How to choose a travel destination

Deciding you need a holiday is easy! Who doesn’t, right :) ? But before you find yourself chillaxing somewhere awesome in a couple of weeks/months time, you’ll have to make a couple of important decisions. Where to? For how long? With what budget? With whom? Ahhhhh!

Not to worry! In order to help you tackle these question marks we created this post!
We’ll help you choose a travel destination that meets your interests and budget in no time :)

Where to start?

With an oversupply of possible travel options being pushed by magazines, tv commercials, internet ads etc., it can become very overwhelming to decide which way to go. This can lead to over thinking everything and becoming completely indecisive. Not the best mental state to plan your dream holiday if you ask us… :)

So, keeping the KISS principle (Keep It Short & Simple) in mind, just ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why do you want to travel?

This is where it all starts. WHY do you want to go explore a new location? If your only answer is “to get away from it all” that’s not going to do. Of course this can be part of the reason, but in that case you’re only focusing on where you’re from, and not where you’re going.

So really think about what you want to experience during your holiday. Are you looking for outdoor adventures? Historical cities? Amazing food? Relaxing beach life? Backpacker atmosphere?

Think about what your interests are, and what kind of memories you want to create: Family time by the beach, digging into the local culture, hanging out with fellow festivalgoers, testing your limits during a strenuous hike, indulge in the regional cuisine, etc.

Don’t just blitz through a country in an effort to check off as many highlights as possible. It might be cool to say you’ve been to all these places afterwards, but it might also leave you feeling rushed and unsatisfied as you didn’t really take the time to soak up the local vibe and culture.

2. How long do you want to travel?

// Short-term travel

If you’re planning a short (1-14 days) holiday, try not to waste too much time travelling to and from your destination. Unless you’re doing a road trip it’s probably a better option to stick to one country. Outlining your itinerary beforehand can be a big time and money saver, as you don’t want to spend time during your trip hunting down the best deals :) And because you don’t have to stretch your budget for a long period of holiday time it’s possible to visit the more expensive countries (Australia, France, Switserland, USA, Norway, Italy etc.) and you’ll be able to indulge a bit more on accommodation, food & drinks, entertainment, activities etc.

// Long-term travel

If you’re planning a long-term (2+ weeks) holiday, you can take things at a slower pace. You can look into visiting multiple countries and allow more time for travel in between your various destinations. It’s still a good idea to have a brief outline of your itinerary beforehand, but you can be (and will have to be) much more flexible. You’ll have to stretch your budget for a longer period of time, so think wisely about the amounts you spend on accommodation, transport, food & drinks, entertainment etc.

3. With whom do you want to travel?

Choosing your travel companion(s) will influence your possible destinations greatly. Are you travelling solo, as a couple, as a group or as a family?

Unless you’re travelling by yourself it’ll be important to find the right balance between everyone’s interests, desires and expectations.

Make sure everyone has had their say before making the final decision on where to go, in order to avoid frustrations during your journey together. Don’t leave it to one person to always make the decision, as this can become annoying/exhausting for both the decision maker as the person(s) following the decision.

Also keep in mind that it’s perfectly normal to have (small) discussions while you’re travelling. You’re together 24/7, so it’s only natural someone’s in a bit of a bad mood at one point or another. No reason to break up the party, just give each other some space and laugh about the little hick-up afterwards :) !

4. What kind of trip do you want to do?

There are plenty of different travel styles, and it can take a couple of trips to discover which one you actually prefer the most: City trips, road trips, outdoor adventures, luxury resorts, camping, festivals, shopping, food, yoga retreat, skiing, cultural experiences, countryside, glamping, beach life, hiking and so much more!

By highlighting the ones you like you can decide the type of journey you want to make, and what balance you want to have between relaxing and exploring.

So before booking a 2-week holiday at a luxury island resort, check out the possible day trips in the area if you’re not keen on hanging out by the pool/beach with a book every day :)

Also think about what type of climate you prefer. Are you into winter holidays like skiing or hiking snowy mountains? Or are you a summer person who needs warmth and sunshine in order to have the perfect holiday? And just a heads up, hot climates/regions often have a wet season, so double-check you’re not booking your trip to the sun right in the middle of the monsoon ;)

5. What is your travel budget?

Try to set a maximum budget beforehand, and of course try to keep an eye on this during your trip :) With 195 countries in the world today, one of them is bound to fit your budget! Still it’s always possible to visit an expensive country on a small budget, if you’re willing to make certain “sacrifices”. For example we lived in a small backpacker van for 7 months while exploring Australia, and we practically always prepared our own food in order to save as much as we could on accommodation and food & drinks.

The regions where you’ll get the most out of your hard-earned dollars are definitely Asia and Latin America. So if you’re planning an long-term holiday it’s best to stick to these cheaper areas.

Also make sure you look into the strength of the currency of the countries you’re considering to visit, as this varies over time, and so it can suddenly become a lot cheaper to visit a certain country!

It also makes a big difference if you can travel off-season. Just by avoiding peak periods you can save big bucks on everything from flights to accommodation to activities.

6. How to get to your destination?

In most cases you don’t have many other options but flying (we use Skyscanner to find the best deals). When we visit a certain region we always try to choose different arriving and departing locations. This way we can travel from A to B instead of staying in one location or doing a full circle. For example when we visited Morocco, we arrived in Marrakech and departed from Fes. This way we could travel one way by train through this amazing country!

If you’re not to keen on flying somewhere, just hop in your car and go anywhere! You can start by exploring your own backyard or even cross over to other country if possible. It’s no secret we’re big fans of the road trip formula, because you can be very flexible with your itinerary! Other advantages of making a trip closer to home are no jet lag, less constricted packing and a smaller budget.

7. Possible destinations

By now you hopefully have a clearer image of the kind of trip you want to do! So if you’re looking for further inspiration or advice on a certain country or region, have a look at our destinations page!

When you’re ready to start booking your trip, have a look at our preferred resources here!

Feel free to ask us any questions below :)

Happy travels!