How To Pick The Best Vacation Spots

Over the next four weeks I will be writing a travel series, just for you, called ‘How To Plan Your Vacation’. Every day I get so many questions from people around the world who want to travel but get stuck along the way. While many questions may seem like no-brainers or very simple to me, I understand that I am an experienced traveller and there are actually people out there that have never planned a vacation before or stepped out of their city. So, today I’m kicking off my very first travel series with this blog post by detailing the steps of ‘How To Pick The Best Vacation Spots.’

You can read “How To Score Cheap Plane Tickets’, the second blog in this series here.

This is the first step and is key in the travelling planning process. Where do you want to go? What type of holiday are you taking? Today’s blog post will help you get closer to achieving your goal by taking you through a process that I use all the time! But first, I have a super handy, ‘Travel Bucket-List Ideas’ list that can help you in your vacation planning process.

Are you ready? Let’s do this!

Bucket Lists/Social Media/Magazines– At the beginning of each year, I sit down and write out all of the places that I’m dreaming about and create a bucket list. You can check out my 2017 list here. You can add places you’ve always wanted to visit as a child, recommendations from friends, places you’ve seen in a magazine or researched on the internet. You can pick up a few travel magazines to help you with your bucket list. My favourite travel magazines are Lonely Planet Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel & Leisure and Afar. I also spend countless hours on my favourite social media networks like Pinterest and Instagram lusting over exotic vacation spots and planning vacations.
How Expensive Is It? – Some countries are more expensive than others. Europe is more expensive than South Africa, The Bahamas more expensive than Mexico. Wherever it is that you choose, this should be something that you keep on the top of your mind, because you have to create a budget and be able to afford travel expenses like airline tickets, hotels, tours etc. Personally, I like to have a figure in my head, then I start to lay out my travel plans. It’s your preference.
Paid Time Off – How many paid days can you take off from work? This is sooo very important. You don’t want to plan your dream vacation but only eligible for four vacation days. Take into consideration how many days it will take you to get to your destination, how many days you want to spend at your destination, and finally your flight home. I usually add a day for recovery if I get back home at a later than normal time. Remember a vacation that is an hour away is still a vacation.
Solo Travel – Will you be travelling by yourself or with a partner? If you are travelling by yourself, you should research vacation spots that are solo travel-friendly = safe; there are some places in the world that are simply off limits for me. During this research phase, look at what type of activities you can do solo. Chances are you’ll end up meeting people but you don’t want to pick a destination that is geared towards a couple.
Do You Need A visa Or Shots? – The travel landscape is changing dramatically these days, places, where you could once go without a visa, are now requiring visas. A rookie mistake is to book a vacation, show up and then get denied because you didn’t do the research. Check which country you are allowed visa-free entry to vs. places you need a visa for. Also, while you’re at it, make sure to check on what shots are needed for you to enter a country. I once had to take yellow fever shots and malaria tablets before going to China. Not my favourite travel experience!
What Do You Want To Do? – What kind of experiences are you looking for? Do you want to go surfing, swimming, boating, biking or you’d prefer to immerse yourself in a country with deep history or culture? You’d prefer to spend your day in a museum or art gallery while learning about the greatest artists of the Renaissance? My advice is to focus on vacation spots that have exactly what you are looking for.
High Season vs. Low Season – I absolutely hate travelling during the high season. It’s very expensive and you’re usually going to end up fighting with someone for a spot to take that dope picture. Further, plane tickets, hotel rooms and tours will most likely be higher than normal which isn’t optimal if you’re travelling on a budget. If you’ve got a certain time of the year in mind, make sure that wherever you go, it’s not overflowing with travellers, unless that’s your thing! I suggest going right before the high season and right after the low season.

At the end of all of these steps, you should have come THIS much closer to picking the perfect vacation spot. It’s really not that hard, but a little research will definitely go a far way. If you’re stuck, just ask someone. Maybe you’ve had a personal friend or a social media follower that has visited before. Get their opinions; you will be surprised how many people are willing to share information, but remember, the choice is ultimately yours in the end.

Lastly, it doesn’t matter if you’re going Europe or the next state, as long as you’re exploring somewhere new and loving every moment of it!

Don’t forget, ‘How To Pick The Best Vacation Spots’ is the very first blog in my four-part travel series, ‘How To Plan Your Vacation’. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I appreciate your patience! 🙂 So, see ya next Thursday for the second instalment in this travel series. You’re going to loooove it!