Turning Travel Dreams Into Reality: Choosing a Destination 🧭✈️

Where Will YOU Go?? Travel Decisions Unravelled

This is where it gets fun! You’ve taken the decision to book your travel! You’re smashing through mental, physical, and situational barriers to steer clear of travel regret, and you’re ready to book!

But wait—where the hell do you aim this enthusiasm? You could google “best places to travel now,” but those results won’t be personalised. And suddenly you’re back in that stuck phase of travel planning.

Let’s work out where is best for YOU to travel to, based on YOUR needs and means.

The Blessed and the Wanderers 🔮

Some of us were blessed with strong convictions, strong visions, and plans for our futures. Some children at school knew exactly what they wanted to be when they were older. I was envious of their assertiveness, their determination.

I have determination… I think 🤔… but I often don’t know where to direct it! (Apart from finding the cheapest deals!)

If you do know where you want to go, congratulations!! 🎉

I envy you: ADVANCE TO GO! 🎲

👉 Check out my post on the best ways to book travel and avoid the pitfalls…

(Or if you want to read on, I do have some great anecdotes… 🤣)

Are You a Coddiwompler? 🗺️

Without direction, I’ve been guided by events, people, flight prices, coin flips, and laziness several times for my trips. Not having huge feelings of lust for any particular destination.

I spend a lot of my time in Latin America these days (because it’s great!) but I love most countries equally.

I’m often asked:

“Where’s your favorite place/country?” (You want to know, right?)

I reply with some form of avoidance, I guess, but it feels true to me:

“I enter each country a different person, and each country has its charm. The people I meet often create the lasting memories. I would have to enter all countries at the same point in my journey through life with the same people to be able to answer that question effectively.”

– Me, 2025 (Annoying, aren’t I?)

If you (like me) find yourself stuck in the “where do I go?” phase of your travel planning journey, here are a few techniques I’ve used to give my wandering a little more direction.

First Things First: Why Are You Going? 🤔

What’s the purpose of this trip? Grab a pen and paper now (notes on your phone as a last resort—paper has power, I’m (almost) sure! Plus, it’s ace when you find your ramblings years later).

It’s time to get specific:

• Write down 5 things you’re looking for on this trip
• What are you searching for? (If anything—it’s totally okay not to be!)
• Do you want to learn something?
• Do you want to feel something?
• Do you want to earn money?

If you’re struggling, here are some ideas:-

Travel Desires Framework 💭

Category	Possible Desires
Personal Growth 🌱	Confidence Building, Healing, Empowerment, Mindfulness, Self-care, Self-discovery, Challenging yourself, Building resilience, Learning new skills
Experiences 🎭	Adventure, Create stories, Cultural immersion, Food exploration, Language Immersion
Community & Connections 👥	Friendships, Romance, A sense of belonging, Community, Volunteering, Heritage research
Mental & Emotional Well-being 🧘‍♀️	Freedom, Independence, Joy, Peace, Solitude, Stress Release, Escaping the Rat Race, New beginnings, Digital detox
Lifestyle & Living 🏡	Digital nomad life, Minimalist living, Breaking free, Finding a new home
Creativity & Exploration 🔍	Creativity boost, History trip, Photography, Nature immersion

You can use these 5 travel desires to come up with a shortlist. Google or an AI bot is your friend here. Just type in “which countries offer…” and your desires.

Practical Considerations ⚖️

Now that you’re getting clearer on your vision, let’s move on to some physical limitations and narrow down the search.

Time – How Much Do You Have? ⏰

How long is your travel window? Mine are always open-ended, and if that’s possible and suits you—I most definitely recommend it. In that case, travel time is of no importance. I advocate quitting jobs!

But if you only have 3 weeks or less, I do not recommend flying to New Zealand from the UK, for example: Unless it’s a bucket list destination and you don’t think you’ll ever have more free time than that. It takes 24+ hours of flight time, a few days to get over jet lag, and most of your budget will be spent on flights.

Be smart and make the most of the time you have on a short trip. Unless you really are all about “the journey” and get off on long flights and airplane food! 🙊

Budget – Not All Currencies Are Made Equally 💰

For example: There are budget-friendly countries like India, Morocco, Romania, Guatemala, Bolivia etc…

And there are super expensive countries like Iceland, Australia, Japan, Canada, Dubai etc…

What’s your budget? If you want to be in full freedom mode with no jobs or responsibilities, this is important to consider. Check out this website to get an idea of expenses in each country/city (take it with a pinch of salt. Nothing is 100% accurate but it can give you an idea) Here is a more visual version.

I tend to keep the cheaper destinations for longer trips. For tips on saving 👉 see my saving guide.

If you plan to work/volunteer, then expensive countries can work (pun unintended) and are sometimes advisable. If a work-for-food/accommodation exchange sounds like something you want to try, I will be writing a post on that sooooon!

Also, working holiday visas are available to “young” adults (18-30/35) in some countries. See here for UK residents.

Weather – Sun or Snow Seeking? ☀️❄️

You’ll want to know what weather you’re searching for (if that’s important at all). For Brits, it usually is!

Unless I’m looking to do a ski season or hike up a mountain, warm and sunny is my go-to climate. Rain is also acceptable—if it’s warm!

So, summer in the:

• Northern hemisphere is April to September
• Southern Hemisphere is October to March

The tropics are good all year round but WATCH OUT for hurricane/rainy season. 🌀

Also, don’t be fooled and just bring summer clothes on a Latin America Trip (like I did). The south gets full-on cold 🥶, and even in the north (of South America), there are many destinations at high altitude where it gets really cold at night! I’m talking freezing point!

——Basically, do your research on climate zones to avoid surprises. Also try and avoid the middle of high season and you should get some better deals and more space.

With Whom? Looking to Make Connections? 👫

I am a proponent of solo travel, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like people! It’s actually almost the opposite. You make connections with so many more people when you travel alone. Some of my best friends are people I met on the road, some I barely spent a couple of weeks with them but continue to speak 10 years on.

👉 Hold on for my upcoming post on SOLO travel, why I love it, and why everyone needs to try it!

However, I understand that for some, going it alone can be a little scary the first time traveling in foreign lands. If you’re planning to go with someone else, make sure to address these questions together. This ensures you’re on the same path, or at least know your paths may have to diverge at some point—and that’s totally fine! (And recommended)

But, if you’re hoping to make friends and travel buddies, you want to stay on the beaten track to begin with. Look for places well-traveled with good infrastructure and hostel accommodations.

Searching for Solitude? 🧘‍♂️

The World is Your Oyster! So many places are off the beaten track. It might be harder to get there, but it’s worth the effort if that’s what you’re after.

Arm yourself with Google Translate and get yourself to infinity and beyond!

Just keep that goal in mind; it’s easy to get derailed into “hanging out,” but solitude is where the realisations are waiting.

Is It Safe There? 🛡️

• Don’t believe everything you hear in the news! (But I guess you knew that already, it’s part of the Functional Hippie way—trusting your own instincts, questioning everything, and seeking out the truth beyond the headlines.)
• Don’t let people who have not traveled somewhere put you off it! Many people thought I was crazy driving down to Mexico by myself from Canada, but I listened to people who had actually been there… and all was well!
• The government guidelines are slightly overkill (think helicopter parenting the masses). However, do take notice of the DO NOT TRAVEL list, as travel insurance will probably be void. That still doesn’t mean you can’t go! Just be aware of what you are covered for.
• Search for advice from travellers. Use Reddit, Facebook groups, blogs, and forums to find out what it really looks like on the ground.

Still Struggling for Inspiration? 💫

Consider having something steer you, like:

• A sports event (I aimed for the World Cup in Brazil 2014—the last time I watched football!) I wasn’t an avid football fan, but I knew it would be an experience and a good time-constrained aim for arrival! It really helped me push the button and book that travel.
• A festival or national celebration (Carnival, La Tomatina, St. Paddy’s, Songkran, Oktoberfest, Chinese New Year, Day of the Dead, Holi… to name a few)
• The cheapest flight on your departure date!

The Decision 🎯

I imagine by now you have a few places in mind. Cross-reference them with your limitations and 5 desires. Which one comes out on top?

Need help with this?
Download this free decision matrix template if you’re serious about this!

Still too close to call?

• Flip a coin! 🪙
• Ask I Ching
• Or answer this right now: “If you had to decide in 5 seconds, what would you choose?” 5….4…3…2…1… Voila!

And once that’s done, immediately look at 👉 booking your transport! Flying is the most common way to travel, but if you have a long time, there are plenty of other options!

Most importantly, commit to your choice. You may have spent a good chunk of time doing this, and time is a finite commodity!

You can spend so much time researching destinations, but realistically, if you’re open to new experiences (which you must be if you’re reading this), then you’ll make it work.

And if you’re really unhappy where you land, it’s not hard to leave a place!

CONGRATULATIONS! 🎊

You’re getting closer to your dream. It’s all about doing rather than just thinking in this world—words I need to hear every day!

I hope this helps, and I would love to hear where you’ve decided to go or which options you’re weighing up in the comments. 👇

👉 Download the free “Destination Decision Matrix” template
👉 Read my next blog post with the next step – Booking travel!

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