Travel Tip 110
How to plan travel for epic experiences
I wanted to swim with whale sharks, and ended up in La Paz, Mexico in February.
You can pick a destination and then figure out when is the best time to go. You can pick your vacation dates and then go wherever you can get good flight deals for that week. Or, you can pick an experience and work from there.
Why pick an experience first?
It focuses the trip on what you want to do, whether that’s flyfishing, swimming with whale sharks, visiting wineries or just sitting by the beach. It can also make your trip much more affordable if you’re focused on what you want to do and can be flexible about where and when. Choosing the experience first means that you can go with the most affordable flights and hotels to anywhere that you can get the experience you want.
If you want to visit wineries in January, come to Peru.
How to plan a trip around the experience?
Experience first, dates second, location third
Say you really want to visit wineries while grapes are being harvested, so you can see piles of grape bunches, freshly cut off the vines and heading to the press. You want to taste wine and see how it’s made, right at the wineries.
When can you book the trip?
If visiting wineries is your goal, there are dozens of places around the world you can do that but grape harvests tend to be around September in the northern hemisphere and around March in the southern hemisphere, give or take a month depending on the country. Figure out which time of year you can get some vacation, and you’re ready for step three.
Where do you want to go?
Let’s say you picked March because flights from your city or closest airport are cheaper in March than September. Start looking at flight prices to Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay and South Africa. Set flight alerts for any and all countries on that list, then start comparing prices for hotels and tours. Also check the currency of the countries you’re open to and see where you can stretch your dollar the farthest.
For example, most of the best wineries in South Africa are around Cape Town. For $100 USD per night, you can get a much nicer hotel in Cape Town than you can in most cities around the US. If you come to Peru, Ica has the best wineries and for $100 a night you can get an even nicer hotel than in Cape Town. Don’t just compare prices for flights; what you spend per day on hotels and food adds up quickly. Check for package deals that include meals and hotels but always check the quality of the hotel. Sometimes the screaming deal ends up being a crappy hotel.
If you want to go fishing, and your vacation time is in February, go to Patagonia. This is Caleta María, Tierra del Fuego, Chile.
The surprise is a feature, not a bug.
Say you want to go flyfishing.
If you’re truly open to anywhere in the world where you can have a great flyfishing experience, you may be surprised where you end up. That’s part of the fun of first choosing what experience you want to have and then being flexible on everything else.
Have you ever planned a trip like this? Drop a comment below and tell me about it!
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