Your Guide to Planning Your Travel Destination
As I set off for another few months of travelling through Europe, I wanted to share with you how I plan and choose my desired trip because after all, planning is half the fun of travel. In fact, it is scientifically proven that planning your travel adventure can boost happiness for 8 weeks. I want to show you my process of planning my European adventure and how you can do the same for your next holiday.
Your guide to planning your travel destination
Planning your travel destination can be the most difficult decision to make. There are so many wonderful places I want to visit. It feels like every time I read a new article or glance at a new picture on Instagram I add another country, city or region to my never-ending list. Here are some deciding factors which help me decide on the destinations I visit:
Weather and climate
I am totally a summer person but now it’s winter in Europe and there is no escaping it. Instead, I’m prepared to embrace the wintry weather as Christmas is coming and this means a lot of European cities turn into scenes from a fairy-tale. With the abundance of Christmas markets, festive food and cheerful vibes, if there’s one thing that Europe does better than my home New Zealand and that’s Christmas.
Accommodation options
I always have a quick look at Hotels.com and check if there are some great options for accommodation in the area I am looking to visit. You can find some unique and beautiful hotels around the world. Countries like Thailand and Indonesia have some beautiful luxury retreats for which are incredibly cheap, so that’s always a positive when planning your travel destination in Asia. Another thing I love about Hotels.com is the reward program. For every 10 nights you book, you get 1 free!
Affordability
This is a key factor for me when deciding destinations. As I’m a full-time traveller I must make sure my money goes further than if it was just a holiday. If I do decide to choose an expensive destination, I will consider spending less time there and more time in a cheaper country. Everyone has a different budget so considering which destinations are within your budget is a great idea.
A vast variety of food
I’m a foodie at heart. Everyone must eat, so why not enjoy it and hunt down all the best food that the country has to offer. As it’s going to be Christmas time I’m most looking forward to mulled wine and Christmas mince pies. As I am only planning to visit within Europe due to budget and time constraints, I want to try some new cuisine so Eastern Europe looks promising!
Transportation
Making sure that it’s easy to travel to the destination I pick is also important. Are the flights direct? Is the flight affordable at that time of year? Is it easy to get around the country when I get there? These are all very important questions I ask myself when planning your travel adventure.
Friends and family
This Christmas some of my family from New Zealand are going to be visiting the United Kingdom, so I decided that I am going to spend Christmas and New Years with them. This makes decision making super easy because it gives me a defendant location and dates I must be there by. Your travel planning might be influenced by visiting family or friends too!
Putting all those factors into consideration I decided to do the route above! I have roughly 4 or 5 months, so I decided I want to see as much of Eastern Europe as possible. I want to be back in Albania by the start of April and this route is easy to get back there. As I’m spending a month in the United Kingdom I also wanted to spend the rest of the time in more affordable countries. The red line is my return trip from London.
I also decided I didn’t want to visit anywhere that I have been before (except the UK), I really want to see and experience new countries, cuisines and culture!
To help you plan your next holiday Hotels.com have given me a discount, which you can use to receive 8% off your next hotel! Use the code 8OFFNZANITA to receive your discount. Don’t forget to download their app to make it easier to book on the go.
Other articles you will love:
- Planning is Half the Fun of Travel: Choosing What To Do
- Planning is Half the Fun of Travel: Choosing A Hotel
- 5 Reasons To Pick SafetyWing Travel Insurance
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*This post is in collaboration with hotels.com. As always, all opinions are mine.
Honestly I hate planning hahah. I usually just know where I’m going and plan as I’m already there. But these tips are amazing! Need to try them.
yes, planning can be so much fun! Every time I book my flight I start watching videos on youtube and read blog about the country I am gonna visit. I am here with ya with seeing this great places online and adding it to never ending list. I am also not really a winter person and I wish I could escape for it sometimes! I see you gonna be visiting Poland 🙂 Thats where I am from so I hope you’re gonna have an amazing time!
I find choosing the destination the best aspect of traveling. It’s always fun to discover new places and crossing things off the bucket list. This post was a truly awesome read, Anita! 😉
I totally agree! I generally pick out a list of things I want to do, look at ease and price of flights, and whether or not it will be too crowded with tourists.
Also, I love your route through the Balkans – we’re headed to Albania in January!
You really covered all the main factors to consider when deciding where to go and when. I personally, love planning trips! So I keep all those things in mind. It’s so amazing that you have 4-5 months to wander Europe and the cities you plan to visit seem to be great choices. I hope you have a great trip and fun with family in the UK!
I love this part of travel, even though sometimes it’s hard to make up my mind where to next. You have provided great tips to help get the process started. Thanks for sharing.
Great advice. We have used similar tips to book our trips. Especially when we did our Europe trip. Like you said, there is so much out there to see that it can make choosing a destination very tough.
Good stuff!! I find it fun to just plan even though I don’t have any openings to travel. I just tuck it away for when an opportunity comes up! 😀
I agree, while I mostly do spontaneous traveling, I make it a point to plan my path ahead. It not only prepare you for any eventuality, it also assure you not to miss out on a something – a must-see place or a must-try cuisine.
Totally agree that Choosing your destination can be the most difficult decision to make. We usually make our destination choices based off deals we find at the time, usually flights, but an awesome accommodation deal can sometimes be enough to get us to book flights. You’ve covered some great considerations to think about when choosing your next holiday – friends and family (especially over these CHristmas holidays) is a big one I think – and usually helps with your affordabilit when you have a place to stay and a free tour guide!!
I used to love travel planning and would sit and watch the travel channel for hours and look up destinations. Life gets away from you and there’s never enough time these days. My news years resolution this year is to plan out basic routes of my top 5 trips. I’m hoping with the basic done I will have more time to plan the rest and watch for deals
Great little checklist of things to take into consideration when deciding your next destination. You’re so right that planning is half the fun! Adventures start as soon as they are thought up! 🙂
These are great tips. So many places, so little time! I tend to travel during low season to more expensive destinations as it is cheaper to book hotels. Looking forward to your stories about Albania. Never been there!
Wait, you mean people actually plan. I usually just look at ticket prices and pick somewhere then figure out all those silly things like accommodations and things to do.
You make a good point about picking places near people you know so you can stay for free.
I find bliss in planning but I must also admit that I hate itineraries. And you are right! We might have destinations in mind but when we consider other factors like flight deals, season, safety, costs, etc, choosing a destination becomes tougher than it actually is. On the other hand, while choosing a destination, that’s when our adrenaline starts rushing researching on what to see in a certain place. Sometimes, we just dream of a place and book it right away and then the planning comes after the flight booking. Right? Hahaha.