Your May dose of travel (exclusively for you!)

Welcome to my first mail on the "How to plan a trip?" series. This monthly series (Yes, I am not going to spam you!) will replace the outdated RSS updates you have been receiving from me. I realized that most of you have been popping up regularly on my website and updating yourself with the new content. What I noticed, though were some common queries and requests that were coming from you. Thus, from now on, every month, this newsletter will bring to you exclusive content and stories - written only for YOU - my precious subscribers!

I am starting off this new trend by sharing an answer to the most asked question - how does one narrow down on a destination for a holiday?

So, is it a Dart or just where your spinning globe stops?

How I wish it were that simple!

But it ain't! There are several considerations that I have when I plan my holiday

Is it going to be just me or am I going with someone?

I always get a kick out of heritage stories but for my husband, it has now become an overdose. The corporate slave prefers a laid-back vibe with a smatter of adventure and culture. Dottie darling, on the other hand, loves action all the while. Naturally, I had to pick a destination that gave us all what we needed. Laid-back with not day-to-day intensive travel, not too much heritage, enough adventure or adrenaline activity and good food - Spain was a choice that we made!

On the other hand, when I was solo tripping, I focused on where I could find all that I wanted plus was safe enough. Chiang Mai in Thailand was amazing for this, as was Sri Lanka and Nepal. It was a soulful escape where I did not have to worry about connectivity, safety and things to do.

And then there was Shekhawati, that I chose to discover with my bestie. Both of us were huge heritage buffs and the painted towns gave us our fill of wanderlust.

Money, money and money!

You cannot ignore it. Flights, stay, inter-city travel, guides - they all cost! Not every destination have BnB options or some only have those! Many have limited flights. Mountain destinations - like Bhutan require intensive travel between Point A to B and there aren't too many public transport options.

I always build a rough excel sheet that details these broad expenses and figure out whether it matches my budget. I have columns that list the various cities, travel options (road, rail, low-cost airlines), average cost per person for each option, stay options (hotels/ BnBs) as well as their cost (remember - cost also depends on where you stay in the city, central locations are always expensive)

Mark up the total by a reasonable amount for your food and other incidental expenses - like visa or permits. And voila! you have a budget that you may or may not be able to afford.

Time matters!

Especially if you are employed or have school-going kids! I remember how I used to plan these holidays at the beginning of the year, trying to steal long weekends and match our leaves (hubby plus me) with the school vacation calendar. On an average, I could always managed a few long weekend holidays that took me to places nearby in and around India and two long vacations (around a fortnight).

When accounting for time, I had to consider the time taken to reach the destination (not all have a direct airport) and how many days would it require to explore at my pace (a moderately slow one is what I like) Bhutan is what I explored when I was working in the marketing industry and it took a good 12 days (including the travel from Bangalore).

And then I throw a dart at my shortlisted choices!

Once done, the next stage of itinerary research and preparation begins! All of which I shall share in June! Till then - Ciao! Stay safe and keep traveling.

In case, you are looking for some June travel inspiration, check these places out!