Type of Trip
What type of trip, where to go and what will it cost are all closely related questions. A road trip may appeal in countries such as Australia and New Zealand but would be a whole different experience in India or China!
Options include:
- Backpacking: No reservations no worries, stay at hostels, cheap pensions, or with mates (even new ones!). Traditionally practiced by the 18-30 year old age group but some of us just never grew out of it read more about backpacking
- Car camping: Have station wagon (estate car) or 4WD will travel. Kinda a cheap person’s RV or caravan. Have a tent or sleep in the back of vehicle. Buy a cheap camp stove read more about car camping
- Take a tour – sometimes is just the easiest or even the only way to see some countries read more about touring
- House swapping. Swap homes and sometimes cars with someone in another country giving you the option to experience a new place living as a local.
- Learn a new skill: Thai cooking in Bangkok, Spanish in Mexico, the SCUBA diving at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
- Volunteering
- Trace your family roots: follow your Irish forebears to Ireland, your convict roots back to England.
Traveling solo, with a friend, with a partner?
A lot of people assume that they have little choice, if they have a partner they travel with them, if not its either a solo trip of
Should I Travel Alone
Our society is still very couple orientated , its unusual to be alone in all types of surroundings. However as they get older I think a lot of people get more comfortable with their own company. Not that traveling alone means that you will be alone the whole time; well maybe if you stay in upmarket hotels were your fellow guests are on their honeymoon’s or business trips. The trick is to stay where other solos stay which are typically hostels and cheap guest houses. Choose somewhere there is a common area be it a bar, pool, restaurant or just a few chairs on a verandah. In the countries with huge numbers of tourists you may keep meeting the same people going the same direction as you. Alternatively where there are fewer foreigners, you will find that the other foreigner in town will find you!
Should I travel with my Partner / Spouse / SO
I used to assume that I would always travel with my partner, but it doesn’t always work out that way. If your dream has always been to take the train across Siberia and 7 days on a Russian train is their idea of hell, why not compromise? You take the train, they’ll meet you in Prague having spent a pleasant weekend at home and then flying to meet you. If one of you has more leave/holidays than the other this is maybe the way to compromise. Maybe one just doesn’t want to travel – don’t make them miserable by forcing them to come, in the end the trip will be disaster for both of you and your relationship.
Should I travel with my best friend
Just because you are great friends at home this doesn’t mean that you can live together 24/7 in a novel situation – because that is often what travel is. Are you keen to see all the sights and she just wants to go shopping, do you love partying to 3 in the morning, while his idea of a late night is 11pm? Have a serious discussion about what you want to do on your trip and also where you want to go before setting out. Try to schedule some time apart as well as together to give yourselves some space on the trip.. One technique that might help is if you both write a lists of “must do’s” and “will not do”, and if you find a number of you must do’s or their will never do list – you maybe should sit down and have a long discussion!