Planning a trip is exciting; even the boring bits like getting your vaccinations in order or skimping on your daily half-foam-decaf-cappuccino to top up the travel fund.
Yet, in a world with so many amazing destinations and potential adventures, sometimes the most difficult thing can be deciding exactly where to go.
If you're ready for your next big trip but need a little inspiration, well, we've got you covered. Keep reading to discover how to choose your next travel destination.
Explore your favourite Travel Blogs
Well, what did you expect? We couldn't not mention travel blogs!
But seriously, as the name suggests, us bloggers get around a bit. And whilst most of us haven't been everywhere in the world, we're more than happy to tell you where we love, where to avoid and where's up and coming.
Keep an eye out for your favourite blogger's 'best of' articles, bucket list ideas and off-the-beaten-track adventures - or do as we do and fall down a rabbit hole until you discover the sort of place you simply can't get out of your head.
Discover new destinations on flight booking sites
We have a confession: we spend way too much time looking for flights. Especially once we discovered that many booking sites and travel companies have the option to search for routes and prices when you have no clue where you'd like to end up but a rough idea of your dates and budgets.
Where these really come into their own however is in the last-minute trip scenario, offering up tantalising offers for weekend breaks to towns and cities you've never heard of (it has us diving for our atlas - or more precisely - google maps, at least once a week) and planting the seed for a new adventure that may never have happened otherwise.
Take a look on Instagram
Now, whilst we don't think that what looks good on the 'gram should be the only or main deciding factor when picking your next trip, it's not a bad place to start for a little bit of inspiration.
Can't take your eyes off those desert hues? Consider a trip to Morocco! Fallen a little bit in love with white-washed villages? Greece might be for you. Keep fawning over accounts of perfect beaches and turquoise seas? You probably want to give a European winter a miss.
Follow popular hashtags like #BeautifulDestinations, #MyTinyAtlas, #TheGlobeWanderer, #PassionPassport, #LifeWellTravelled #OpenMyWorld and #LoveToTravel for all the drool-worthy insta-fodder your heart could desire! And while you're there, hop on over to our profile and give us a follow!
Pick the Activity First
There's no point heading to Australia's dusty centre if what you really want is a surf holiday or the Maldives if you'd quite like to hit the slopes.
If your passion is for a particular outdoor activity, search the information and inspiration around that. Discover those epic treks you'd never considered, the windiest spots to make your kite-surfing dreams come true or the best mountains to indulge in aprés ski - and then prey you can afford to visit the place that looks absolutely perfect for you!
Sign up for Airline Newsletters
How many times have you heard about a budget airline's 24 hour flash sale an hour after it ended, or gone in search of a promotional deal only to discover the last seats remaining were on a 2.30 a.m. flight from Cardiff to Glasgow? Turns out there's an easy fix - sign up for regular newsletters. You'll be the first to know about any new offers, and every week you'll have an inbox overflowing with new travel possibilities!
Peruse Pinterest
Pinterest is a tricky beast - you either love it, can't work it out or are currently sitting there wondering what on earth we're talking about.
Whilst it often gets lumped together with Twitter, Facebook and the like, Pinterest is much more of a search engine than a social media channel, allowing you to create an online scrapbook of destination ideas.
Simply enter a country, continent or 'best beaches in the world' and you'll be given a selection of popular travel related articles and pretty pictures to ignite your wanderlust, that you can 'pin' to your heart's content! Genuinely have no idea what search for? They even have that covered - just head over to their inspiration page.
Have we missed anything out? If you've got any great tip to help others find their perfect adventure, let us know in the comments.
