Choosing Travel Destinations:
Art or Science?
As a solo backpacker, choosing the best travel destinations is both the easiest - and the hardest - thing you'll have to face on your trip!
Easy if you know where you're going - difficult if you don't, because there are so many choices.
Destinations can mean different things:
- A place - a country or city or region
- An adventure - great railway journeys or Cape to Cairo
- A mood - dangerous places or places of peace
- A wish - finding serenity or a year of freedom
- A desire to be of service - by becoming a volunteer
- A challenge - earning money on the road or seeing if you can make it on your own
The trick to know where you're going is to first figure out why you're going!
Once you've done that, you've narrowed the field. But you still need meticulous plans. Not just because of climate and plane tickets and visas, but because if you're anything like me you might also want to do some reading and research before hitting the road.
Time to Decide!
Let me share some of my favorite solo backpacking trips with you (some that I've taken myself, and others that I still dream of):
- Cape to Cairo (long but still one of my favorites)
- Trekking around Southeast Asia (a great first-time destination to ease gently into life on the road)
- Cuba (quickly before it becomes just another Caribbean playground!)
- The Silk Route
- The Karakoram Highway
- Down the Panamericana
- Round the World
But there are so many others!
This section isn't about individual travel destinations - there are a zillion sites that do that better than I ever could.
What I would like to do is to help you ask the right questions so you can decide where to go.
Do you dream of tropical rainforests and exotic birds?
Try Costa Rica, Brazil or Borneo
Or sites of amazing natural beauty?
Try the Karakoram Himalayas, the Grand Canyon, Alaska or the Great Barrier Reef
Are you seeking spiritual solace? Then travel to sacred sites -
Try Tibet, Bagan (Myanmar) or Varanasi
Are you the more into culture and history?
Try Italy, Egypt, Greece, Laos, India, Peru or Mali
Maybe you're a festival junkie...
Then it's Rio for the Carneval, Hong Kong for the Dragon Boat races, or the Oktoberfest in Munich
Do you want to see some unforgettable sights?
Try central Rome, or the Pyramids of Egypt or Mexico
First timer? What are the safest destinations for women?
Try Canada, the US, Australia or New Zealand - or why not, Southeast Asia
Are you looking for rock bottom prices?
Try India or Indonesia
Do you dream of sun and sea?
Try Turkey, Thailand, Brazil and Zanzibar
Would you prefer going off the beaten track?
Try Syria, Eritrea, the Philippines, Mozambique or Myanmar
What about something on the beaten track?
You could visit World Heritage Sites, or the Wonders of the World
Are you the really adventurous type?
Your travel destinations could be Central Asia, Iran, Libya, Inner Mongolia
And if adventure isn't enough, what about outright danger?
Darfur, Somalia or Beirut could be for you
Perhaps you're a lover of nature and the environment...
The best African safaris, a trek in the Amazon, or sailing to Antarctica
Would you like to explore a specific region?
Try Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, Central America, the Andes, North Africa, the Baltics
Would you rather travel across continents to many countries?
Try Cape to Nairobi, Bangkok to Hanoi, London to Istanbul, Beijing to Moscow, LA to Panama
These travel destinations are only suggestions - there are many other alternatives and excellent guidebooks to show you the way!
Do you still lack inspiration?
Try reading some of these famous women travel writers - they might help you decide!
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