You finally have that vacation time after working all year. Every week, counting down the days to Friday afternoon and feeling slightly depressed on Sunday night. How was your long weekend? Not long enough, it never is. You decide that you want to go somewhere, but don’t know where. You ponder for a while, and don’t know where to go.“I don’t know where to go, I’ll just stay home this year”. NO!!!!! Here is a list of suggestions of how to choose a travel destination.
Pick something from your bucket list. We all made them; do any of the entries include ‘eat real pasta and tiramisu in Italy’? How about something like bungee jumping, skydiving, or visit the Eiffel Tower? Don’t lie, we’ve all said, “I’ve always wanted to go to ________!” You already know where and what you want to do. The only thing holding you back is a bunch of excuses.
Go for the food. Do you love wine and cheese? How about Pad Thai? Sure, we can experience different types of cuisine at home but it really isn’t the same as going there to experience it for yourself. You can backpack and go explore yourself. People watching is one of the best ways to see how locals live and interact why you indulge in the unique cuisine. If not, food and wine tours are becoming increasingly popular. While you’re there, why not sign up for a cooking class? You can easily go home with a fun new skill!
Picture yourself somewhere. See yourself laying on a white sand beach, sun tanning and sipping on a margarita…
Go for the culture. Love British Rock? Go there to see shows and experience the nightlife. Some may also want to go somewhere to learn about how people live. Travelling is a great way to see the world through somebody else’s eyes. Meeting new people and exchanging ideas and thoughts is probably one of the most rewarding things about travel. Not only will you learn about other people, but you will also learn a lot about yourself.
Go learn something. Are you interested in Greek and Roman mythology? Ever thought of experiencing a religious pilgrimage? Going there to see it yourself is so much better than staying home and flipping through Wikipedia. Perhaps you can even pick up a language.
Spin a globe, put your finger on it, then fly to wherever your finger landed. Just kidding, but not really.
Go to a travel agent. Skip reading all of these to-do lists to arrange your travels. They know how to ask the right questions and hook you up with a great experience. Not only will they find you a good deal, but they will remind you of things like visa requirements and give you packing tips. That’s not something Expedia provides after you click the ‘book now’ button. They will save you hours and hours of research and unpleasant experiences abroad.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with any of these points? How do you pick a destination?
The world is waiting for you. No matter what you want out of your travels, there are numerous places to do it. The great thing about travel is that there’s no right way to do it. No grades to achieve, no deadlines to stress about. Go and make the most out of it and come back with no regrets. It really is up to you, how you approach it and what kind of attitude you are going to have to make the most out of the experience.
Joanna Kwong is an aspiring travel writer. If you liked this guest post, go check out her awesome new blog!
