If you have checked out my Destinations page, the map above may look somewhat familiar. Continue to find out how my trip planning began as well as what cities and countries made the final list for my round the world trip. If you are in the process of planning a trip, you might find my planning techniques helpful.
*Disclosure: Please note that the links and references below denoted by an asterisk are affiliate links so at no additional cost to you I will make a commission if you make a purchase. If you have found this information helpful and are ready to plan or book your next adventure, please use these links to create a win-win situation for each of us. If you have any questions about any of these resources, please let me know. I would be happy to help!
DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Where do I begin? That is the question.
After buckling down and making the decision to go on an epic journey around the world, I had to start the fun process of mapping out where I would venture. Over the years, I have added to my list of places that I have always wanted to visit based on feedback from friends who enjoy travel as well as books and magazines. With my extensive list in hand, coming up with places to visit was not the hard part. Whittling down the list was the challenge I faced.
The starting point was around 50 cities around the globe. Considering all things equal (my budget, my solo traveling experience, and my responsibilities at home), I was pretty sure that a 50 city tour was out of the question. How did I get from 50 down to a more manageable number? I put on my thinking cap and start the prioritization process.
GETTING MY PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
Visiting 50 cities in the amount of time I had in mind (between 3 and 6 months), would probably be a miserable experience even if I was able to pull it off. Not wanting to turn my awesome trip into a source of misery, I turned my Excel list in into a color coded mosaic of cells. Red cells indicated locations that I felt comfortable removing from this trip, yellow cells were still in the running to make the finalized list, and green cell indicated places that I really, really wanted to visit this go round. Using this technique, I was able to get my list down to about 25 destinations a much more manageable list. The next time you need to narrow a list down, try this technique and see what items on your list rise to the top.
25 different places. When you think about it, that's still a lot of transitions for a 6 month trip. To further condense the list, I made a goal to try to keep my travel transitions to an average of around every 10-14 days. 10-14 days equates to about 12-18 destinations as the sweet spot for a 6 month trip. Now to crop my list of 25 down one more time.
ADDITIONAL CRITERIA
What additional criteria could I use to crop my list even more? I used opportunity, exposure, and even my DNA to guide my decisions. Take opportunity for example. What's the likelihood that I will visit Europe again in the future? Fairly likely considering the relatively close distance and access to direct routes. Now consider Asia. The two times I have been to the Asian continent, I had to make multiple connections and the total duration of the plane flights in one direction were well over 18 hours. Needless to say, my decision on destinations would likely lean towards spending more time in places that are farther away.
Now for exposure. Living in the US and having access to Europe has given me many opportunities to learn about and be exposed to European culture. As much as I enjoy Europe and European culture, I want to be exposed to other cultures around the globe so I decided to limit my European destinations to allow for more time in other countries. Australia has been on my list for years, but it is literally on the other side of the planet so I want to have ample time in Australia when I visit.
DNA really? Yes, really. The results of my 23 and Me DNA kit were also a source of inspiration for selecting destinations for my trip. One European destination that did make it to the final list is Dublin, Ireland because I'm part Irish. Not surprisingly, my DNA kit also revealed my connection to Africa (Had it not, I would have known something was up). The results do not specify which country in Africa my ancestors are from, however, I am able to glean a general region where the majority of my DNA comes from: West Africa. For that reason, I am adding Ghana to my final list. I also think that it's incredible that Africa has over one-fourth of the world's countries. As my travel journeys continue, I plan to explore many more places in Africa. Now one shocker from my DNA kit was Asia. Apparently a small percentage of my DNA originates in Southeast Asia. Again, I do not know exactly where so I plan to hop to a few places in Southeast Asia. Check my DNA Map below. Who knew you could find out all of this information from your saliva? Cool right?!
My DNA Map
*Click on the 23 and Me kit below, if you would like to try 23 and Me for yourself!
GETTING DOWN TO THE FINAL LIST!
I have had a lot of fun researching cities and countries in order to get down to my finalized list. Trying to skinny up my list has become more and more difficult along the way, but whenever I get stuck I remind myself this is not the last trip I will take. It's actually the beginning of a whole new way to travel.
Europe ~ 2-3 weeks
Dublin, Ireland
Prague, Czech Republic
Africa ~4-5 weeks
Togo
Accra, Ghana
Cape Town, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
Asia ~5-6 weeks
Bangkok, Thailand
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bali, Indonesia
Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Tokyo, Japan
Australia (Oceania) ~4 weeks
Brisbane, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Nadi, Fiji
North America ~4 weeks
Hawaii, United States of America
Mexico City, Mexico
Havana, Cuba
South America ~1-2 weeks
Cuzco Region, Peru via Lima, Peru
That's it! Let me know what you think about my list by leaving some comments. Have any of the techniques I have used to create my final list been helpful in your trip planning or list prioritizing activities? Do you you have suggestions for people who need help with creating lists or prioritization? If so, please share!
