Unique Ways To Pick Your Next Destination
From Enduring Wanderlust

This article offers up some unique methods of selecting your next destination, including throwing a dart at a world map, which is what editor Gennaro Salamone did in 1998. Where did he end up? Doing a summer of study in the Czech Republic.

Where Would You NOT Travel To?
From NoDebtWorldTravel

Brian Peters addresses concerns you may take into consideration when deciding on where to not travel, including political beliefs, human rights concerns, and safety. And you may be surprised to find that the United States shows up on some peoples lists for these same reasons.

Secret of Round-the-World-Travel
From Hole in the Donut

Barbara Weibel shares the secrets she learned when planning her six-month career break and how she took advantage of the Star Alliance program to book her RTW ticket. And be inspired by the destinations she chose to visit as she circumnavigated the globe.

How to Travel Around the World Without Flying
From Matador Traveler

This feature piece on Matador’s Travelers Notebook follows a couple who planned their round-the-world trip by boat, train, and automobile – just about every form of transportation but flying! Who knew you could be a passenger on cargo ships? Very useful when crossing oceans!

Travel Budgets
From How to Travel the World

Budget is a big factor in deciding on an itinerary. Have a lot of time but little money and want to stretch your dollar? Think about Southeast Asia where you can survive on $20 compared to the 60-70 Euros you would need in Europe. This article will give you a great idea of average living costs across the globe.

How to Use Social Media for Travel Research
From Mashable – The Social Media Guide

How often do you seek out a friends advice for a restaurant or hotel? Well, why not use virtual friends to help plan your travel itinerary as well! With the advances in social media, there are many great outlets for seeking out recommendations – even while on the road!

What unique ways have you chosen your travel itinerary?

Weather:

What time of year are you traveling and what will the weather be like in your destination? Summer in the northern hemisphere means winter most points south of the equator. And some destinations don’t experience our traditional four seasons but rather two – wet and dry. But whatever time of year you travel, there are benefits to the different types of weather you may encounter.

For example, the months of September – November in the southern part of Thailand is monsoon season, so you won’t be able to enjoy the beaches. However, this time of year also sees some unique local festivals, so you will be able to experience part of the culture most travelers don’t.

Traveling Down Under? December – January are the summer months in Australia and New Zealand, making for a nice escape from winter in the northern hemisphere. However, this is also the time of year when students are on break so most Aussies and Kiwis will vacation during this time, creating competition for lodging and activities. If you travel to Oz during their winter months (June – August) you bypass the crowds as well as the heat and humidity up north. Plus, you can visit parts of the country most travelers don’t get to (like Darwin and Broome) and miss out on the box jellyfish and monsoon rains.

To get a general idea of the best times of year to visit a country, visit WhereWhenWhy: http://www.wherewhenwhy.co.uk/

Holidays & Festivals:

As mentioned before, participating in local holidays and festivals offers a unique cultural experience. But it can also offer some challenges. During countrywide holidays, such as the Thai New Year (Songkran Festival), most locals travel, making it difficult to book transportation or accommodation. This is also the case during the Hindu celebration of Diwali in India. But you shouldn’t be detered from visiting during these times – in fact, holidays can be a great highlight of your trip. It’s just important to practice your patience during these events.

It’s also important to understand the significance of the holiday or festival and try to act as respectful as possible. During Ramadan in Islamic countries, non-Muslims and visitors are not expected to observe the fast, however it is respectful to be discrete when consuming food or water during the day. And Sherry learned quickly in Zanzibar that the only people on the streets from 6:30pm to 8pm during Ramadan are tourist and thieves. Learning about the customs of the countries you plan to travel to is a great way to understand their holidays as well as their cultures.

And if you happen to “stumble upon” a holiday, don’t be afraid to ask a local more about it and find out how you can participate. When I was volunteering in Peru, I learned that the small town of Paucartambo hosts thousands of guests during the festival for the Virgen del Carmen. In addition, most of the revelers camp out at Tres Cruces (where the Andes meets the Amazon), in order to catch the rare eclipse, in which it appears as if three suns are rising. By asking more about this, we found out that our driver, Benjamin, was willing to take us to the festival AND to the campsite. We were just a few of the gringos in the midst of hundreds of locals participating in these amazing events.

Start your research by visiting Earth Calendar: http://www.earthcalendar.net/ and Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_holidays_by_country

Value of the Dollar:

This is a major player in destination decision making, especially when timing is involved. How long you plan to travel and how far you can stretch your budget go hand in hand. If you want to rail throughout Europe and sail the Mediterranean, expect the Euro to take a big bite out of your budget and shorten your time on the road. But if you choose to take the slow train through Vietnam and snorkel the beaches of SE Asia, you can live off of just dollars a day for months on end.

During your country research, be sure to check on the prices of lodging, various types of travel (planes, trains, buses, boats), food and the various activities you plan to participate in. This will be an important factor in determining your budget. Then check the latest exchange rates at: www.xe.com

READ MORE:
 Where to Go: What Calls You | Where to Go: Comfort Level 

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Do you have some tips on deciding where to go? Let us know! Share here.

What Calls You

Most of my travel destinations have been places that have called me. In high school I became fascinated with Vietnam and Cambodia after studying the war and Pol Pot’s regime in the 1970’s. For years afterwards I would read and watch anything associated with those countries. So when I decided to take a three-month career break in 2001, I centered my travels on those destinations.

During my experience I learned a great deal of insight into the atrocities that affected those countries and gained a perspective I could never have learned in the classroom. And by meeting the locals I found that there were no hard feelings associated towards me because of the “American War,” despite the fact that it is still affecting their lives today.

I also love ancient ruins and cultures. There is definitely something mystical and magical that can be felt in their presence, despite a lack of structure and definition. Many of my vacations have been planned around visiting temples, including the Mayan ruins of Tulum & the Yucatan, Tikal in Guatemala, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and Knossos on the island of Crete. So when I decided to volunteer for the summer of 2006, I chose to do it in the heart of the Incan Empire – Cusco, Peru.

So think about places or cultures that might call you – they don’t have to be steeped in history like mine usually are. Perhaps there is a cuisine that you love, or a language that you want to learn. Think about some of your favorite movies or books. Inspiration is all around you and you may not even realize it.

Read Sherry’s inspiration for traveling to Borneo.

READ MORE:
Where to Go: Timing |  Where to Go: Comfort Level

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My curiosity with Borneo started around the year 2000 when I was living in San Francisco. I had just moved to the west coast and I was up late one night watching television. I came across the Eco-Challenge, an adventure race that featured a variety of crazy and dangerous sports including hiking, mountain biking, kayaking through rapids, horseback riding, caving, and abseiling. It could take teams anywhere between 3 and 6 days to complete and it was in a place called Borneo. I had never heard of it before, but it sounded and looked completely exotic – this sheltered mid-westerner was hooked.

I watched utterly amazed at what these people were going through. They raced 24 hours a day living off of cliff bars and fighting off hallucinations due to dehydration and lack of sleep. Not to mention racing with foot-rot and leeches crawling all over their bodies. These were the toughest people that I had ever seen in my life…and I wanted to be one of them. I was in awe of them and the dangerous, lush, jungle landscape that surrounded them. I got out the map that night and looked up Borneo – it took me quite some time to find it as I had never really heard of it before – but when I did, I knew that it would be someplace that I would visit one day.

After watching Eco-challenge, I started getting interested in adventure racing – wondering if I was tough enough to really do what those people did. My next few vacations I took were adventure vacations to test out my ability in the various activities as well as testing out my ability to ‘rough it’. After sleeping in the Australian rain forest in a hammock scared to death of every noise and bump in the night, I realized that I probably wasn’t cut out for the adventure racing life, but the experience kicked off my interest in travel to exotic places and smaller scale adventures. I wanted to go explore, I wanted adventure, and I wanted to push myself. Shortly after I got hooked on Eco-Challenge, the first Survivor aired on television, also shot on an island in Borneo.

My friends and I would watch Survivor every week religiously. I loved the mental game that came along with Survivor, getting people to do what you wanted – persuasion mixed with athletic activity. I was so in love with the concept of Survivor that I actually applied for the 2nd season of Survivor. I was still on a quest to be considered ‘tough’. I obviously never made it on the show, but I’ve been a fan ever since.

When I decided to do my around the world trip, I got out a world map, laid it on my floor, and immediately knew that I had to stop in Borneo…there was never a question in my mind. It was my ’spiritual travel birthplace ‘ – and I had to take this opportunity to see it.

Fun Fact: Borneo is the world’s third largest island and contains three countries – Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

READ MORE:
Where to Go: Timing | Where to Go: What Calls You | Where to Go: Comfort Level

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Tell us how you were inspired to travel somewhere! Share here.

Comfort Level

Of course before hitting the road, you do want to have the peace of mind that where you are going is safe – not just for your own comfort but that of your friends and family staying behind. The U.S. State Department’s website offers tips for safely traveling internationally (including registering with the local US Embassies) as well as posting warnings and alerts for countries all around the world. And check out the CIA World Factbook for more detailed information on every country.

And staying on top of local news and events is also a great way to understand issues that may affect you during your time. Signing up for Google Alerts is one way to get the latest news, and you can also bookmark the websites of international papers. But keep in mind that “news” tends to be geared towards negative stories. Don’t let that worry you too much. When I was preparing volunteers to travel to the southern part of Thailand, many were concerned about news stories of violence at the border of Malaysia. Having contact with the local staff in Thailand, I was able to reassure them that the violence was hundreds of miles away from our program site. You may not have someone local to reassure you on issues, but message boards and forums are another great place to seek advice on safety.

Of course it can’t go without saying that there is an assumption that Americans are poorly viewed overseas and that it is not safe to travel abroad as an American. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most people I have encountered overseas can differentiate between the individual and one’s government, especially when it comes to Americans. In fact, I’ve found that the rest of the world is greatly educated on US politics and economics because it affects them as much as us. I have had waiters in Laos and musicians in Peru want to discuss and debate the latest US policies because they so rarely encounter Americans.

And most of the time, people don’t even care where you are from. As long as you respect their cultures, refrain from illegal activities, and keep an open mind, you will be fine.

READ MORE:
Where to Go: Timing | Where to Go: What Calls You 

We’d love to hear from you!

Do you have some tips on deciding where to go? Let us know! Share here.