’t go to unless I was in a group and could hire a guide. This is primarily due to my gender and what I’ve read and heard from friends who have visited countries I’ve been interested in seeing. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is culturally acceptable in some places and contacting the authorities may hold no merit if something happens. Even if you are in a place harassment isn’t accepted, you still may face unwanted attention or, at the very least, constant personal questions. Disease may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you read “take into account your safety,” but at the time of this writing, the globe is still in a pandemic. Some countries may have an outbreak or require extra steps for entry that you may not be interested in, such as vaccination or testing. Some countries require shots for admission and you need to be aware of your willingness to take these shots as well as side effects you may experience.
There are so many places to go to and so many things to see, which can make this decision very difficult. If you still can’t decide, ask a friend or family member with similar interests where they would go, or narrow your choices to two places and flip a coin. Have fun exploring your possibilities and try not to overthink them too much. I’ve missed out on trips because I waited too long to decide and cheap flights suddenly became outrageous or groups I wanted to join with filled up. Whatever you choose to do, go explore and have fun!