The World is Your Oyster: How Travelers Decide Their Next Journey

The Freedom to Choose

When I asked members of the Women of Road Scholar Facebook Group how they decide where to go next, I was not prepared for the number and variety of their responses. Their inspirations ranged from dreams of seeing Angkor Wat in Cambodia to personal passions like visiting all the national parks in the United States. Some travelers were practical and schedule their journeys to fit their work or holidays. Others wrote about feeling an immediate call and just signed up for the Galápagos or Mongolia.

The responses from readers seemed to fit into certain categories, so I decided to sort them into groups. Perhaps these testimonies may inspire all of us to also take that leap into the many opportunities for travel.

How Travelers Decide Where in the World to Go

1. Life’s Checklist

Many of us have compiled lists of places to visit. And most of us had to put those lists on hold during the pandemic. So, it’s no surprise that a recurring theme was just wanting to jump into places we’ve never been.

Ivy D. from Largo, Florida, wrote, “I hear or read about a place. Or some friend has been somewhere and posted pictures. I may go on organized trips or do a must-see place like St. Petersburg, Russia. Sometimes an old friend says, ‘Let’s just go somewhere.’”

Road Scholar Sue S. had a must-do list waiting. She wrote, “I couldn’t wait to see polar bears. Road Scholar transported me, and I have since been to Hawaii, Costa Rica and more. Get yourself a journal and daydream. See where your thoughts take you!”

2. The Lightbulb Effect

When asked what inspires us to choose a journey, Road Scholar Becky O.’s response was “Whatever captures my eye, ear or heart!”

Sometimes there is no specific plan, it’s just serendipity — and the feeling of freedom can be palpable. Road Scholar Paula W. wrote, “I usually travel on a whim. I look in the catalog or see a television show or YouTube and decide where I’ll be going. I’ll usually enroll within a day or so. Looking forward to my next adventure is half the fun.”

3. Safety in Numbers

There are women who traveled alone in the past but said they now feel safer going solo with a group. Road Scholar Debbie H. wrote that she “always wanted to go on an African safari.” She picked Road Scholar because she could join a group of people with similar interests. She wrote, “Since I am alone now, I find that I feel safer doing it like this.”

4. Micro or Macro: Size of the Group

Road Scholar Lydia F. wrote, “I do most trips independently. However, Road Scholar sometimes offers experiences that are beyond anything I could get at a great price point. My trips need to be small or micro size. We’re getting ready for our second cooking program in Italy and can’t be more excited.”

While most travelers preferred smaller groups, there were those who responded that larger groups offered more possibilities for friendship and for meeting people.

5. Past Daydreams

There were members of the Facebook group who wrote that getting older and having the time to travel inspired them to return to places they dreamed of in the past.

Sue S. wrote: “I have been thinking about traveling since I was very young. I think it is the old movies, science documentaries and my endless love of reading that moves me to travel. If I closed my eyes and thought about where I wanted to go, I always just knew.”

6. Beautiful Photographs and Stories

Road Scholar Mary R. wrote that she was inspired to choose a trip “because of a photo of a hotel perched atop the Great Rift Valley in East Africa,” and that she also went to Cappadocia in Turkey because of a photo she saw.

My friend Erica S. is inspired because she loves to photograph wildlife, “especially birds in nature” and has been on scores of Road Scholar programs to Africa and South America.

7. Searching for Art and Architecture

There are art fans of all kinds on Road Scholar journeys. Art aficionados love to visit museums in Rome, Tuscany, London and Madrid. Other art fans travel to see architecture or archaeological sites, including Road Scholar Beverley W., who wrote that she was “continually amazed at what people were able to build so many years ago with the tools they had.” She traveled solo on a tour to Madeira, Portugal, last year (“I took lots of pictures of doors that are more than 100 years old and still in use!”), and she wrote that she “can’t wait until November, 2025, to see the ruins of Knossos in Crete.”

8. Activities: Hiking to Cooking to Watching Birds and Whales 

Whether polar bears, whales or birds, seeing animals seems to be a big goal for many travelers (my favorites are puffins and sloths).

Another activity — visiting gardens and flowers — also has fans. Road Scholar Carol A. wrote, “My spouse and I had never before traveled with a group, so we chose a short Road Scholar program in London. It focused on something we love: gardens and the flower show. We figured it would be easy to make small talk because most others on the program would also be avid gardeners.”

9. The Inspiration of Books and Films

I personally was moved to travel to the mountains by a book that someone gave me when I was in high school, Everest: the West Ridge, by Thomas Hornbein. I ended up going to the Himalayan foothills and eventually to Nepal and Tibet.

Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (and the films based on these books) seem to have inspired readers to travel to the places they are set in.

One Road Scholar traveler wrote that she “grew up with National Geographic,” which has fueled her to take eight programs over the past two years.

10. Pursuing the Past: Students of History

Travelers love seeing and experiencing the history of a place. I’ve read stories from travelers who visited Normandy Beach and heard about D-Day and others who visited the Taj Mahal in India and learned about Shah Jahan’s love for his wife Mumtaz Mahal that was the inspiration for this 17th century edifice. One respondent wrote that she enjoys visiting places where she can learn American history and has done trips to Colonial Williamsburg, Gettysburg and others.

11. I Want to Go Too: Joining Plans of Friends or Family

Ivy D. from Largo, Florida, wrote, “My friend Theresa said the reason she went with us to Cuba was because it was with us rather than it being Cuba. She ended up loving Cuba, too!”

Road Scholar Diana C. wrote, “I picked my first trip with Road Scholar because I had friends going, and I thought it would be nice to travel solo and actually know someone on the trip. I had never even considered that location before, and it was wonderful. I’d do it again!”

12. My Mate Wanted to Go (or Never Would)

Sometimes it’s just a casual comment that inspires a destination. As Betty W. of Pittsford, New York, wrote, “We had gotten the new Road Scholar catalog, and I mentioned to my husband that it would be cool to see the Baltics. My husband booked it that day, and we are currently sitting in the airport waiting to go.”

13. Discovering Ourselves: Family History and Genealogy

Several people wrote about retracing the steps of their ancestors to Ireland, Poland and Spain, among other countries. Road Scholar Ellen J. wrote that she went to the Nordic countries from whence her family had emigrated. She wrote that “it was wonderful” and that she was planning to go to Germany in 2025 to trace the other side of the family.

Only a Part of the Story

Some respondents to my question about how to decide where to travel next were very specific. A large number of them had a variety of inspirations. Here are just a few:

From Road Scholar Roxy Z.:

“I have a list of National Parks, cities and countries that I want to see. Then, I check Road Scholar offerings: activity level (moderate); itinerary (does it include what I want to see); amount of free time; and length and price. I almost always find a Road Scholar program that fits my needs. They have such a good variety.”

Road Scholar Jamie F.:

“Places I haven't been. Pictures of the place. Recommendations from others. How much walking and how strenuous it is. How much time is spent sitting on buses. How much packing and unpacking I have to do. Women only vs. co-ed.”

Of course, this only covers some of the reasons why people choose specific journeys. Others include:

• Introducing family or friends to places that you love. 
• Researching travel during the off seasons for lower prices and less dense crowds.
• Ability to choose level of activities.
• Staying in one place to learn a language.
• Testing oneself by learning something new or by overcoming physical challenges.

And, for those who love meeting and getting to know their cohort, you might well agree with my travel pal Joni C. from Dallas, Texas (who was on my Road Scholar Signature City program to Québec last autumn):

“What inspires my travels is the group Women of Road Scholar!”