Hey All! If you’re like us, you probably start planning you next vacation the moment you board the plane for your current vacation.
I can’t count how many times we’ve been flying to our destination and Michaele will lean over to me and say, “So, where do you want to go next?”.
Have no fear, that’s not an uncommon problem to have, especially for those of us with a wanderlust spirit! We all crave the adventure and excitement of seeing and experiencing the unknown. And we never really feel content until we know that our next adventure is laying on the horizon.
But, questions still remain… With all the world has to offer, how do you choose the right places to go? And how do you know if the place you’ve chosen is right for you?
Planning your next vacation can be difficult, even for the most experienced of travelers. But, hopefully the following tips will help you along your way!
Let Instagram Be Your Guide.
Instagram is a tremendous source of inspiration, especially when it comes to travel destinations.
Take a look at the images you’ve recently liked. Find the ones that were taken in unique locations, consider planning a trip around one of them.
Search unique travel hashtags, or unique cities, that you’ve always wanted to know more about such as… #travelphotography #travelgram #europeantravel #asiatravel #amsterdam #ireland #toyko
While you’re at it, follow our hashtag #kindatrippytravel and stay up-to-date on all our content!
Find travel bloggers like ourselves on Instagram and follow their feeds. You’ll get new and unique travel destinations served up to you daily and can choose destinations that feel right for you! Send a message to the ones you absolutely love and ask their their opinions on great destinations.
You’ll be surprised how easy planning your next vacation will be after receiving advice from experienced travelers.
Find a Good Travel Documentary.
Most streaming services these days have a collection of travel documentaries that are filled with inspiration. — Before we took our European cruise last year we watched 20-30 episodes of Rick Steves’ Discovering Europe. We were so wrapped up in it that we eventually went to our local library and borrowed books, magazines (and additional episodes) to help us find the things we liked the most.
Seek Out Travel YouTubers.
Michaele is notorious for finding the very best YouTube has to offer when it comes to travel (or BTS). In fact we would have been totally lost in London if it hadn’t been for her research and for tracking down some of the very best guides London has to offer.
Our favorite has to be Love and London and Joolz Guides. Even if London is not your destination of choice, you should definitely check out these two creators. Sites like theirs make choosing a destination simple and easy. Plus they often have added bonus’s such as free guides that you can download or in-depth itineraries that provide you with all the information you’d ever need for a great holiday. — PS. We’re not getting paid to promote them, we just like them that much (they’re that good). Check ’em out!
Search Events Rather Than Places.
We’ve done this one with our kids! Our oldest loves all things Comic Con. Hair, makeup, costumes, she does it all. So, rather than ask where she wants to go on vacation, we ask where the best Comic Con is.
Rather than search destinations you’d like to visit, instead seek out what cities have events you might be interested in. From there, you can choose the location based on the size of the event you’d like to attend and perhaps other things in the area that you’d like to see!
Search For Great Travel Deals.
Every month, of every year, there always seems to be a new travel deal going on. Travel sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia often have special discounts when you book certain destinations at certain times of year, or when you bundle hotel and airfare together.
Other great resources for this include apps like Hopper, Airfarewatchdog or Skyscanner. With tools like this you can set prompts for them to notify you if prices go down, or if the market predicts that prices are about to go up! Planning your next vacation with the cheapest flights possible.
Relive A Past Experience.
If you’re following our Instagram feed right now you’ll see several pictures of London, Ireland and Scotland. We love it there! But what some people may not know is that those images were actually taken a few months back.
The trip you’re seeing on our feed now was one we completed as a couple (Michaele and I, no kids) a few months ago. For the last several months we’ve been collating the images from that trip, and reminiscing on all the good times we had.
So, we used the step above and sought out some good travel deals and now later this year we’re going back to London as a family! Our kids are super-excited BTW!!!
Travel During The Holidays.
Depending on the location, holiday travel can often be a cheap escape. Remember, every country has holidays, but not every country has “the same” holidays.
For example: Traveling out of the US during times like Independence Day, Thanksgiving or Labor Day could land you some great flight costs. Or, traveling on holidays such as Christmas Day or New Years Day might save you money as well. Fewer people want to travel on the actual holiday, so often airlines and hotels will have discounted rates.
Phone A Friend.
Friends often have the best advice. Especially when planning vacations because, well, who doesn’t like to travel!
Some of our best travel conversations have been over coffee or in an office when we ask how people’s weekends were. They’re always happy to provide local ideas that are great for weekend excursions and more often than not, the conversation turns to family vacations.
Try asking unique questions the next time you’re hanging out with your friends. Things like; What was your favorite memory from your last vacation? What’s the best place you’ve traveled as a family? If you could relive any trip what would it be?
Watch More Movies.
We would be hard-pressed to pick one location we’ve visited that wasn’t influenced, at least a little, from a film we watched. For us, it’s often the things we see on the screen that truly inspire us.
For example: When we traveled to Italy, it was the “Da Vinci Code” that prompted the idea. When we went to France it was “French Kiss”. When we went to Scotland… well you can’t watch “Outlander” without visiting Scotland!
Films are designed to inspire us. They are created to capture our hearts and draw us into stories so that we feel like part of the action. Even when movies weren’t actually filmed on location (Da Vinci Code was mostly filmed on a set), the capture our attention and entice us to experience new things.
Another added bonus with films and planning your vacation: many travel companies now offer experience tours where you can go to the sets of some of your favorite films! We’ll talk more about this in upcoming posts, but we’ve experienced this type of tour in both Scotland and Italy. They are fantastic!
Create A Dream Board.
Make planning your vacation a fun activity for the entire family. Dream Boards are the perfect way to figure out where to go without having any specific information or original intention beyond; “I want to travel”.
Think of a Dream Board as a analog version of Pinterest. Simply find an old piece of cardboard (or something similar) and ask everyone in the family to pin things to the board that they associate with travel. The items can be anything people feel called to pin up!
The beauty of a Dream Board is that as photos, memory and ideas start to go up, you start to have a better understanding of what everyone wants to do.
Let’s say Mom puts up photos of beaches, Dad puts up restaurant menus and the kids put up drawings of amusement parks, maybe your destination should be Disney, Universal Studios or some other theme park!
Let’s say Mom and Dad put up a bunch of photos of Mexico and island adventures and the kids don’t put anything up. Maybe it’s time for an adult weekend away! — See, it’s really a win, win for everyone!
Hopefully these vacation planning ideas will help inspire you on your next adventure! We’d love to hear where your travels take you. Where did you end up? What inspired you to book your trip? Where have you scored great deals?
Comment below, we LOVE hearing from you!
-Casey & Michaele
