There is no single answer to the question of which are the best places to travel on vacation. The first question to ask yourself is not where to go, but what kind of traveler are you.
What kind of traveler are you?
* Are you a Phileas Fogg? Are you a world traveler who measures success by the number of countries he visits?
* Are you a Robinson Curuso? Do you like to be out of the way and off the beaten path?
* Are you a Geoffery Chaucer? Is the journey more about the people he travels with than the destination?
* Are you a Henry David Thoreau? Is your ideal vacation just a quiet place close to home?
There are many different travel styles or goals for travel.
* You can travel to get away from it all.
* You can travel to learn about a new culture.
* You can travel to party.
* You can travel to reconnect with family and friends.
* You can travel by adventure.
What is your travel style/budget?
Some people would rather stay home than stay anywhere that isn’t 5 star. Others couldn’t imagine staying anywhere fancier than a youth hostel. Some who would love to stay at the posh resort cannot afford it.
Before you travel, you need to determine your budget and travel style. The type of style you like will help determine where you can travel and for how long. My wife and I planned a trip to Hawaii before our first child was born. After looking at our budget, we had to decide that a road trip to San Diego would be a better option.
One if it’s by land, two if it’s by sea… Three if it’s by air?
Do you like road trips? If so, how about a domestic itinerary? If you like the outdoors or history, you can visit the national parks. If you like sports, consider a tour of major or minor league ballparks. If you like the lights of the big cities, would a trip to New York, Chicago or Las Vegas be within your reach?
Do you like cruises? Consider only packing and unpacking once and letting your hotel (ship) travel from port to port. From the East Coast of the United States, Bermuda and the Caribbean are easily accessible. From the west coast Mexico or Alaska offer very different vacations.
If you love to fly and can afford it, Europe, Africa, Asia and South America beckon.
Europe offers familiarity for American visitors but with a lot of history. Europe offers destinations from the familiar London and Paris to less familiar destinations like Croatia, Slovenia and Estonia. You have to be willing to deal with another language or drive across the road.
Africa offers unforgettable experiences with wildlife or the wonders of ancient Egypt. It also offers ancient churches carved into the rocks of Ethiopia or faraway destinations like Timbuktu. It will take a lot of travel to get further out of your comfort zone.
Asia offers ancient cultures and new economic powers. Your journey can be to daunting places like New Delhi that will challenge even seasoned travelers or safer, more familiar destinations like Singapore.
South America offers better exchange rates than Europe but less political stability. It offers European-style cities like Buenos Aires or ancient Inca cities like Machu Picchu.
One thing I’ve learned from hosting the Hobbyist Traveler for over three years is that there are many more places to travel than I had originally considered. I had never thought of that:
* Go to Tonga and swim with whales.
* See the stone churches in Ethiopia.
* Take a night tour of Petra in Jordan.
* See the wild horses in Mongolia.
The more I learn about travel, the more places I want to go. What is the best place to travel? For me it is always the next place.
