Creative Ways to Choose Travel Destinations

Believe it or not, some travelers have left their destination to the fate of where the arrows land on a dartboard to decide. They just can't choose.
Believe it or not, some travelers have left their destination to the fate of where the arrows land on a dartboard to decide.

Interesting Ways to Help You Choose Your Next Travel Destination

By Suzanne Morrisey Meyer

Trying to decide where you want to travel to next can be a nightmare. There are so many places to visit around the world that you can be left with a list of destinations a mile long! If you need a little help deciding where you want to travel to next, here are some of the best ways to help you decide.

I’ve used all of these slightly alternative methods to make travel destination decisions, and I’ve had some fun travels as a result. You can do!

Alphabetical

A fun way to decide to travel is by coming up with a list of destinations which is alphabetical. You then have 26 to work your way through before you reset and start again.

To do this accurately, you may want to mix countries with cities and islands. For example, you pick Canada for C but it would be much better if you used it for areas as you then have a nice handy Q for Quebec.

Q for Quebec: Quebec’s New France Festival is like a citywide costume party.
Q for Quebec: Quebec’s New France Festival is like a citywide costume party.

This decision requires some planning to make sure you are heading to a destination for every letter but it could make for some interesting travel stories and memories if you are willing to put the work in.

Choose Your DNA Trail

Getting your DNA analyzed these days is easy--and the results may point you to your next destination! choose the best places to visit.
Getting your DNA analyzed these days is easy–and the results may point you to your next destination!

If you aren’t sure about where your ancestors came from, why don’t you go walk in their footsteps? Ancestry tests are wildly popular at the moment and can tell you everything you could ever want to know about your family’s history. All I did was choose a DNA kit at this link and wait to see what your results are.

You might think it is a waste of time and money if you know that your family is indigenous to one particular area but it might be interesting to do nevertheless as it could tell you about your haplogroups.

These are the ancient common ancestors and lead back to a single person living thousands of years ago.

Depending on how active the generations were in between, you might have found someone in your family tree who lived on the other side of the world from you.

If you do find such a person, you might want to consider a DNA journey for your next adventure. Head to where your ancestor is from and see what it is like now. While it may be very different from the world they lived in, you can still see the same mountains or coastline which they might have seen and look up at the same stars in the evening. It is a very intimate way to feel in touch with someone who might have lived thousands of years ago.

Hiking near Machu Pichu in Peru, South America.
Hiking near Machu Pichu in Peru, South America.

Follow an Ancient Route

Following one of the ancient travel routes across the planet is as popular now as it has ever been. Whether people are hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in Peru or traversing the Silk Road, there are plenty of routes for anyone feeling adventurous.

These trips are going to take a lot of time and might also be fairly expensive to organize. However, they are also brilliant journeys which will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Find a reputable travel company who can take you the entire route or look into what bits you could do yourself.

Both methods have their advantages; going with a group means that you have a schedule and everything planned for you whilst doing some of it for yourself gives you more freedom.

You could potentially veer off route for a couple of days or stay somewhere you like a little longer. Think about what you want from your journey and what plan sounds most appealing to you. If you value your independence, you might get more out of traveling by yourself as much as possible.

Let Fate Choose, Throw a Dart at a Map

Punta Prima beach in Menorca. how to choose your travel destinations.
Punta Prima beach in Menorca.

When all is said and done, there is nothing wrong with shutting your eyes and throwing a dart at a map to see where you might travel to next. This approach is random, fun, and can be adapted to fit all sorts of different scenarios.

Seriously, I actually did this and found a tiny island in the Mediterranean that turned out to be fantastic–Menorca…see a photo of the beach there!

Did the dart land in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? Why don’t you sign up for one of the sailing expeditions if you want an adventure or a transatlantic cruise if you want something a little calmer?

You could even end up traveling somewhere you had thought you would never visit only to completely fall in love. The possibilities are endless when you decide to randomize your travel this way.

These are four far from typical, yet in many ways, sensible methods to choose your next travel destination if you are unsure as to where you would like to go next.

Do you have any idea where you would like to go?

Would it be a grand adventure or just a weekend away? No matter where you decide to go and how you choose to get there, you are bound to have a fantastic time away.

We all have a different style of traveling; use one of the travel prompts above and find the perfect new destination for your next holiday today.

Suzanne Morrissey Meyer.

 

Suzanne Morrisey Meyer is a freelance writer who lives and works in London, UK.

 

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One thought on “Creative Ways to Choose Travel Destinations

  1. I’ll have to keep these ideas in mind the next time I’m having a hard time deciding where to hear to next!

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