[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or travelers, the world is a very vast place. Choosing the right destination can be quite a difficult task. If you are a fan of paintings and arts, must-see art galleries in Dublin are known for their extraordinary artistic heritage. Planning a holiday trip becomes more confusing if the choice destination wasn’t carefully picked.
We all dream of choosing the perfect holiday destination. But the truth is that the perfect holiday destination depends upon an individual’s taste. While some people like holidays filled with adventures, others prefer trips to festivals or beaches.
The television, magazines and now the internet are all filled with so many beautiful and wonderful destinations calling for our exploration. With all these picture perfect destinations, deciding which place to visit can be overwhelming.
This is what I call information paralysis. A situation where too much information is at our disposal, resulting in our inability to make a choice between the various options.
So if you do not want to become one of those stationary travelers, here are some factors to consider in planning your perfect holiday traveling.
PURPOSE OF TRAVELING
I know I am not alone in this. I do not travel without an objective in mind. You have to determine what you want to achieve out of you trip. Yes I am aware that there are people who travel in order to get that perfect picture. But for most people traveling is the fulfillment of something deeper.
A large part of your resolution to travel will depend or come down to what you would like to experience. Now what you’ll like to experience will be different from what you experience in your everyday life.
If you are the kind whose family and working life is so hectic then you need a trip that will allow you to relax, and spend quality time with your family.
BUDGET
Knowing exactly how much you want to spend on your travel is a great way of cutting down on excesses. Instead of indulging in unnecessary expenditure, a budget will serve as a guide to help you spend on the right thing.
For instance, you might choose a holiday location closer to home. Rather than choose an expensive accommodation, you could opt for an affordable hotel and resort.
DURATION
Closely related to the issue of budget is the question of how much time you have to travel.
If you only have a few days to plan your travel, you probably don’t want to waste too much of that time traveling to your destination. In this case your best bet is to look for a destination that is not too far away. For instance, if you live in Madison, Wisconsin, you could choose to stay at the Wisconsin Dells Waterpark Hotels just for its excellent facilities and serene ambience. You’ll still have that home away from home.
On the other hand, if you have months or years to travel, then you can plan your travel to cover places that are a little farther.
Determining how much time you want to spend away from home, will help you decide how much activities you want to engage in within that period. The required cost of going on a short trip will definitely differ from the required expenditure of a longer trip.
RESEARCH ON TRAVEL DEALS
There are a lot of travel companies offering great deals on travel fares, accommodation, transportation, food etc.
Taking advantage of these great offers will not only help you save extra money, but will expose you to other great opportunities in the travel world.
RESEARCH ON CLIMATE
Each region of the world has a peculiar weather pattern for each period of the year.
If you are an outdoor person and you travel to a resort located in a rainforest during the rainy season, be prepared to spend most of your time indoors as the rains are likely to limit your outdoor activities.
CONSIDER YOUR SAFETY
Now I don’t know about you, but I won’t travel to any place that I don’t consider safe.
While I agree that it is almost impossible to foresee every eventuality, it makes sense however to research on the current environmental, health, social and political status of every destination you intend to tour.
THE TRAVELLING NUMBER
Taking into consideration those traveling with you can dramatically affect your choice of destination.
If you are traveling with your children, be sure that your interests may likely differ. Making that trip memorable depends on if each member of the family gets to experience something they love.
CONSIDER CULTURE
Within a country different cultures abound. Not knowing or observing a culture can be embarrassing and in other cases dangerous to the uninformed traveler.
Carrying out some research into the culture of the places you want to travel to will reveal some dos and don’ts which will enable you decide whether the travel is worth the trouble or not.
Chioma Iwunze-Ibiam writes creative non-fiction and prose fiction. Her works have appeared in Romance Meets Life, Flash Fiction Press, MTLS, Saraba Magazine, Sentinel Magazine and others. Her first novel, Finding Love Again, was published by Ankara Press. She owns and manages Creative Writing News.
