There are only around 300 people on our entire planet who have visited every country on earth. This means that the rest of us probably have a lot of places we want to visit, with lots of choices available to us when planning our next trip. How do we choose which of these places to visit next?
For my family, it often comes down to which destinations offer the best combination of activities for our individual interests. Then, armed with a short list, I consider each of the factors below to eliminate any unsuitable options. It can be helpful to have a structure like this to work through in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises which can very quickly take the fun out of a trip!
1. Date/timing of travel
When are you hoping to travel? Is this determined by school holidays, your assigned leave, public holidays or another factor that is somewhat outside your control? You’ll need to consider what each destination is like at the time you are available to travel.
The weather can be a huge factor in decision-making. If you are visiting a place to enjoy snow-based activities, you’ll want to choose a time when snow is pretty much guaranteed in the destination. Certain parts of the world are impacted by other factors, such as hurricane season, or extremely high (almost unbearable) humidity. A simple Google search will help you discover the likely high and low temperatures for your travel times. Some weather websites even include percentage chance of rainfall or snow, which become more accurate closer to the travel date.
Special events are also date dependent. These might include festivals, national or religious holidays, concerts or major sporting events, to name a few. You may be seeking to travel for one of these events, or, on the other hand, you may be hoping to avoid the crowds they typically attract. Use a search engine to type in your destination and travel dates, and this will help identify public holidays and most major events. Public forums are another great tool for finding information about events in specific destinations. Join some Facebook groups about travel and search past posts for your question, or post your own question, such as: “I’m planning to travel to xxx with my family of six during the month of xxx. Are there any local events or factors I should be considering in my planning?” In my experience, people are generally very happy to share their expertise.
If you are budget-minded, the timing of travel can really affect how far that budget stretches. Certain times of the year will be peak season, when everything costs more, and it might seem obvious, but peak season isn’t the same for all destinations. It definitely pays to check the school holidays in the place you are planning to visit, to make sure that you aren’t inadvertently planning to travel during their peak season. Transportation and accommodation prices will also be inflated for special events and festivals, so even if those fall within off-peak times, it’s worth checking the costs of flights and accommodation a few days either side of your travel dates to make sure your trip isn’t being impacted by a special event.
Similarly, wait times and lines for key tourist attractions will be impacted by travel time. Websites about theme parks around the world will often publish predicted crowd calendars to help you assess whether your travel time is one that will have longer queues. If you don’t like queuing, or have limited time available, this may well be an important factor in your planning.
2. Exchange rate
It just makes sense to try to get as much bang for your buck as possible. Check the exchange rate for the place you’d like to visit. If it’s good, now may be a good time to book, even if your dates are well into the future. Many sites offer book now, pay later arrangements which will allow you to lock in good prices (and have the peace of mind that you have something organised) without any kind of deposit. Just watch the cancellation dates and penalties if you take this approach. Sometimes these deals come with reduced flexibility to cancel or change without penalty. If the exchange rate is bad, consider choosing a different destination while waiting for the situation to change.
3. Travel length
It is very important to consider whether the time you have available is really enough to travel to your preferred destination. Research flight options and check the lengths of these, along with any time zone changes. Factor in jet lag – will you need a day on arrival to recover before you start your sightseeing? Will you need a day on your return to recover before heading back to work? How many days does this leave at your destination?
Some destinations have only a few flights a week. Make sure you check that you can even get flights at the times you’d need in order to maximise your time at the destination.
You don’t want to spend the majority of your trip travelling or recovering from jet lag. You don’t want to be rushed or miss out on things because you don’t have enough time. Be realistic and consider whether something closer to home may work better for your availability.
4. Accessibility & safety
It is not always easy to enter other countries. Make sure you check the visa requirements and ensure you can comply with these. (Make sure you leave plenty of time to get new or renewed passports if needed, too!) Check the government website for travel advisories related to your desired destination. Are there any safety considerations?
Keep an eye on the news and stay updated about the destination in the lead-up to your travel to ensure it remains safe and accessible to travellers from your home country.
5. Suitability of accommodation, events, transport, etc.
Some destinations offer limited accommodation or transportation options. Check these before you commit to a trip. For example, if you want to visit a National Park, check whether there is accommodation within the park, and if so, whether it remains available. Accommodation in locations such as the South Rim of the Grand Canyon can sell out within minutes of becoming available, so check that you CAN stay before planning any more of your trip!
Likewise, not all destinations have public transport available all year round, and not all destinations offer rideshare services. You may need to book a hotel shuttle – or even a small plane, for some resorts! – to get from the airport to your accommodation. These factors may not work for your travelling party or budget, so it’s very important to check out all aspects of travel to your chosen destination before you commit.
We keep a list of potential destinations that changes whenever we find new inspiration. I’ve done the research outlined above for each of these destinations. I check exchange rates quite frequently to keep my finger on the pulse of rate fluctuations. Having a list ready to go with ideal lengths of trip matched to available school holidays means that when a great deal pops up, I can jump on it. As the old saying goes, “prior planning prevents poor performance”, and this can certainly be true in planning travel.
Happy planning, and may your next destination be a perfect fit for you!
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