Choosing a Destination

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.The important thing is, not how you choose, but going somewhere that appeals to you for whatever reason, whether it be friends or the location itself.