It’s no secret that I travel…a lot. Friends, strangers, and random people I meet are always asking me if they can come with me to my next travel destination. I love being someone’s motivation to travel! But I also want you to be your own motivation.
Sometimes it’s easier to follow someone’s lead than take that risk on your own, but making your own decision of where to go is so much more fulfilling and rewarding than tagging along on someone else’s vacation. So yes, I’m always open to bringing friends along on my travels…but is that what YOU really want?
Use a Flight Search Engine to Find Cheap Travel Destinations
The inevitable question: “Where are you going next?” Well, that all depends. There’s nowhere I don’t want to go! Being open and flexible means a lot of options.
I first go to Google Flights to find where it’s cheapest to go on the dates I have available. Sometimes, I know where I want to go but not sure when. Google Flights takes care of me – wherever, whenever. If I know I have five days off in November, I put in my home airport, my dates, and open the world map to see where I’m off to based on lowest price.
Once I find a few cheap travel destinations, I check Skyscanner to see if there are even cheaper prices. Skyscanner is my backup. I usually just use it to confirm I made the right decision.
Finally, I go to the Hopper app on my phone to confirm one last time. I also set a price alert on Hopper to get notifications to my phone whenever the price drops.
By now, I’m pretty confident in my choice.
To read more in depth about flight search engines, check out my post: My Favorite Flight Search Engines to Find Cheap Flights
City, Nearby Village, Beach, Nature, Hopping Around?
Now that you found your cheapest airport, where do you go from there? Do you stay in that city? Create your own layover and catch a cheap flight from there? Take trains, buses, and rental cars to go off the beaten path? Decisions, decisions.
City life is easy for a solo traveler because there’s always a place to stay, always a place to eat alone, always a tour to jump on, and always something to do. Cities are alright, but I almost feel like once you’ve seen one city, you’ve seen them all. Plus, if you’ve already been to that airport and stayed in that city, you’ll want to try something new.
Small villages are unique and cultural, but sometimes can be difficult if you don’t speak the language or are looking for action. Villages are where daily life goes on as usual, whether you’re there or not. The people aren’t there to make your stay fabulous and cater to tourists, but to run their businesses and go about their own lives. Personally, I love this. You get to see the real deal. But it’s not for everyone.
Small cities are a nice compromise between big international cities and small villages. Small cities have the conveniences of city life but still maintain the charm of local everyday life. Instead of Paris, try Nice. Instead of Cancun, try Tulum. Instead of New York City, try the Jersey Shore.
Don’t be afraid to do something totally different, either. Be a beach bum on a pink sand beach in Bermuda, or go hang off the famous Trolltunga cliff in Norway. Go deep into Iceland’s supernatural landscape to walk on a glacier, or hike the 35-day Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. Be open to new experiences, and use those to entice you to travel to certain places!
What Type of Trip Are You Looking to Have?
I’ve traveled with others before where we were going to the same place, but for two totally different reasons. I run myself ragged when I travel because I want to see and do it all. Meanwhile, most normal people travel to relax, sip fruity drinks by a pool, or do shots of tequila at 9:00 a.m. without being judged. Make sure you know what you want out of your trip, and plan your travel for yourself.
Cities like Barcelona, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Florence are known for restaurants/bars, social activities, study abroad/exchange programs, and lots to do. If you’re looking for a vacation where it’s easy to meet people and have a fun time with new friends and no judgment, look into social travel destinations. Ask me for some other recommendations in the comments and I’m happy to share!
Places like New Zealand, Iceland, Norway, and Croatia have beautiful natural landscapes perfect for sightseeing otherworldly scenery. If things like snow-capped mountains, volcanic islands dotting the horizon, moss-covered lava fields, steamy geothermal pools, crazy rock formations, lush rainforests, or super blue lakes strike your fancy, plan a scenic travel destination. This is my favorite kind of travel, so definitely feel free to ask me for recommendations.
Destinations like Morocco, Mexico, Greece, and South Africa are cultural meccas where you can talk to the locals, learn local customs, and dress in local garb. If your goal is to learn new customs, educate others on your own culture, and make friends around the world, try a cultural travel destination.
(Note: Make sure you are not mocking other cultures during cultural trips. Respect everyone’s right to dress, eat/drink, speak/not speak, pray, or anything else. Please, never ever copycat anyone in a mocking way).
Islands like Ibiza, Hawaii, Malta, and the Azores have the best of many worlds, like sun-kissed beaches, great party scenes, incredible scenery, unique heritages. Believe it or not, there are some places around the world that have it all. Just make sure you check the timing and that what you’re looking for is in season!
Social Life
Also consider the social scene when deciding on your next travel destination. Do you like solitude or options to go out and be social?
There are festivals and events all over the world, every day. It’s not a bad idea to try to plan travel around special holidays. For example, Belize celebrates its famous Lobster Festival to kick off lobster season, and it’s a festival not to be missed! To learn more, check out Passports and Grub’s complete travel guide.
Iceland is famous for having 24 hours of daylight on the summer solstice and 24 hours of darkness on the winter solstice. The Secret Solstice Midnight Sun Music Festival takes place every year around the summer solstice. Famous artists from all around the world come together in Iceland to perform for hundreds of thousands of people!
If You Can’t Decide, Let Travel Choose You
Sometimes, choosing your next travel destination is still just a hard decision. Too many options makes people give up – I get it! It happens to me sometimes too. If the options are too plentiful and you can’t decide where to go, why not let travel choose for you?
Do you have friends or relatives that live in other parts of the world? Go visit them. Do you have friends who are traveling for work? Go with them. Can you travel for work? Extend that work trip to do a little sightseeing on either end. Maybe you don’t get to choose where you go, but you’ll have a good reason to go. Plus, it might not be a place you’d ever think to go if you didn’t have a reason!
If you’re superstitious, there are all kinds of blog posts, articles, or games that will tell you where to travel based on your zodiac sign, what month you were born in, what your favorite food is, or what letter your name starts with. Check some of them out: Where to Travel Based on Your Zodiac Sign or What Country Should You Visit Based On Your Favorite Foods.
If you’re seeing signs that point to traveling somewhere specific, it’s a sign that your subconscious is looking for signs and wants to go. If you start hearing more Spanish around you, someone suggests tacos for dinner, and you catch a Mexican flag waving in the breeze off someone’s house, it’s a sign that Mexico should be on your radar. Don’t ignore the signs!
Find Your Travel Inspiration
Finally, everyone just needs a little travel inspiration. Whether it’s a beautiful picture you see in a restaurant bathroom or a friend you met one time and became lifelong facebook friends posts a motivational travel picture and quote, there’s travel inspiration everywhere to help you choose your next travel destination.
Join some travel groups, like the facebook group Girls LOVE Travel or TripScout Nation Travel Group and Community to look for other people who are looking for a travel buddy. Or just read through the posts in these and other travel groups and let the inspiration just flow.
I’ll just leave a few of these here to convince you that your next travel destination is just around the corner.
How do you find travel inspiration to choose your next travel destination? Share your ideas with me in the comments to build my travel motivation too!
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P.S. You might also enjoy Best Jobs for Travelers or Traveling Out of Your Comfort Zone