How Do You Choose Your Next Travel Destination? (Plus 12 Places on My Wishlist Currently)

Throw darts at a map? Spin the globe and go wherever your finger lands? Or maybe look at the most trending locations to visit according to Conde Naste? How is one supposed to choose their next travel destination with so many possible options? This is the question my mind has been pondering lately.

I absolutely love travelling, and have been blessed to visit a good number of my wishlist destinations over the years. One could even say that I’m privileged in a way. My photo albums and scrapbooks are full of memories from places like Amritsar, Agra, Paris, New York, Puerto Vallarta and even Tokyo. But yet, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to world adventures. What kind of a wanderluster would I be if I don’t make it to the Pyramids of Giza, or the Blue Lagoon? How about the beaches of Greece, and the ancient markets of Fez? And I haven’t even seen the Northern Lights or the Haida Gwaii Islands yet, even though I live on the West Coast of Canada!

It’s so cheesy I know, but that meme, the one that says ‘the whole world is my bucket list’ it’s speaking the language of my heart. Of course neither my time or my bank balance are limitless, so how am I supposed to choose the next place I want to visit? We already have our big family trip booked for this year; New York in August (some cities deserve two visits, one in winter & one in summer). I’ll also be going to Juneau in June (so cute) for the International Food Bloggers Conference, but I’m currently itching for a big adventure. I want to go somewhere that is totally new for me.

how do you choose your next travel destination

A sunny winter day at Fisherman’s Wharf Seattle: Images Aziz Dhamani

It needs to be a place that has a brand new type of architecture and buildings, or a food culture that I’ve never experienced before. And with there being so many parts of the world I haven’t explored yet, even those perimeters don’t really narrow down the list enough! Maybe I’m just over-thinking things too much? But the truth is, I  want to be intentional with my future trips, feel like I made a thoughtful choice. So to give myself a place to start, I spent the better part of a Sunday afternoon brainstorming, reviewing my favourite travel blog, and mining Pinterest for ideas. From that exercise I was able to shortlist 12 places I wouldn’t mind visiting in 2019/2020.

The list is broken up into 4 categories; (a) big-ticket trips – those that require a bigger spend, are a minimum of 10 days off work, (b) short trips (could be fit into 3-5 days but still require a plane trip), (c) US & Canadian road trips -places we could drive to easily but with varying distances, (d) weekend getaways – somewhere we could could get to in under 6 hours by car, and visit over a long weekend without feeling shortchanged. Yes, I totally recognize that my over-thinking is clearly on display here.

Big Ticket
Beijing & The Great Wall of China
Morocco & Spain (Inspired by this book)
Chzec Republic

Short Trips
Boston
Montreal
San Miguel de Allande

US & Canadian Road Trips:

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival + Portland
Banff & Drumheller – we did a Rockies road trip when the kids were quite young, but they are keen to visit again
Oregon Coast

Weekend Getaways
Jones Lake + Hope
Tofino
Shushwap Lake (they have houseboats!)

Do I think I’ll make it all 12 places? Highly unlikely, but I do love that I have this list to guide my google flight searches now!

So now it’s your turn, leave a comment and let me know how you choose your next travel destination. 


PS: You might also enjoy – Drumheller Day Trip, That Time I Slept in a Treehouse, Tips for Travelling to India

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11 Comments

  1. lisa
    September 30, 2019 / 1:36 am

    Awesome blog. I am searching on google for packing info and tips but i found your blog. I get the really very helpful packing tips. It’s a very easy packing to use your tricks. Really i am happy with your info. Great blog!Goeuro Coupons

  2. tuky
    October 14, 2019 / 7:31 am

    What a great idea to take photos of all the bits and pieces of each travel! You have made beautiful collections in each photos. I have pinned this my Photography Pinboard. Thanks for sharing!Omio Coupons

  3. shiza
    October 17, 2019 / 7:07 pm

    SO glad that I found this post, as the husband and I are travelling to San Diego for a week in May! Our favorite part of travelling is finding off-the-beaten-path places to eat, and he takes pride in ALWAYS finding the best obscure places. We are from Nashville, and I’d have to say that one of the best places I’ve eaten there is Cabana, on 21st Avenue in Hillsboro Village (not too far from the Bound’ry). Also great is Bricktops on West End for their flatbreads, and Piranha’s for sandwiches downtown.Visit whitelightsky.com for more information.

  4. October 21, 2019 / 1:39 am

    I’d love to travel more – it’s just not that simple though and there’s plenty of factors preventing me from doing it. But hopefully I’ll get to see everything I want to see! These are some pretty amazing benefits!

  5. carry
    November 1, 2019 / 7:56 am

    This sounds like such a great trip and I just love your little collections of mementos! I’m heading to Paris for the first time later in the fall and would love a travel guide — especially on places to eat! ?Visit site for more info.Thailand Holiday Package

  6. disc
    November 2, 2019 / 1:49 pm

    Great tips but the funny thing here is, my kids are great travelers. I am NOT. I’m the one that needs all of the toys to keep me occupied so I can ignore all of the crazy traffic!Disc Golf Accessories

  7. lisa
    November 22, 2019 / 8:00 pm

    Travelling is one activity that every individual must undertake at one time or the other, as part of their earthly existence; it does not matter what the purpose of travel is, or whether the travel is local or international. A lot of people actually look forward to traveling to other parts of the world for various reasons and purposes. Thanks for the great info.Private Desert Safari Dubai

  8. carry
    December 24, 2019 / 10:21 pm

    I am really enjoying the theme/design of your site. Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility issues? A small number of my blog audience have complained about my blog not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Safari. Do you have any solutions to help fix this problem?from Toronto to Niagara Falls

  9. lisa
    January 9, 2020 / 11:22 pm

    Hi, SO glad that I found this post, as the husband and I are travelling to San Diego for a week in May! Our favorite part of travelling is finding off-the-beaten-path places to eat, and he takes pride in ALWAYS finding the best obscure places. We are from Nashville, and I’d have to say that one of the best places I’ve eaten there is Cabana, on 21st Avenue in Hillsboro Village (not too far from the Bound’ry). Also great is Bricktops on West End for their flatbreads, and Piranha’s for sandwiches downtown.Orlando Vacation Packages

  10. Megha
    January 16, 2020 / 4:54 pm

    We went to Morocco last year and I have no words to describe how amazing it was. I highly recommend it.

    • January 17, 2020 / 7:42 am

      Morocco is my ultimate wish list destination. Not sure if it will happen this year – but next year for sure!

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