How to decide a place for going on a vacation?

Well, how many times have you tried to plan for a vacation but ended up watching Netflix instead? The reasons could be endless. But mostly what happens is not that there wasn’t enough time, but more on the lines of not being able to make the most of the available time. When you have to decide a place for going on a vacation, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. It will help you make the most of the time that you have, and not have any regrets at the end of the day.

That is the most important part. Whether you are on a vacation or coming back from one, there is no reason what so ever to have regrets or be exhausted. The one major reason to go on a vacation is to take a break, rejuvenate, and be back with all your batteries fully charged.

If by any chance that’s not the case, well then you are most definitely doing something wrong. More about that in a different blog.

For now, my aim is to be able to help you to work out a vacation plan that you can go to, without wasting any time, and without coming up with the worst possible scenarios that might convince you not to go.

So, in order to decide a place for going on a vacation, there are some things that you need to consider;

Time Available

Time is the first thing that you need to understand. You should be able to calculate the amount of time you have in hand so that you can make a vacation plan that you most thoroughly enjoy.

Say you have a long weekend coming. Thursday is the last day that you have to report on and you get free by evening 6 pm. Then you have to report back on Monday morning at 10 am. So how do you make the most of the time that you have? Well, you got 3 full days to reach, stay, explore and return. Or, you have 92 hours from leaving your workplace on Thursday to reaching back there on Monday morning.

So do you want to plan a one day trip, weekend trip, or for a three day trip for the weekend?

See how much time you have in hand and how much time you need to recover before you show up back for work. This will define the radius in which you can look for a place to go.

Your mode of transport will help too. If you are going by road, or are you going to take a flight, train, or cycle. Time is a very important factor. Because nobody wants to be hustling for or during a vacation which is meant to be relaxing.

Preferences matter when you decide a place for going on a vacation

Settling is one thing that I am not okay with. So think about the place or the kind of places that you like to visit.

It could be the kind of place that you have been to before. Or the kind of place that you would like to explore, someplace you have never been to before. Mountains, beaches, new terrain, someplace with history, someplace to party, there is so much to see. And, if nothing of that sort convinces you enough then just get a car, pack some food, put in a tent and drive to nowhere.

No matter which place you end up at, just try and look at the silver lining and make the best of the time that you spend there. Not all your vacations are going to be out of the ordinary. Neither are you going to have the best time of your life every time you decide to hit the road. Sorry, but it’s true. So make the most of what you got.

When you decide a place for going on a vacation, just give each place that you visit a fair chance by keeping an open mind.

Distance

Is it really worth driving for 10 hrs, one way, to get to a place where you only get to spend 12 hours before you have to head back? Or, are you okay to go sleepless for 32 hours straight just to see a waterfall?

If that is something that makes you feel alive, sure go ahead. But in case you are the sensitive kind then there is no point reaching your destination sleep-deprived and cranky. You know who you are. You know how much you can handle. Try not to bite more than you can chew. Vacationing is good, so don’t turn it into a punishment.

Is it possible to take a flight instead so you get at least a day to spend at your destination? When you decide a place for going on a vacation also see if the road is worth the drive. Does it have scenic views and breathtaking sunsets? There is a lot that can help you decide if you want to take the road or if you want to take the train, flight, whatever.

Just make sure that you make the most of the journey too. The destination is good, but the journey counts for a lot too.

Budget is important to decide a place for going on a vacation

This is one thing that everybody gets wrong. Most of the people postpone their plans of vacationing and end up at a nightclub instead because they think that travelling is very expensive.

Well, if any of you follow backpackers, AUTHENTIC BACKPACKERS, around the world, you will see that there are ways to keep your expenses at a bare minimum while travelling. For example, Dear Alyne has a Facebook channel where she explores places is less than $100. Places like the Maldives.

https://www.facebook.com/dearalyne/videos/2505637739720730/

I understand that with having a job, it can get a little difficult to hitchhike and spend endless hours by the side of the road to get a free ride. But instead of staying in a private room of a fancy hotel, you could choose to stay in a dorm. Just saying.

Majority of dorm rooms are clean and have hot water in the bathroom. They provide you with a bed and blanket. What else do you need to sleep! Carry a sleeping bag if you feel cold, or do not want to use that blanket. Sleeping bags are compact and lightweight.

Instead of depending on resources that you ‘might get there’, carry your own. Be safe. It will save you a ton of money. These things are investments. So invest away.

For traveling use a bus, sumo, or some kind of shared ride which will again save you a lot of money.

Also, it’s true that some places are way more expensive than others. In which case, you can either choose to go to places that are less expensive or you can reduce your travel frequency, save up and then go to the expensive places. The way people do with international trips. Most people prefer one international trip while some prefer 2. For the rest of the year, they might want to take smaller trips.

I know some people who backpack and they end up spending anywhere between INR600/- to INR1000/- a day. This includes – travel, stay, food, and entrance fee.

Number of Things to do

So there is a possibility that the number of days that you have, and the number of things that you can possibly do is a mismatch. But no worries. 2 obvious ways to go about it.

1. Visit the place more than once.
2. Prioritize. This means, instead of trying to do everything in the limited time that you have, do what you would enjoy with as much time as you need. Skip the museum if you don’t care about old things, or skip that bakery if you don’t have a sweet tooth. It’s absolutely okay.

Try to get this straight in your mind, no matter what you do, there will always be something that you will miss out on. The dialogue from ‘Je Jawani Hai Deewani’ says it perfectly,”we can’t do everything anyway, might as well enjoy where we are at the moment.” So make the most of where you are instead of trying to rush everything and missing half of everything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhAy8DDy7bE

I hope you are able to make a more practical plan for your next vacation. If you have any doubts or need any help, please do reach out to me. I’ll be more than happy to help out.

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