Are you ready to set foot into the great unknown, but are unsure of exactly where you’re going? Do you feel that you need to inject some fun and spontaneity into your life with a little road trip perhaps, but don’t’ know where to go? Arguably, the most critical part of planning for any trip is actually choosing an appropriate destination. Simply put, most people don’t put nearly enough thought into where they’re headed; they usually choose their destination(s) based on factors which fall outside of the realms of reason and/or logic.
For example, the single biggest way to get into trouble when traveling is not taking one’s finances into consideration. That’s right; many people will often travel somewhere and shortly realize that they’ve nearly run out of money! Needless to say, this is not only dangerous; it is a good example of terrible planning too. First things first, choose your destination based on budgetary considerations; in other words, use your available finances to create a radius of potential travel spots long before you even begin thinking about what you’d like to do.
Next, get online and scour the web for information about these destinations. Try to learn as much as you can with regards of the local activities, room / food costs, as well as any relevant news (like crime or notable events which might be taking place during the same time as your intended visit). At this point you might want to create a list with multiple columns which allows you to list the pros and cons of your possible destinations; as you might expect, choose the one which offers the highest number of “pros” and the lowest number of “cons”.
Once you know where you’re going, find out how many days you can afford to spend on the road and at your chosen destination. You might find out that your first choice simply isn’t going to be possible, or perhaps won’t allow the kind of freedom you were hoping for; if this is the case, you always have your 2nd and 3rd choices to fall back on.
Next, consult with your friends and traveling companions to make sure that this destination (and chosen itinerary) is acceptable. There’s nothing worse than setting off with a group of people who are going to complain the entire time, so make sure that everyone knows where you’re going and what the intended range of activities are going to be before leaving.
Lastly, consider consulting with a travel agent about your plans. There are basically 2 primary reasons for dealing with a professional, 1.) To make sure your idea is solid, or 2.) To hire them to do it for you. The fact of the matter is that you never know what you might be forgetting about when embarking on a journey into unfamiliar territory, so as a general rule, always talk to an agent when traveling to distant destinations (like a foreign country). Likewise, if you are completely unsure about your planning / preparation abilities, a travel agent will be able to quickly sort out these issues for you.
Good luck, stay safe and have fun!
