There is a certain feeling of excitement that comes with travelling the world. The feeling may seem like it disappears when you are not heading to an airport. But it is a feeling that can seem to resurface easily. Maybe when you see a plane fly overhead or even when walking past a travel agent.
What happens is once you have travelled once, it sort of reshapes your whole life. It may not always be entirely evident but travel changes you. It changes how you approach the world and approach life. Unfortunately not always for the better, depending upon your actual experience.
The greatest challenge to face though once you have sampled travel is where to go next. There are so many amazing destinations in this world and so little time to fully experience all of them. But if the problem is choice let’s explore the process.
Lessons You Learn Travelling The World
In the post “Lessons You Learn Travelling The World” I share some of the lessons you learn while travelling. However, there are also a couple of other lessons that I have discovered that can offer great benefit.
- A great trip comes from great planning
- Travel at a speed to allow for exploration
- Deep research to plan and book great adventures
- Cruise more. Need I say more
Better Planning
After numerous overseas and local trips, I can easily see the benefits of good planning. The trips where I have managed to get everything planned and booked before leaving home have been considerably more enjoyable. I can understand the appeal to some people jumping on a plane without a plan. However, that is just not me.
So no real surprise here that I want future travel plans to be well planned out. I have a good excel template that worked very well for planning the travel and accommodation on my last trip. In general leaving the tours and day to day activities until I arrive in a city is fine. But knowing how I am getting there and where I will be sleeping makes the trip much better.
Slow Down
When it comes to travelling and seeing a place in any depth, it is not a strong point for me. My longest stop in one city has been 10 days in Vancouver, Las Vegas and Vienna. However, looking at the rest of the time that I have spent travelling, I average around three nights per city. Add to this the ports I have visited for just one day on a cruise ship.
Short bursts or single days in a city can be an excellent way to get a taste of a city. However, it is a terrible way to explore and discover a city. The longer stays in cities I have visited the more I seem to have connected with the city. The more that I have become comfortable and enjoyed the city. On the other hand, a short stay I had less connection to the city. Almost like when I was leaving there was unfinished business.
Looking to the future when I plan my travel this is something that I would love to change. Although I do not see myself spending months in a single city. I feel that extended stays of maybe 7-10 days could be very beneficial.
Learn More
One aspect of travel that I want to dedicate more time is deep research. I spend a lot of time looking at flights, hotels and the business end of the trip. But I lack greatly in learning something from my experience.
At times I find the lack of research can work to be a benefit. Without prior research on a city, there are few preconceived ideas about the area. As a result, I have discovered some amazing places that I am very glad I visited.
The lack of research also does at times have the opposite effect. Where I have found myself arriving in a city, and just wondering why am I here? I often salvage these destinations to some degree. But better research and planning would have made a world of difference.
In future travel planning, I want to research the “why” I am visiting the city will be included. Whether it is the culture, the food, the history or an event. I want to travel to a city with a purpose in mind, not just because I can travel there.
Cruise More
In every way possible cruising contradicts travelling slowly and exploring cities. However, balancing out slow deliberate travel with relaxed sampling doesn’t sound too bad to me.
There are some destinations that cruise ships can take you that you may not otherwise visit. One example comes from my first cruise which visited Central America. As a solo traveller, this is not somewhere that I would consider travelling by land. But by sea, it is much more feasible with some of the potential safety concerns negated. Similarly travelling multiple South Pacific island is also much easier by cruise ship.
The ability to sample different countries and cities by cruise ship is fantastic. My third cruise through the Mediterranean was proof of this. I got to experience 12 different cities in five different countries. There are some that I would return to and others I probably wouldn’t.
Cruising in the future for me will likely explore some of the areas I have already visited. Especially with the way some itineraries change there is always something new to discover. There will also be potential to explore new areas as well such as The Baltic, South America and Asia.
Future Travel Plans
I do have a few ideas in mind for next steps when it comes to future travel. There are many factors that come into play for when the next trip will be. Such as when I have the time and means to take the trip. Combined with taking the time to research and plan the trip properly.
Currently, I am very much looking at options for an extended trip. In my mind at the moment both Canada and Europe are options. While there is also a potential for another cruise, if I can find the right sailing for the right price. Price is a major consideration for me as I do often travel alone, and single supplements can quickly add up.
The only certainty that I can see at the moment is more travel is in my future. However, like most things it will be a matter of what comes up and when.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what your next trip might be. Would it be overseas or local, a short or longer trip. Why not leave a comment below.
