Choosing A Travel Destination
10 Tips To Help You Choose Your Next Dream Holiday Destination
Choosing a travel destination – so you’ve decided that you want to travel, but what do you do when you can’t choose where you should go next?
Like so many people, you possibly have a bucket list filled with places you ‘must’ see. In reality though, it’s probably not practical to just pick one of those at random as your next travel destination.
There are many things that will need to be factored into this decision including money, time, interests, who you are travelling with and more.
With so much information readily available, it can be daunting trying to choose the right travel destination for you.
Even seasoned travellers can experience this when choosing where to travel next.
“You don’t need magic to disappear. All you need is a destination.”
~ Unknown
Determine what’s practical (and what’s not) and awaken your travel inspiration by breaking down the process into smaller pieces!
Using the following as a guide will help you narrow down your destinations and help you choose from a place of clarity and purpose.
Identify The Purpose Of Your Travels
Before you start checking that bucket list to choose your next travel destination, stop and think about where you’re at right now.
Start with asking yourself why you want to travel? What is your why?
Is work telling you to take time off so you may as well go somewhere and the destination doesn’t really matter?
Are you tired and burnt out, and really NEED that time out to recharge?
Are you looking for an adventure, something you’ve never done before, to break out of your daily routine?
It’s amazing the impact that your current situation and mindset can influence your choices.
Every time you can be different, and it’s important to take this into account when choosing a travel destination.
Travelling can also simply be about being inspired to try new things, ads you’ve seen, photos on social media, or hearing about somewhere amazing your friends have been.
As good as it is to be inspired by this, don’t let that be your only deciding factor.
It’s so important to choose a destination that has meaning to you. It should cater to your interests, offer activities you enjoy, and maybe learn something new.
This way you’re guaranteed to have a more memorable and enjoyable experience.
Who You Will Be Travelling With
Your destination choices can be greatly impacted by who you will be travelling with.
If you travel solo, then all the choices rest with you. But if you’re travelling with others, a partner, friends or family, compromises will need to be made.
When you’re travelling with others, it’s important to discuss everyone’s ideas, interests and expectations. Memorable trips are those where everyone is given a chance to experience doing something they love.
It’s not always easy choosing a travel destination that suits everyone, but having these discussions really has some advantages.
By brainstorming with others you could likely come up with ideas that you’ve never even considered. There can also be considerable cost savings when travelling with others.
Hopefully those you’ll be travelling with have similar interests and expectations. It’s so important that you’re all on the same page so the holiday doesn’t end in disaster.
When it comes to booking group tours, if that’s your thing, consider the size of the groups as well as the ages. As a woman aged 50+ my days of partying tours are long gone, so it’s smaller, more boutique tours for me.
Of course there should be some give and take – it’s all about balance.
The Size Of Your Budget
Ok it’s time to state the obvious – travelling costs money.
When you put pen to paper how much you have for your trip, it can have a big impact on which destination you choose to travel to. It also affects the type of travel that you’ll do, but more about that later.
Your budget, along with the amount of time you have (which is discussed below), is possibly one of the biggest deciding factors.
It’s not fun when you see amazing photos of the northern lights only to discover it’s out of your current price range. It can, however, motivate you to save money for next year right?
Distance doesn’t necessarily mean more expensive, it can just mean more research and patience to find the best budget deals. It can mean more time though which we will cover below.
It still can have a significant impact on your final decision, particularly the longer you are travelling for.
It’s not always just how much money you have, but how much you’re prepared to spend on your travels. Do you need to stay in a hotel costing $1000 a night, or are you happy to stay in a hostel?
Budget for both time and dollars
People travelling for a short time typically spend more money than those who are travelling for longer. Long-term travellers tend to lead a more frugal lifestyle as it allows them just that, to travel for.
Internationally, some countries are just more expensive to stay in than others. Europe, USA, and Australia are seen as quite expensive, whereas Southeast Asia and South America are much cheaper to visit.
Bear in mind this is just a generalisation. Sometimes you can sacrifice some comfort to stay in known expensive places if that’s where you really want to go.
However, this can have a big impact on how you end up choosing your travel destination. It truly pays to do your research.
Check Out These Free Travel Planning Printables – Create your bucket list, plan your activities, set your budget and more! Download For Free!
The Amount Of Time You Have Available
I tend to think of time similar to a dollar budget. You only have so much available, so it’s one of the most important factors in choosing where you travel to.
If you only have a week available, you won’t be choosing a travel destination that takes two days just to get to.
But, if you have a month or more, everything changes.
Here are some things to think about based on the amount of time you have available –
Two weeks and under
- Travel time to and from your destination(s)
- How many areas/cities you can reasonably cover
- Consider increasing your budget to save time (things like using tours and agents to book things more time economically)
- Booking more activities to make the most of your time available. But be aware you can return home exhausted if you book too much in
- Book activities in advance to minimise risk of not getting into desired activities.
More than two weeks
- Can increase travel time to and from your destination(s)
- Ability to visit more destinations
- Possibly save costs by having more time available. More organise it yourself and use public transport for example
- Consider staying in cheaper accommodation and more research if budgeting is an issue
- More room for flexibility and possibly taking advantage of last minute activity deals.
So if you only have a week or two, it makes more sense to travel locally, or to a country that is not huge. This way it will be easier to get around and you will be able to see and do more.
The Type Of Travel Style That You Prefer
Another important factor to consider when choosing a travel destination is the style of traveller you are.
Do you consider yourself adventurous and don’t mind the idea of sharing rooms with others and eating at local markets? Or do you need to travel comfortably?
Do you like to keep moving every night, or would you rather stay in one place longer to get to see all of it?
What about transport? Would you feel safe travelling on local trains or buses or prefer guided tours?
Reminder here – there is no right or wrong. It’s all about finding what works for you and what you will be comfortable with.
This can tie back into the first section of ‘what is your why’.
Are you planning to escape your regular busy life? A relaxing holiday to just relax, recharge and spend time with loved ones could be in order.
Or are you constantly looking for action and wanting to get to as many places as possible?
For me it’s about finding a balance between exploring and seeing new places and chill time. I don’t mind a couple of days moving each day followed by a couple of nights in the same spot. This allows for some down time and that necessary laundry.
It’s also important to have a couple of days at the end to wind down before returning to normal life. This can either while I’m still away or at home without any commitments.
Here’s some things to consider.
What do you prefer?
- Cities or nature
- Beaches or countryside
- Are you a shopper, or love the idea of pampering or even meditation retreats
- All inclusive packages or diy road trips
- Action packed or relaxation
- Luxury or budget (or somewhere in between)
These are important questions to answer when choosing a travel destination.
And remember, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Many travellers will go on adventurous trips, hiking for days at a time. They will then allow a few days in comfort relaxing at the end of it – perfect balance!
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The Time Of Year That Appeals To You
A really important factor in choosing a travel destination is the weather and seasons you’ll be travelling in.
It’s not always possible to visit some locations year round. Some locations are just not safe or comfortable to travel to in the middle of winter, or in the heat of summer.
If you’re limited to the time of year that you can travel, you need to consider places that are accessible when you’re able to visit.
It’s not always about accessibility. It can come down to smart budgeting as well. Many places have peak tourist seasons. If you can travel outside of these you can not only save money, you can also have way less people to share with.
Also take into consideration whether you prefer summer or winter. Winter and snow do not appeal to me at all, so that makes my choices much easier.
For example, I love New Zealand, and being from Australia it’s fairly close for me to visit. However as I said I’m not a big fan of the cold, so my visits have been in autumn and spring. Nice snow dusting in the distance for my photos, but still in my comfort zone.
You really can waste a lot of money, and come home extremely disappointed, if you don’t get this timing right!
What Work Are You Prepared To Put In?
Heading off on a travelling adventure is not always easy. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to plan and organise depending on where you are looking to travel to.
Some people love to plan and be in charge of their own itineraries and book everything themselves. Others just want someone else to do all of that for them.
Organising passports, visas, vaccinations and even language barriers can also influence you choosing a travel destination.
Nothing wrong with that, but this is where it’s important to know what type of traveller you are.
Whether you like to do it yourself or have everything organised for you will also affect this decision. Planning a holiday can be time consuming so you may prefer to have someone do this for you like a travel agent. You will just need to bear in mind that this will generally cost more so have an impact on your budget.
Related Post – If you’re keen to give travel planning yourself a go, check out this Travel Planning Guide to get you started.
Sign Up To Mailing Lists
I hear you, receiving constant promotional emails can be exhausting, but you can also be offered some incredible deals.
It can also be a real positive. You could receive an email with a great sale to somewhere you’ve never even considered. Some real inspiration can be found there.
There are also many apps out there where you can search for cheap flights and accommodation that can help you when choosing a travel destination.
One thing to note though, is to investigate these offers thoroughly so you know exactly what you are signing up for.
Still Looking For Inspiration?
If none of the above has narrowed down your locations, the next thing is to go online.
Check out travel blogs and social media sites such as Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook.
If you’re not sure what to search, start with ‘best destinations in ….’. Either enter a continent, country, time of year or simply some activities that you’re interested in.
Simply scrolling through photos on Instagram can get you going. See a photo that inspires you and go from there.
One Final Thought – Give Local Travel A Thought
Don’t have much time or don’t want to travel internationally?
I’m in a number of travel groups on Facebook (highly recommend), and see how many only consider international travel. This is a huge oversight I believe as there can be so many places near where we live that we’ve not seen.
This can open up so many opportunities – think cost wise and the places you can go to on a weekend without giving up any holiday time.
Travelling local is full of rewards and definitely not to be discounted.
I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this post and it has given you some insights on choosing a travel destination.
What’s your next travel destination? I’d love for you to let me know where you’re headed in the comments below.
That’s it for now – Keep clicking and stay caffeinated
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Note – This post does not contain any sponsored or affiliated links. All suggestions and opinions are mine. Unless otherwise stated, all photos are mine and remain my copyright images – Sam Wilson Photography.
