If you’ve ever found yourself staring at flight maps, accommodation listings, weather charts and comparison tabs thinking “Why can’t I just choose?” — you’re not alone.
Right now, we’re about to set off on a year of travel as a family.
Our house is rented out. Our bags are (mostly) packed.
And we’ve booked… the next two weeks.
The strange thing is, we can tell you roughly how much flights and accommodation cost across most of Europe. We know which destinations are “best” every month. We’ve done the research.
And yet, for a long time, we still couldn’t decide where to go next.
This isn’t a lack of information.
It’s decision fatigue.
Contents
- Why choosing a travel destination feels so overwhelming
- The realisation that finally unlocked it for us
- Why too much research actually makes it worse
- Narrowing down what actually matters (for us)
- From endless options to a short, manageable list
- Places we’ve loved
- If you feel stuck, it’s probably not a confidence problem
- How we’re moving from thinking to doing
Why choosing a travel destination feels so overwhelming
Most people assume they’re stuck because they don’t know enough.
In reality, they’re stuck because they’re putting too much pressure on one decision.
This happens whether you’re planning:
- a one- or two-week holiday, or
- a long-term trip where travel is part of everyday life
We quietly tell ourselves things like:
- This first destination needs to be perfect
- If we choose wrong, the whole trip will feel wrong
- We should optimise weather, cost, food, safety, accommodation and logistics all at once
That’s not decision-making.
That’s paralysis.
The realisation that finally unlocked it for us
Here’s the shift that changed everything:
The first destination is not the only destination.
Once we truly accepted that, the pressure disappeared.
We weren’t choosing where we were travelling.
We were simply deciding where to start.
That small mindset shift took the weight off the decision and gave us room to breathe again.
Why too much research actually makes it worse
If you’ve been Googling things like:
- Best places to travel by month
- Top family destinations in Europe
- Where should we go on holiday?
You’ve probably noticed something:
Every search gives you more options, not fewer.
Research without clarity doesn’t lead to confidence — it leads to overwhelm. When everything appears to be a good option, choosing anything feels like a risk.
Narrowing down what actually matters (for us)
Instead of asking “Where should we go?” we asked a better question:
“What do we need from our first destination?”
For our family, that meant:
- Good public transport
- Feeling safe enough for one of us to be out with the children alone
- Walkable local areas we could explore on foot
- A washing machine (this matters more than people admit)
- A peaceful space where we can write, work and host 1–1 mentoring calls
- Accommodation layouts that work for our children (bunk beds are always a win)
- Fun activities for the kids. Bonus if the accommodation has games and shared spaces where everyone can relax together
- Interesting local food
- Not too far to fly for our first trips with a baby
- A decent food shop within walking distance
Notice what we didn’t include.
We didn’t chase the “best” destination.
We didn’t try to create the perfect trip.
We focused on what would make day-to-day life feel calm and workable.
From endless options to a short, manageable list
Once we filtered destinations through what actually mattered to us, the list shrank quickly.
At that point, the decision stopped being:
- Where should we go?
and became:
- What order should we visit these places in?
That choice is often decided by one simple thing: seasonal weather.
We prefer “Goldilocks” conditions — not too hot, not too cold — so instead of forcing a rigid plan, we let the seasons guide us. The destination matters less when you trust that you’re not locked into one place forever.
Places We’ve Loved
- Croatia: Our Experience
- Hungary: Why Hungary
- Montenegro: What We Loved
- Slovenia: The Best Places To Visit
If you feel stuck, it’s probably not a confidence problem
If you’re still in the research phase, endlessly saving tabs but not booking anything, the issue usually isn’t fear.
It’s that you don’t yet have a decision framework.
Once you know:
- What matters to you
- What you’re willing to compromise on
- What simply doesn’t matter at all
decisions become lighter, faster, and far less emotional.
How we’re moving from thinking to doing
As we travel, we’re sharing the real behind-the-scenes on our socials — not just where we go, but how we decide.
And for families who want help moving out of the research spiral and into action, we’ve created a simple, step-by-step tool:
The Escape Planner
It helps you:
- Clarify what actually matters to your family
- Take the pressure off “perfect” decisions
- Turn ideas into booked plans
- Move from dreaming → choosing → leaving
Because travel doesn’t start with the right destination.
It starts with the right decision process.
