You’ve saved up a good amount, you’ve got the time off work that you wanted or you’ve got a gap in between studies. You’ve got your bucket list or world map in front of you, but the question is where next?
When your “where next” list is as long as mine and where the top spot changes weekly, it can be tricky to whittle down destinations and decide on where your next adventure is going to take you. So here’s a couple of things to consider next time you’re staring blankly at the map.
Time
The first big thing to consider is how much time you have free to go. If you only have a week to spare, you’re probably not going to spend a good chunk of that on a long-haul flight. Similarly, if you’ve got weeks and weeks, you’re probably not going to go on a city break to somewhere that’s only a couple of hours away.
Also if you have bags of time, think about routes that you can take around a couple of different places. Pick a few destinations that are relatively close to each other and see if you can feasibly get between them.
If you’re short on time it helps to put a mental flight radius on a map of a couple of hours – it immediately cuts down your options so that the choices are more manageable – and you can do the opposite if you’ve got the time for a lengthy trip.
Budget
Budget is a weird one because it’s always possible to do typically expensive places on a budget if you plan it properly (I actually have a few blogs about that subject in the tips & tricks section). But if you don’t have £600 to spend on flights, you’re probably not going to Australia any time soon.
Yes, flight deals come up all the time, but be realistic with what you’re going to need. If you are going to somewhere that’s typically more expensive when you’re there like big cities or most places in the US, Canada, and Europe, consider how much food, drink, and accommodation is going to set you back. You don’t want to be worrying about scrimping and saving and whether or not you can afford lunch when you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself.
Season
If you don’t want to spend a fortune, avoid going to places in their peak seasons or when big events like the Olympics are taking place. Especially for the latter, it’s going to be busy, and expensive and it’s going to take way longer to get to anywhere that you want to go – not great unless you’re actually going for the event itself.
Also, consider rainy and dry seasons in tropical countries as well as hurricane season. I’ve been in tropical countries during the start of the rainy season and it’s honestly not that bad, it’s probably 10 minutes of heavy, heavy rain then it brightens up again, not insurmountable considering the money you save and the lack of tourists – but do check online for your specific destination.
Just a personal experience: don’t go to Disneyland in hurricane season. They stopped the rides every few minutes because of lightning and thunder in the distance.
Experiences
Okay, so what do you want to get out of this trip? Do you want to recharge and relax? Do you want to hang out with locals? Do you want to try amazing cuisine? Do you want to do every adventurous excursion on Viator? Figure out what kind of trip you want and it’ll be easier to narrow down your search.
No one’s going to New York City for a chilled, relaxed beach vibe, are they? Also, if there’s a place with a ton of things to do, all of which you want to check out and you’re short on time, maybe leave it until you have more time to spend, otherwise you’ll feel like you’re rushing around and won’t have time to enjoy yourself.
Solo or Not
This might be a female solo traveler thing but there are certain places, either rightly or wrongly, where I’d prefer not to travel alone. Whether that’s because it’s remote and I want to hike and not die alone on a trail or it’s an area that has a bit more of a sketchy reputation, there are some places I’ll wait until a friend has a similar amount of travel time and money.
Just something to consider that I think a lot of people take for granted. Also if a place is super expensive and you want to split costs, or if it’s a place you know that your friend wants to go to, but isn’t available to travel right now – all things to take on board.
So, picking from over 200 countries can be tricky, especially when there’s so much to see in the world and it feels like there’s never going to be enough time. But it’s okay. Some trips are suited to certain times, seasons, and budgets. There’ll be ample opportunity to see the rest someday. For now, just look at the map and start choosing.
