Post 2 - Where in the world?
Let’s be honest… one of the best parts of traveling is planning the trip. And this isn't just my opinion, it’s scientifically proven! (Science is at the bottom if you are intrigued by studies about human happiness.) I can’t remember a time in the last ten years when I wasn’t researching a new city, diving headfirst into the hotels, and shuffling happily through flight prices. To me, travel planning is like a puzzle: how can I fit the most magical trip into the tightest budget? This is my first post of a series on how I begin my travel planning and my attempt to do it in the most ethical way.
On that note, let's talk about the first step I take the moment I think about traveling, and that's location, location, location. If you’re like me and love to travel internationally, I’m often faced with the same dilemma every time I get the travel bug (the bug bites about a week after I’ve returned from my last trip, unfortunately for my wallet): where do I go? Now I’d be lying if I said this method works every time because a good flight price can derail my entire plan, but I like to start with asking myself a few questions and using these rules depending on my answers:
What climate am I wanting?
What time of year am I traveling?
How long do I want to be gone?
(These are all North American relevant, sorry international folk)
Fall - Winter Travel:
If wanting cold weather, but only have a week —> Northern Europe (1 city max), Canada, domestic US
If wanting cold weather, but have a week plus —> Northern Europe (multiple cities/countries), Japan, all of the above
If wanting warm weather, but only have a week —> Mexico, Hawaii, Southern Europe
If wanting warm weather, but have a week plus —> All of the above and Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South America (this is broad, I recognize that)
Spring - Summer Travel:
If wanting cooler weather, but only have a week —> Northern Europe (1 city max), Canada
If wanting cooler weather, but have a week plus —> Northern Europe (multiple cities/countries), South America, New Zealand, Australia, all of the above
If wanting warm weather, but only have a week —> Mexico, Hawaii, Southern Europe
If wanting warm weather, but have a week plus —> All of the above and Northern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Asia (this is broad, I recognize that)
Once I have the general area or place(s) decided on the fun really begins…
Scientific Evidence:
Kumar, A., Killingsworth, M. A., & Gilovich, T. (2014). Waiting for Merlot: Anticipatory Consumption of Experiential and Material Purchases. Psychological Science, 25(10), 1924-1931. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614546556 (Original work published 2014)