4 Tips That Will Help You Select Your Next Vacation Destination

Many of us are eager to start planning our next vacation after having been locked up for months. As travel restrictions begin to ease, it’s time to at least start thinking about where your next holiday destination may be. Whether you’re searching for the perfect family destination, want to get away with your partner, or just want to set out on a solo trip for a bit of self discovery, we’ve put together our top tips for helping you select your next travel destination.

Although travel restrictions both domestically and internationally may continue to be eased, it’s still wise to practice social distancing whenever possible. If you have the means, now may be the best time to arrange a private jet charter through an industry leader like Novajet, so as to avoid having to be crammed into a packed commercial flight with hundreds of other travelers. Such private jet charter companies fly to destinations all around the world and operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How Much Travel Time Do You Have?

The first question to ask when deciding on a holiday is to negotiate how much time you can take away from work and home. If you only have a few days, traveling on a long haul international flight may not make sense since you will use up most of your time in the air and in airports. If a destination requires a long haul flight, you may want to take advantage of other destinations in the area that interest you so as to make the most of the flight costs and travel time.

This means extending your trip of course, so should only be considered when taking extra time away and you may want to consider getting some travel money cards when visiting multiple countries as they allow you to load multiple currencies, lock in exchange rates, avoid conversion fees, and help you better keep track of your travel spending and not overspend.

If you are limited to only a few days, stick to interstate or short distance domestic travel to maximize the time you actually get to enjoy a destination. A rewarding travel experience can be experienced whether you’re traveling 100 miles or 10,000 miles. The key is to not overlook your responsibilities back home and only book a holiday for an appropriate amount of time where it won’t affect you or your family negatively upon your return. You don’t want to put your job at risk or miss out on important opportunities back home by trying to dest.

Your budget will often come into play when deciding on when you should travel and for how long. If your budget is limited, avoid booking your holiday during peak tourist season or when popular annual events may be held which can drive up hotel prices and airfares. We’ll talk more about your travel budget in a bit.

Who Are You Traveling With?

Who you travel with will play a huge role in deciding where you travel to. A private romantic getaway with your partner will conjure up different holiday destinations than those more suitable for a family friendly getaway.

You have a lot more flexibility when traveling solo, but you should still choose a destination that you can do so safely. Some nations aren’t as safe for solo travelers, especially when it comes to solo female travelers. You will also want to research whether you may be at risk for abuse or violence based on your ethnicity or sexuality, as you may be targeted in certain destinations.

If you’re traveling as a family or with a group of friends, you will need to compromise and chose a destination that is agreeable to everyone in the group. Everyone should be asked to come up with destination ideas or experiences they would like to enjoy while on holiday. A successful holiday will be one that allows everyone in the group to tick off at least a few boxes of what they wanted to see or do.

When traveling with children, you will also need to consider when the best time is to take them out of school unless you are planning on traveling during school holidays. You will also want to choose a destination that will be safe for your kids. This means you may have to opt for a beach resort as opposed to trekking in the Himalayas if your children are young.

What’s Your Travel Style?

Just because a travel destination is excessively popular doesn’t mean it will be the right place for you. If you’re not into art, dining, out, shopping, and fashion, then places like New York or Paris may not be for you. Likewise, if you don’t like mosquitoes or getting dirty, then a tour of the Amazon is likely to make for a miserable time.

You need to select a destination that appeals to your own interests. Feel free to look on Instagram, travel blogs, and at your local bookstore for travel inspiration, but don’t be swayed into thinking you should travel somewhere just because it’s popular.

Other things to consider are what kind of weather you most enjoy and what activities you wish to experience. Some travelers want relaxation and pampering while others want to challenge themselves with adventure and adrenaline pumping activities. Depending on your current mood, even your own personal interests may change from time to time so you want to really ask yourself what you’re in the mood for. For example if you have been flat out at work for the past few months, you may be more after a beach holiday rather than a backpacking journey across Europe.

What’s Your Budget?

As we touched on earlier, your travel budget will most likely play the largest role in deciding what travel destination you choose and how long your holiday will last. While you can always take out a loan or put your holiday on credit, you never want to put yourself in financial hardship you can’t get out of.

You should first set a budget and then decide what potential destinations could realistically be achieved within your budget. Just because a destination seems expensive though, there are often cheaper ways to still experience such destinations. While cheaper destinations may see you staying in 5-star hotels and dining on steak every night, more expensive destinations may force you to stay in hostels and stick to eating street food. You just need to decide what your priorities are.

There are so many ways to adjust the costs of travel, so a holiday anywhere may be able to be achieved if you know where to save and are willing to forego certain comforts. Flying economy vs. business, opting for public transport instead of taxis, sticking to shared accommodation or Airbnb rentals, and seeking out free activities are all things you can do to minimize travel costs.

You can save even further by using up any frequent flyer miles you may have and sticking to hotels you may have loyalty status with which may offer you discounts, free nights, and possibly free daily breakfast and evening canapés. Some all-inclusive holidays may seem more expensive at first, but may prove to be much more economical when you start adding up all the costs of food, activities, and lodging elsewhere.

Don’t forget to take into consideration the current currency conversion rates. You’re dollar will often stretch further in certain countries and you may be able to have a very similar holiday in one destination that would otherwise cost a fortune elsewhere based solely on the current currency exchange rate. As stated before, you can also save money by avoiding a destination’s peak travel seasons.