I have many strange ways of choosing my travel destinations.
There isn’t just one right way to do it. It’s just whatever works for you at
the time.
When I chose Australia, I was at a bit of a loss as to what
to do. I was looking at the Oysterworldwide website, looking for employment
that suited me for a big extended trip. The destination wasn’t too important as
long as it was paid work, not too close to home and had a long stay visa
available easily. Ranch work suited me, the location was appealing and the
working holiday visa was for a year. Going through an organisation is a great
way to have a safety net, particularly for a first trip, but I soon learnt, for
Australia especially, it really isn’t any need. If finding employment is a big
consideration, there’s such a backpacker community in Australia that it’s easy
to find backpacker suitable work with minimal effort. A quick search of online
forums and you can find dozens, even just on Facebook.
Australia paved a new way of choosing destinations for me;
the ‘I know someone there’ method. It’s nice to know someone when you arrive in
a new country, even if you only have their company for a few days while
orientating yourself. This method of choosing a destination opens so many more
doors too. I would never have thought to go to Indonesia had I not met someone
working in Jakarta and decided to pay them a visit. Before that initial trip,
the only appeal Indonesia had held was the appeal of Borneo Jungle, and even
that was only a vague and distant dream. I have still yet to visit.
It was particularly nice to have a friend in Indonesia as it
was my first time alone in a country whose native language isn’t English, and
in a ‘developing’ country. I was a little nervous.
Taking destinations by recommendation is always good. Since
discovering a place I like to stay, I try to take trips nearby by
recommendation. When leaving Indonesia for a few days for a visa run, the
cheapest and easiest destination is Malaysia. Penang is recommended by
backpackers above Kuala Lumpur as a short trip. And of course Vietnam and
Thailand are highly recommended in S.E. Asia.
My particular favourite way to choose a destination though
is by looking at websites such as Escape the City which lists placements
worldwide, mostly volunteer, but some provide some subsidise some costs. I
search through listings for locations and jobs that suit me, and so determine where
to go next.
Not everything is quite so methodical. The Philippines
appeals so I’ll be taking a trip there in the near future, job or no job. I
recently saw something that appealed to me about Lebanon, so may consider a
trip there. Spontaneity will always create good options, and of course just
going where you want to.
Choosing destinations in these ways really does throw up
some interesting, unconsidered options, just as Indonesia originally was. A
position as trekking guide keeps appearing on one of the websites, so I’m
contemplating a trip to Nicaragua. It looks more and more appealing each time I
see it.
And I still take into consideration where I have friends,
particularly in Europe. I like to plan a little stop on my way home from a
trip. Switzerland is calling me back and both Barcelona and Munich are begging
for a visit.
