I think one of the hardest things when deciding on a destination is not that there aren’t enough places out there you want to go, but so many. You have to decide between going on an adventure holiday to Thailand, to roadtripping around America, to trying ceviche in Peru to hiking in Montenegro. And yeah, it’s not always easy.
Social media doesn’t necessarily help – while there might be so many options shown to you – it’e easy to get sucked into a hole of just seeing the perfect parts of country after country. So how do you actually deal with the indecision of wanting to see everywhere and needing to choose?
First of all, while I think you can’t guarantee the future, you do need to remember that the likelihood you will be able to visit some other places at some point in your life is quite high, especially if you’ve made travelling one of your priorities. (Again, instagram and social media doesn’t always help with this). Yes, you need to take the opportunities and time you’ve got now, but also remember that this won’t be your last opportunity.
And then once you’ve got your head round that (or at least mostly) work out what your bucketlist/dream destinations are for the next few years or the next few times you expect you’ll be able to travel. Writing these down helps – and what you want to see and do in each country rather than just the place. It also helps you to picture what you’re going to be doing a lot clearer. For example:
- See Angkor Wat in Cambodia
- Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
- Eat Pasta in Italy
- Go Hiking in Albania
- Road trip in Canada
(Now I’ve thought about it and written an example I need to go back and add more to my own list)
Figure out what works for you now. It might be that you want to go to a country but you can go with friends to one of them this year and to another destination in a couple of years. You’re working on your own timeline – not anyone else’s. Travelling has definitely shown me that you should be doing what you want to do and taking all the opportunities you can if they’re right for you.
As I think anyone who has travelled will say – trust your gut. If a place feels right, go: just book the tickets* and just explore.
* I hasten to add when I say just book the ticket – you should definitely check vaccine and visa requirements first! Then just book the ticket.
For some inspiration and helping you to choose places, have a look at Which Greek Island is Waiting For You?
