As you might remember in the first installment of destination triage, we had narrowed down a short-list of places where we wanted to travel in 2015.
I’m happy to report we’ve planned two trips, already–one in January, and one in June. Both destinations were on the original list, too, which considering my ever-persistent capriciousness, is refreshing.
I’m writing about this as a normal person (with a perhaps overly analytic personality), with other obligations, a husband, a dog, working within time and budget constraints, and trying to maximize miles, points, and good travel deals. I also like to avoid things like typhoon season, disease outbreaks, super crowded beaches, and overly busy museums. When it really comes down to it, choosing where to go next is as much about practicality as it is about emotions.
So, here are the five things I (we) really consider when deciding where to go for our next trip.
1. Travel time to destination: We need to factor in how much time we are able to take off and be away from home. If it’s only 5 days, flying to Africa or Asia isn’t going to work for that period of time. If it’s 2 weeks, it’s definitely doable.
2. Current interests: DH and I have become really, really interested in snorkeling. And we both love wildlife. But DH also really likes the beach and blue drinks, and I really like war history and beer. All of these things matter to us when we agree on where to go next. That doesn’t mean that they don’t change, though!
3. Airfare: This is simple. While we can afford an expensive flight probably once a year (I’m talking $1800+), the other destinations need to be cheaper or we need to burn some miles. This isn’t particularly limiting, but it requires advanced planning to be sure we can find cheap tickets or redeem our miles.
4. Season: When we can schedule a trip impacts where we decide to go. This year we took international trips in January, March, and September. All of these trips were pretty solidly shoulder season. For example, we avoid the Mexico/Caribbean over spring break, and we avoid Europe in summer.
5. The elusive bucket list: We have a virtual bucket list, split in “doable” and “dream” destinations. I.e. a doable destination is Belgium. A dream destination is the Maldives. When the opportunity arises, we definitely prioritize bucket list trips over other trips (though usually only one dream destination a year, until we win the lottery). Many of our bucket list trips include animals or destinations which could change drastically in the next 50 years; so we don’t want to wait.
How do you decide where you want to go next, when you don’t have unlimited time or money? Do you take advice from family or friends? Are you spontaneous (unlike us)? Leave a comment!
