Travelling can seem like an incredibly daunting adventure! There are so many things to plan for, decisions to make and places to see, so how do you decided where in the world to go next?
I am such an avid traveller, I want to go everywhere and anywhere, so prioritising my next adventure can be very difficult.
Be sure to check out my blog posts for other great tips, like how to read while abroad, how to manage your anxiety while travelling and travel apps that everyone needs!
What kind of adventure do you want?
Deciding what type of adventure you’re looking for is a great step in decided where in the world to go next.
Are you going on a family trip, with children? Or will you be travelling solo? This is important because children might not have the energy to volunteer for long days if that is what you want to do.
Do you want to have a beach trip? Or a working / volunteering trip? Would you like to see all of the sights?
By asking yourself these questions, you should be able to narrow down the list!
My recommendations are as followed:
- Families: France, Mexico, Canada, Lapland
- Solo: Peru, USA, Spain, Italy
- Beach: Greece, Bali, Thailand, Australia
- Volunteering: South Africa, Maldives, Kenya, Australia
- Sight-seeing: Japan, Italy, Canada, Brazil
What is your budget?
For those who love budget travel, you might find that Canada is a little bit out of your price range, but places like Spain are not. That isn’t to say you can’t visit those countries, but it is something you need to take into consideration.
For budget travellers, I recommend: Spain, Italy, America and Honduras.
If you want to travel comfortably but not lavishly, it means you have more freedom than budget travellers but you still have to research where you’re going as some places are more expensive than others.
For comfortable travellers, I recommend: Australia, France, Maldives and Peru.
Luxury travellers can have their pick! From South Africa to Lapland, anywhere is possible if you have the money (it’s possible if you don’t, but just a bit harder)!
For luxury travellers, I recommend: Finland, Canada, Bali and Switzerland.
What time of year do you want to go?
No matter where in the world, or what time of year you decide to travel, you need to check what season you’re going to be travelling in to! The time of an English summer is the same as an African winter, for example.
Africa is a perfect place to go during their winter months, especially if you like the heat but not to be suffocated by it! If you prefer colder climates, I recommend France or Switzerland during their winters as it is beautiful and cold.
Have you got a bucket list?
If you haven’t already, check out my travel bucket list! It’s composed of 3 parts, you can see part 1, 2 and 3 here.
I highly recommend making your own list. You can then plan your travels around it. If you want to complete a zip wire through a jungle, then you’ll be best visiting Granada and Honduras!
How do you want to travel?
Personally, I love travelling by trains and planes, but I struggle with driving because I get very travel sick.
There are many different ways of getting around. You can walk, drive, ride, bus, train, fly and many more! So, which one do you want to do?
Some places really require you to drive, such as visiting the National Parks in the USA, but others are possible to get around via train, like lots of places in Europe. I recommend deciding what type of trip you want and then decide how you’re going to get around.
How long have you got?
You may only have a week to have a holiday, which is a substantial amount of time to relax and explore, but you may also have 3 months!
If you do have a long period of time to travel, you can decide between staying in one country and thoroughly exploring it, or you can visit neighbouring countries and see all of the main sights!
If you don’t have a long, maybe you want to chose a big city where there is lots to explore and you don’t have to travel too far for activities.
I hope that asking yourself these questions helps to give you a destination!
Once you have decided, check out my blog post on how to plan your trips!
If you have any other tips, be sure to leave them in the comments below.
Traveling is so fun! I would love to travel around the world someday!
I highly recommend it!
That’s a great advice on how to decide where to go next. Will keep this in mind the next time I travel.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!
Finland and Switzerland are on my bucket list. Our current go-to travel destination is Australia, cos it’s not too far away from Singapore, especially when traveling with kids.
I would love to visit Australia! Do you have a place that you really recommend?
Oh for sure. If you’re into wine, we always had a soft spot for Margaret River, Western Australia’s wine county. It is about 4hrs drive from Perth airport. We like to stay on a farm called Margaret River Hideaway, and explore different wineries from there. The kids have fun with the animals on the farm, and we have our fill of alcohol and good food. The link has some photos of the trip, if you’re interested. https://www.sidehustlerich.com/reviews/citibank-global-wallet/
If you’re more of a city person, then Sydney will be a better choice. =)
In this time of health concern we are postponing all the travel plans. We just have to.
Yes we do have to postpone but that doesn’t mean we can’t plan for future trips!
As a general planning rule, I also follow these points, but as of now because of COVID-19, don’t know really when would we be able to travel again
Yes things are certainly off kilter at the moment, but at least if you have the plans then you can put a date on them later!
Although spontaneous trips are great, when there are kids involved planning is the key. We live in Spain and I have to say that it is the perfect place for a trip with kids. Spanish culture is extremely family-oriented. Great article!
I love Spain! It’s beautiful and very cultural there, I definitely need to go back. I agree with the kids comment tho!
So many things to consider before planning our next travel! Thank you for this article, it’s very helpful!
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Great post! I definitely have the time to think about it all things considered
I’m glad you find this information helpful
Budget and availability is a big one for us. But if we do really want to spice it up we’ve been known to get a map and flip a coin! That’s how we ended up in Amsterdam many years ago.
Wow! That’s such an interesting way of doing it! I’ll definitely give that a try at some point
for me it brainstorming. Like we discuss 1) what we want to do during travels 2) where we would like to go in general, 3) after we exclude something we don’t have in common 4) check the flights and accommodations to check the budget 5) once the list is narrowed discuss again our options and desires as well as general budget (for example if the place is heavily loaded with the museums, we might want to see a lot there should be a budget for than, if it’s the country with lots of food we like, there should be extra budget for food etc) 6) after all that thinking we choose from narrowed down even more list with our heart
This is a great list! I’m glad you have found a way that works for you
Figuring out our next trip is sometimes my favorite part of travel. This is an excellent resource.
I’m glad you find this useful!
Great tips! When you have a list of places that you want to visit, it can definitely be difficult trying to decide where to take your next trip. I know that we’ve worked through that struggle before!
It can be very tough so that’s why I decided to write this! I hope other people can find this helpful
Well, when the world opens up again, I’m not too sure how other countries will feel about people from the US coming over. With that said, my next destination will be Las Vegas…lol
Ooh LA sounds amazing! I hope you can go soon
It’s possible to travel anywhere on a budget, I think. I was able to keep my spending quite low in Lapland earlier this year.
That’s very cool! I would love to hear how you did that because I can’t seem to find the right deals!
Wow it is quite interesting to know how you have planned…Even i also want to go on a trip as this lockdown finally comes to end…Would love to explore….
I hope you get the chance to go and explore!
So much to think about when planning but we have the time now, right?
Yes we do! I love planning, it’s a guilty pleasure of mine
I love your reccomendations! Having a vacation based around volunteering is a great idea! We might have to do that next!
You really should! I am in the process of writing about companies with good animal welfare which I recommend to people
Reading your tastes, thoughts and decisions about the trip makes me think about how much and how I have always organized mine and maybe it drives me to better and change something ^ _ ^
I’m glad that my post have influenced you!
Great post 😁
Thank you!