My friend recently asked me this question. I decided to create a post around my answer.

This is one of those “into my brain” posts. It’s different from my posts on How to Decide Where to Travel—The Practical Deviation and How to Decide Where to Travel—The Personal Deviation. This one is more process-based, where you get to see how my brain works when I start planning for travel. It’s also based on what I do now as a short-term travel soloist.

My process now is budget-based and interest-based with a final look at safety. I have to admit, it’s something I’ve been doing a lot throughout the pandemic. I look up destinations and plan trips I can’t go on yet. Sounds a bit sad writing it like that but this has actually helped me get through this long period of no travel. Now I have several trips in mind, ready to be booked when the time feels right!

Budget-Based Process

I typically start by looking for the least expensive destination options. I might have an area of the world in mind but that is it. This budget-based process is almost entirely how I chose Curaçao and the Grand Cayman Islands for my recent, pre-COVID travel destinations.

My process is somewhat step-by-step with consideration of all these factors along the way. But it always starts with flight cost and points. Here is what I usually do:

1. Low Cost or Low Points For Flights

Flights over the Caribbean

The very first part of this process is opening up a private browser window. I use the Brave browser for additional privacy. This means there is minimal tracking of what I am looking up. Historically, there is evidence that airlines or flight engines will use your search data to increase the cost of flights just to you simply because you searched for flights to that destination recently.

In my private browser, I go to Google Flights and select “Explore Destinations.” I start choosing various dates that I think I’d like to travel and checking out the most inexpensive options around the world.

What’s cool is Google will default to showing you cost of travel for a 1-week trip anytime in the next 6 months. That leaves open a lot of options. I can narrow this down further if I want to. I can also zoom out or zoom in on the map to include additional or different destination options.

But I don’t let the face-value cost limit me.

Sometimes I find a really cool flight path or destination that may not be the least expensive but it can be covered by miles or points. This sends me over to my main points travel outlets.

Most of my points these days are in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points which can transfer to a few different airline options. The rest of my points are in AA Advantage miles which mainly transfer to American Airlines and partner airlines. I go to the specific airline website and search the destination of choice usually using flexible calendar to identify the best prices in a calendar month.

2. Low Cost Accommodation Options

Low-cost accommodation is a tiered process for me. I start with couchsurfing options. I try to see how many people are accepting couchsurfers in that location and if they live near the places I want to be. If the answer is no, I move on to looking at Airbnb options.

I try to look for low-cost, high quality Airbnb stays. I start with entire places to myself to see what the prices are at that level and then I open up from there. Sometimes I want to travel extra solo with little interaction with hosts. Other times, especially when it’s a totally new culture, I want to connect with and learn from the people there.

It all comes down to what I can get—and I’m looking for that bang for my buck. Reviews are always important in this process, too. No matter the cost, I’ll never stay somewhere with no reviews yet (and that’s on safety!).

I have never had to choose a resort or hotel. I always find couchsurfing or Airbnb options that work for me before going that route. Although, I have seen a few times now that hotels have lowered their prices significantly maybe because of COVID? Airbnb prices also got jacked in some locations so there now may be some room for hotels to become a better option depending on what the market is doing at a certain destination.

House sitting is another option but I find it is better suited to long-term travel. I am not traveling long term enough right now to warrant a stay like that.

3. Easy, Low Cost Ground Transportation

Finally, I look into the destination’s public transportation options. And if I want to get out of a main city center to sight-see, I look into low-cost or low points options for renting a car. I don’t mind overpaying a little bit for a car if it balances out in flights and accommodation. Or if it’s a special experience for a day, I will overpay a little like I did for a 1-day road trip around Grand Cayman.

Otherwise, public transportation is very important to me. If I cannot hop a bus, take a cab easily, or get on a train to get around, then the location better be bike-able or walkable. If not, I’m onto a new search!

Interest-Based Process

Of course, I am always balancing the budget-based decision making with the question, “Am I even interested in going to this country?” Sometimes, I learn something new about a place I hadn’t considered before simply because of the low-cost flights. But other times I’d prefer to prioritize an interest-based destination over somewhere simply because it’s inexpensive.

These are the main interests I am looking to fulfill when I look for a new place to travel to:

1. SCUBA Diving Options

Diving in Niue

If I find an inexpensive destination, I immediately want to know if the SCUBA diving is worthwhile there.

I search for dive shops in the country on Google Maps and start looking at their prices. So yes, this becomes a little bit of a budget question, too. Because SCUBA diving can get very expensive, I look into just how expensive it is at a certain destination. Is the diving good, first of all? And are the dives I would want to go on priced way over my budget or does it all balance out with the other expenses?

I love going to destinations where I can see unique marine life. Hammerhead sharks are there during the time of year I plan to travel? Great! The water is going to be freezing at that time? Maybe I’ll skip this destination until I can go when it’s warmer.

If the SCUBA isn’t great, I at least want to have some nice beaches and snorkel opportunities. Occasionally, the snorkeling is even better than the diving and that can be an interest-budget-win-win type situation!

2. Hiking Options

Kuliouou Ridge Hike in Oahu, Hawai’i

I love mountains and hiking in general. If there are unique hikes I can go on, especially to gain some altitude, that makes my destination of interest to me.

The better the hikes, and the more hiking options, the more I want to go! This is why I loved visiting Oahu so much! Hawai’i not only has great SCUBA diving, there’s also endless hiking options with incredibly scenic views.

I want to sweat up a mountain in the morning and cool off in the sea in the afternoon. That’s ideal!

6. Unique and Scenic Nature

West Coast Rock Formations in New Zealand

Aside from altitude and underwater views, I love to find unique and beautiful nature at the destinations I visit. Waterfalls, geysers, rock formations, aqua colored water holes, glistening caves and caverns, natural ice sculptures, and giant trees—these are just some of the unique scenes I’ve seen in my travels.

I want to see something I can’t easily see back home.

This category of interest also includes the opportunity for nature and unique animal encounters. I want a destination with unusual animals that I don’t usually see at home. And I don’t want to see them in cages or because humans are feeding them to make them come around.

Monkey Forest in Bali

7. Unique Culture and/or Language

I don’t want to go where there’s other basic white bread people around. I want to go where I can learn something I didn’t learn in my euro-centric history classes. English-speaking countries might be easier to travel around but they can also be B-O-R-I-N-G.

Give me a different language at least. If it is a predominantly European colony or English-speaking country, I want to know about the indigenous people there or the locals and immigrants of color. How prominent and/or integrated are these populations? Will I meet non-English-speaking people or folks of color on a normal day out? Or are they segregated into specific areas or pockets of society?

I want to learn language, history, art, politics, and human existence in that country. And I want to learn it as much as possible through the eyes of someone who doesn’t look or sound like me.

8. Unique Food

White Bait fritter in Arrowtown, New Zealand

I’m a huge foodie. I can certainly get by anywhere I go since most of the food I know is imported or available. But I don’t want to eat like I do at home. I’d prefer to eat adventurously and try new food, groceries, and meals traditional to that place.

One of my favorite experiences is going to grocery stores in new destinations. I want to know that I will walk into that store and find foods that I could never find back home.

Grocery store shelf in Curaçao

Safety-Based

Of course I also stay aware of the safety of the country. I check the travel.state.gov advisories website for any alerts. I check to make sure the areas I want to go or stay in do not have any civil unrest or are not high crime areas, especially for tourists. I check out blogs, travel forums, and ask current residents about different neighborhoods. What you read or hear about a country from the US perspective is not always correct. Locals know what is really happening so I try to tap that source as best as I can.

If I am traveling with a same gender partner, I have to consider how accepting the country is of LGBTQ people. I can usually walk around as a solo traveler without any worry of this. But it is still something I consider simply because of the politics around it. I find that anti-LGBTQ countries also tend to be a bit more dangerous for women. Yes, homophobia and misogyny tend to go hand in hand.

The Final Decision

Ultimately, my decision comes down to a combination of the above. The areas I consider the most are flights and accommodation as well as my top 3 interests—SCUBA, hiking, and unique nature. If these don’t line up right, then I probably won’t go. I’ll look for something better or I’ll change up the timing of when I go.

Regardless, my process is multifaceted and includes aspects of all three areas of consideration—budget, interest, and safety.

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