You have made the decision to travel. You have come to the conclusion that living new experiences is more important than accumulating money and possessions and you are preparing to select that wonderful place where you will go to have fun or rest.
What kind of person you are? Are you one of those who would like to go everywhere or rather do you have a wish list with places to visit?
Do you prefer a beach with warm and transparent waters, a beautiful turquoise blue color, with a white and smooth sand that is a caress for the skin, like those of the Riviera Maya in Mexico?
Would you rather choose to take your jacket and go to a beautiful mountain, green and cold, to breathe fresh air and enjoy a good wine by the warmth of the fireplace while you enjoy the latest Dan Brown novel?
Are you passionate about history and art and would you like to go to Europe to see the great world gems of the Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical, and the great museums, such as the Louvre and the Hermitage?
Are you an enthusiast of pre-Hispanic cultures and want to immerse yourself in the mysteries of the Mayan, Inca, Toltec, Aztec or Zapotec civilizations?
Rather, are you in a hurry to raise the adrenaline level on an ATV, on long and high zip lines or on vertigo walls to rappel?
Alone or accompanied? An exotic place or a tried and tested destination? With everything fixed or with some things to improvise?
Here are some tips to help you choose your destination, so that your vacation is splendid and you become a frequent traveler, assuming you are not.
10 tips when choosing your destination
# 1: ask yourself why
Why would you like to travel? Do you want to relax or have fun alone, with your family, with your boyfriend or with a Group of friends?
Do you want to just disconnect from work, sunbathe, drink some cocktails and maybe have an adventure? Are you dying to practice your favorite sport in one of its world shrines?
To the extent that you are clear about why you want to travel, the easier it will be to select the destination and the more pleasant the stay will be.
# 2: Be open minded
Have you been surprised by a great offer for a destination that you have never heard of and that you get tangled with just saying its name? Google and find out a bit. The most important thing is that it is a safe place.
If you keep an open mind, you could visit incredible places saving you a lot of money compared to classic destinations like Las Vegas, New York or Paris.
Are you willing to examine yourself? Have you heard of Ljubljana? Not? It is the beautiful capital of Slovenia, full of medieval past, with all the modern comforts of Europe. And the stay is cheap!
# 3: Be creative
Would you rather go to a classic destination, like Paris, but direct flights are very expensive? Don't let this first hurdle discourage you.
Get creative and research flights to other European cities that may be promoting a cheaper offer.
Already in European territory, you can look for a cheaper transport option (low cost flights, train, bus) to get to the City of Light.
Going directly to Ljubljana by air can be expensive, but there may be a good deal for Venice. Do you know the distance between the two cities? Only 241 km for a charming journey!
Read How much it costs to travel to Europe: Budget to go backpacking
N ° 4: Give the weakest a chance
Famous destinations are often expensive. If you are thinking of going to France, don't spend your entire vacation in Paris; there are other cities where French culture and charms are at hand for a lower price.
For example, if you are passionate about French gastronomy, Lyon offers you a few things above Paris.
As a university city, with a high proportion of young people in its population, Lyon is much better for having fun on a low budget and it is the birthplace of onion soup and quenelles!
N ° 5: Be decisive
Have you already decided where to go? Do not let too much time pass to make reservations. Waiting too long can lead to the plan going cold or missing a great deal on the airfare price.
Come on, book now!
N ° 6: Remember, remember
Keep in mind that at some point in your life you will only regret the places that you stopped seeing and enjoying while you could.
These simple "memories of the future" may be the best stimulus you have on hand to keep you focused on the goal of your trip.
# 7: Safe options are not bad choices
There are times for adventure and times for safety. If tens of millions of people go to Cancun, to New York or to Paris, for a reason.
The time will come to go to Tibet, Patagonia or Polynesia.
N ° 8: Dare alone
Have you found a great offer to go to a fascinating place, but neither your boyfriend nor a friend dare to accompany you?
You are an adult and intelligent person, what reasons could there be why you cannot enjoy your solo trip?
Don't let the lack of company stop you. You may be about to have the meeting of your life. Then you will be grateful for having traveled alone.
Read 23 Things To Take When You Travel Alone
# 9: Don't discount your backyard
Before embarking on the Atlantic or Pacific crossing to a new continent, see if there is a place on your own continent that is just as convenient for you for less than half the price.
Sometimes we are surprised by the number of charming places that we do not know in our own country. In a border country or nearby, there may be a wonderful place that fits your budget.
Why is Mexico a Megadiverse Country?
The 15 Best Places To Travel Alone In Mexico
# 10: There is always a convenient option
Don't let your budget prevent you from traveling somewhere. Even the most expensive countries have lodging options, like hostels, where you can cook your own food, as well as free city tours and cheap public transportation.
You are going to have to be creative, but often some limitations make it more fun.
Finding Travel Inspiration
You already know what type of trip you want to do and you are in the right frame of mind to start your search, a funniest activity.
For many travelers, January is the perfect month to sit back and plan a trip. Most people spend a lot of time at home, often with little money, because Christmas and New Year's Eve expenses have drained their coffers.
It is the right moment to prepare a good pot of coffee or tea, open a chocolate bar and fill the bed or the carpet with books and magazines, with the laptop at hand to consult portals of interest for your trip. !
One of the favorite platforms of the public with a passion for travel is Pinterest. If you are not familiar with the tool, it allows you to save and classify images in different boards by different categories.
It's kind of like the modern version of chopping up hundreds of thousands of magazines, making your album online. Likewise, you can follow other users with the same interests. Apart from the travel category, there are those of cars, cinema, home design and others.
On Pinterest you can have boards for all kinds of things, like your travel wish list, beaches, hotels, places of interest and activities that you want to do in a certain tourist destination.
For example, you can open a board with "Travel Tips" and save articles of interest found online that you would like to read again in the future.
When you become familiar with Pinterest, it is possible that in the first few changes you have so many destination boards, it would take a year of vacation to know them all.
Lonely Planet lists
There are several sites that propose lists with the best places to visit, after conducting an investigation of the destination in terms of the status of the attractions, prices and quality of the services offered.
One of the most prestigious and consulted lists are those of Lonely Planet, which became the favorite of backpackers since it published in 1973 Across Asia with minimal expenses.
Lonely Planet is currently one of the largest travel guide publishers in the world and remains a bible for backpackers and other budget travelers. Users say it always hits the spot with new recommended destinations.
Travel bloggers
You may be tempted to accuse us of being biased, but travel blogs are the best way to find inspiration for a trip.
These portals have the advantage that they are generally ventures of travel enthusiasts, basically motivated by giving the best advice to travelers.
In Mexico, here it offers you excellent guides for domestic tourism and it has also been venturing into destinations and recommendations for international travelers.
In English, some of the most popular blogs are:
- World of wanderlust
- Leave your daily hell
- Young adventuress
Journals
Although paper is losing primacy as a travel communication and promotion medium, it still has its charm, particularly through iconic publications such as Wanderlust, Lonely Planet, and National Geographic.
If you are lucky enough to have a nearby library that maintains subscriptions to these publications, be sure to check them out; You are likely to come across a fascinating travel suggestion that you couldn't even remotely imagine.
Read also:
- The 35 Most Beautiful Places In The World You Can't Stop Seeing
- The 20 Cheapest Destinations To Travel In 2017
Accommodation vs Destination?
Sometimes the accommodation is more important than the destination. Maybe you just want to stay in an amazing spa, one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, or a theme hotel.
In that case, instead of searching by destinations, you should search by accommodations. If you just want to relax in a spa, where you are becomes secondary, as most of the time you will find yourself wrapped in a robe while your body and spirit are pampered from head to toe.
Of course, to achieve this goal you are not going to go to a distant place to increase transport costs. An option close to home will save you time and money; but not too close either, for an office problem to comfortably come knocking on your door.
Surely there will be a place two or three hours from home where you will feel like in another world.
Traveling for a special event
If you've always been saying that you would like to travel to a particular festival or event, now is the time to make it happen.
You may be interested in a musical event, such as Tomorrowland in Belgium, or the Viña del Mar Festival in Chile; or at a sporting event, such as the world gymnastics championships or the Wimbledon tennis tournament; or at the Paris Fashion Week.
Whatever your interest, you must have air tickets and accommodation well in advance because the start of the event will not wait for your arrival. Either you arrive on time or you miss it.
Travel for a hobby
Do you have a particular hobby that can be combined with that of a friend? We know a girl who loves to take her yoga vacations in somewhat exotic destinations and was thinking of going to Bali.
A friend of the girl who was making plans to go diving told her that Bali was great for both and they had an unforgettable trip together.
If for you, the priority of your trip is the sport or the hobby for which you are fanatized, the world is full of places for cycling, beach horseback riding; zip-lining, climbing and rappelling; sailing, diving and snorkelling, surfing, golf, sport fishing, snow skiing, water skiing, motorcycle, car and boat festivals, and a myriad of other options.
All you have to do is find out the destinations that meet the requirements of your hobby and the time of year in which the conditions are optimal to practice your entertainment. You will surely find a good hotel to be a stone's throw from your beach, ski slope or area of interest.
We hope these tips help you choose an extraordinary place to travel and that you briefly tell us about your experiences.
See you very soon to share another post about the fascinating world of travel.
More guides to choose your next trip:
- The 24 Rarest Beaches in the World
- The 35 Most Beautiful Places In The World That You Can't Stop Seeing
- 20 Heavenly Beaches You Won't Believe Exist
