Every traveller is inspired by something different when it comes to choosing their next destination.
Some travellers love revisiting the same destination or resort year on year while others are motivated to always try something new. There is no right or wrong way to travel, in my opinion, as long as you’re enjoying yourself and remaining respectful of your destination.
The pandemic has changed our perspective on travel this past year and we have to find new ways to inspire ourselves while we remain in lockdown. It gives us a chance to consider what our future trips might be like, and how we can maximize our time once we’re able to travel freely once more.
Are you looking for inspiration? Trying to figure out where to go next? Here are some ideas for how you can choose your next destination once the borders reopen and we are free to travel and enjoy the world at large once more.
Read for Inspiration
There’s plenty of inspiration to be found in books and across the internet. Taking the time to read about the destination before a trip, or research for inspiration to select a destination will ensure that you are informed about your destination. It will give you a chance to learn more about the attractions, landmarks and places that you could visit. This is a great way to inspire yourself, and it means that you know where the best areas to visit are, how history might interact with your travel, or what the societal effects of such a place might be.
Whether you are visiting the Acropolis in Athens, or the hometown of your favourite author, there is plenty of writing available to read on a wide variety of topics. You could learn where the author might have gone, or how a building might have influenced life in this area. Thereโs nothing quite like experiencing an environment like this firsthand. It gives you a renewed sense of appreciation for such an environment. The knowledge you gain before the trip will only enhance the experience of visiting a location or landmark.
Speak To Past Travellers
Speaking to past travellers can also be a worthwhile means of getting the โinside scoopโ. Perhaps youโll be able to avoid overbearingly busy tourist traps when travel opens up again thanks to this knowledge. Or learn the right time of day to visit the Eiffel Tower while avoiding the rush of other tourists. Maybe youโll learn about certain restaurants you simply have to visit or museums that can’t be missed.
For example, if visiting London, without consulting past travellers and their experience or doing your research beforehand, you may not realize how easy it is to visit Bath. You may not realize that it’s a simple 2 hours on the train and is ripe with history, stunning scenes, and wonderful gardens.
Speaking to travellers might also help you learn the best day to visit, or how to apply for a pass in advance, or what presentations might be worth your time over others. That kind of insight is an insight you canโt buy, and it takes a willful effort trying to engage yourself in the conversation to achieve.
Ask The Locals
Itโs important to ask the locals about the area. They will always know it more than you. You might simply get friendly with a local bar owner or hotel clerk and ask them the best place to eat authentic meals. This kind of friendly conversation may help you solicit a few secrets you may not have heard otherwise, such as where they like to spend time, rather than where all the tourists are. Come across friendly and polite, as if you really do want to learn more about the area without any of the platitudes that tourists often try to label a place with, and often, youโll get the real skinny on whatโs going on.
Help Out & Contribute
Of course, travel can sometimes feel just a bit corporate, especially if you simply spend all your time purchasing and booking things. It can be nice to withdraw from that consumerist idea of travel from time to time, and instead choose to help out where necessary.
There are many amazing contributive paths you can find in this instance, such as the best volunteer projects Sri Lanka – proven to do real good year after year. Not only does this help you ensure you leave any area better than you may have otherwise, but it helps you really see the country for what it is, helping to alleviate struggle while also making a real difference. Thereโs nothing more humbling and ultimately rewarding than doing this, and no better way to show your appreciation for a country.
Eat Authentic Food
The absolute best way to experience a new country is to enjoy authentic food from the region. Of course, that doesnโt necessarily mean only eating cultural cuisine of one type. For instance, Australia has a heavy Asian influence in its cuisine because of how close they are to the continent. Does that mean Asian-influenced or Asian authentic food is any less โAustralian?โ Well not really, if the locals adore it and itโs part of the cultural dietary fabric. Just make sure you support local food, try a few cultural dishes, try something you may not be able to get anywhere else, and if in a local area (like a sea town), it might be that eating relevant food to get the best of the best here (like seafood), can make a massive, profound and quite memorable difference. Youโre going to want to document your stay in this instance, thatโs for sure.
With this advice, we hope you can see the most and best of any particular country.
