Bored Of The Same Old Holidays? Why Not Make The Journey A Little More Interesting?

Everyone has dream holiday ideas that they want to experience at some point in life. Perhaps they want to go on a safari in the future, or maybe they want to visit their home country that they’ve heard so much about. Dream holiday ideas can be a lot of fun to plan and they’re usually fulfilling experiences, but there’s a different way to travel that is growing in popularity.

You’ve probably heard of the saying “it’s the journey that matters, not the destination”. This is a popular saying that has many different contexts, but it can actually be applied to holidays as well.

Sometimes, the journey is the most difficult part of travelling because you’re often crammed into a small seat on a plane and are subjected to a gruelling security check process that can take a long time. This isn’t ideal in any circumstance, which is why we’re going to share a couple of ideas to make your journey a little more interesting.

Spend a Bit Longer During Your Next Layover

If you’ve ever looked up cheap plane tickets then you’ll probably have seen layover flights. Most people dislike layovers because it forces you to take multiple planes which adds complications. You could get lost in the airport and miss your flight or the staff could forget your bags. However, it’s certainly a lot cheaper and there are actually ways to enjoy a layover.

So much so that you might be tempted to extend your layover or purposely pick flights that are several hours or even days apart.

Layovers allow you to experience a mini holiday before you reach your main destination. Airports usually have direct access to main city hubs, so exploring your destination is fairly easy and straightforward. Even if you only spend a bit of time in the city, it helps to stretch your legs and explore a bit before you get back on your cramped plane.

Backpacking to Your Destination

If you’re looking to travel on a budget then you may be interested in backpacking. This is a completely unique way to experience a country since it forces you to be more resourceful. It’s heavily focused on meeting new people and communicating with locals to find unique and interesting places to visit. However, it’s understandable that people might be intimate by the idea of backpacking.

However, it’s also one of the most interesting ways to travel to your destination in the first place. If you’re willing to do a bit of research and put yourself out there, then backpacking to your destination can create some incredible memories and experiences.

Whether it’s hitching a ride from a truck driver to the next city or learning about public transport in another country, there are plenty of unique experiences just waiting for you to uncover.

Feeling Brave? Try Cycling

Cycling is a lot of work, but if you’re in for a challenge then you could always try cycling to your destination. This is a rather extreme example of what’s possible when travelling to another country or city for your holiday. You also can’t really carry much when you cycle because it’ll weigh down the bike and make it difficult to pedal. However, when combined with the previous idea of backpacking, it actually makes a lot of sense.

Alternatively, you could use cycling as a way to get around a city. When it comes to some places in the world such as The Netherlands which have a lot of support for cyclists.

Take a More Expensive Flight

If you love travelling then it’s likely that you’ve saved up a lot of miles that can be exchanged for a more expensive seat. If you’ve never tried flying first or business class then we highly recommend it as an alternative to economy class. You could even consider booking an empty leg charter flight if you want to fly privately.

There are lots of unique first-class experiences and they often include access to a lounge before the flight so you can shower, nap and feel refreshed before you board the plane.

Expensive flights are completely different experiences and you owe it to yourself to try it at least once. The food is entirely different, the service is incredible and you even get your own personal staff to help you with anything that you need.

Book an Overnight Train or Coach

There are plenty of overnight adventures that you can embark on if you’re looking to do something a bit different with your journey. An overnight coach or train can be a wonderful experience because it exposes you to more of the land. Whenever you look outside the window you won’t be greeted by clouds and skies. Instead, you’ll see farms, mountains, cities and nature in all of its glory.

An overnight adventure can be a wonderful way to make your journey a little more interesting. Of course, you won’t be able to take a train everywhere, but there are some countries that offer unique experiences when travelling from one part of the country to another.

Japan is a great example with its bullet trains that are luxurious, comfortable and extremely fast. They pass by a lot of land that has been largely untouched by humans and there are countless opportunities to take photos and record videos.

Make Your Holiday More about the Journey

Lastly, try and focus on making your holiday more about the journey. To help you make this switch, here are a couple of points that you should focus on when planning your holiday.

• Get used to public transportation. Don’t just take a taxi everywhere or look for the shortest route. Speak with locals or ask for advice online on how to take public transportation. It’s a completely different experience that changes the way you look at the city.

• Don’t book your accommodation for too many days. This grounds you in the same place for a long time and you might eventually exhaust all of your options for attractions and food. Try to change it up now and then by booking accommodation at a different location after a few days or even jumping to another city every day.

• Aim to jump from one attraction to another. Try and plan ahead when it comes to the attractions or locations that you want to visit. If possible, focus on jumping between these locations so it forces you to travel more and expose yourself to more of your destination.

• Consider couchsurfing instead of regular accommodation. Couchsurfing is a brilliant way to meet locals and also get free accommodation. This is an excellent choice for anyone that wants to try backpacking since you’ll pick up lots of tips and advice from the locals you meet.

• Get to know locals as you travel. And speaking of locals, make sure you get to know them. They’ll constantly give you advice and tips on where to go, and you’d be surprised on the secrets they let you in on. Whether it’s cheap places to eat or cultural hotspots, there’s a lot you can learn from just communicating with locals.

At the end of the day, the journey can really change your perspective about your holiday. If you want to experience something completely unique and different from the average plane journey, then we highly suggest you try out some of these ideas and make your journey an integral part of the planning process.