Too Many Places: Overcoming The Paradox Of Choice
“Where should I go?” is a query I often inquire myself.
Wanting to escape the oppressive summer estrus of Austin inwards August, I’ve spent the in conclusion few months staring at a map, unable respond that real question. I toyed amongst the thought of heading to Madagascar, Hawaii, Malta, Kenya, the Caribbean, the Maldives, Dubai, or Sri Lanka.
And, because I couldn’t select together with was thus afraid to commit, it wasn’t until this calendar week I finally decided — simply weeks earlier I wanted to go. (More on that later.)
Why?
I was suffering from what psychologists telephone telephone “choice overload.”
Whether nosotros bring 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years, deciding where to conk is the hardest business office almost travel. Once you lot bring the time, picking the finish becomes a business of whittling downward a long listing of “must-see” destinations.
When people are faced amongst besides many options, they are sometimes thus paralyzed yesteryear the fearfulness of making the wrong alternative that they don’t brand any choice.
Think of standing inwards the cereal aisle. We bring all these options correct inwards forepart of us, but nosotros conk on going dorsum to our erstwhile favorite, Fruity Pebbles. (Or, Cinnamon Toast Crunch if we’re feeling crazy!)
We may desire to essay something new, but nosotros can’t figure out what nosotros desire the most — in that location are simply besides many options! How create nosotros choose? How create nosotros know nosotros won’t brand the incorrect choice? So, paralyzed amongst indecision, nosotros conk dorsum to what nosotros know. And, if nosotros don’t bring a favorite, often nosotros simply select what is pop together with familiar to our hear (Cheerios).
In psychology, this is called “analysis paralysis.” Contemplating our options becomes such a taxing mental burden that nosotros don’t brand a decision. Our minds desire shortcuts. It’s how nosotros procedure all the data thrown at us each day. It’s besides hard to intend almost every elementary conclusion all the time. Going amongst what you lot know together with is familiar is how nosotros shortcut our analysis paralysis. (This is all explained inwards the 2004 majority The Paradox of Choice, which I highly recommend reading!)
Think of the basis equally the proverbial cereal aisle. We’re looking forrad to picking a cereal (a destination), but of a precipitous realize nosotros bring besides many options. Faced amongst thus many choices together with without a rigid persuasion (e.g., I really want to conk to Thailand this fall!), nosotros stare blankly, wondering if picking a finish is the correct choice, thus nosotros cease upwards (a) fretting almost it for months similar I did, missing flight deals together with precious planning time or (b) cease upwards amongst what is big, popular, together with familiar (let’s catch Paris for the 10th time!).
I often acquire thus paralyzed yesteryear alternative that I don’t book a trip until the in conclusion minute, together with fifty-fifty then, I often endure from buyer’s remorse. Did I actually desire to majority that flying to Dubai? Or should I bring gone to Republic of Madagascar instead? If I create this trip, volition I bring fourth dimension to catch Peru afterwards this year, or should I simply conk to Republic of Peru now?
Last week, after months of fretting, I finally fleck the bullet together with booked tickets to Dubai, the Maldives, together with Sri Lanka. I’m beyond thrilled (especially for Sri Lanka) but inwards the dorsum of my hear I withal detect myself thinking, “Is xv days actually plenty to taste Sri Lanka? Maybe I should conk somewhere else until I tin pass to a greater extent than fourth dimension there!”
Of course, when I acquire to the finish — whatever finish — all of that second-guessing melts away together with I bring the fourth dimension of my life.
If you’re a long-term traveler, you lot tin conk anywhere for equally long equally you lot want. But when you lot exclusively bring a express amount of fourth dimension — because you’re similar me together with slowing down, or because you lot simply bring a few weeks off from piece of work together with need to brand the most of them — you lot bring to survive to a greater extent than selective.
So how create you lot narrow downward your destinations, acquire on amongst your trip planning, together with non endure the anxiety that comes amongst alternative overload?
This experience has given me a novel philosophy on trip planning. I’ve changed how I create upwards one's hear on destinations:
First, embrace the variety. You’re always going to be overwhelmed yesteryear choice. There volition ever survive to a greater extent than destinations to catch than you lot bring fourth dimension to see. The listing of places to catch volition exclusively acquire longer the to a greater extent than you lot travel, non shorter. Don’t struggle it. Recognize it, but don’t allow it command you.
Second, start amongst listing of 10 places you lot desire to conk correct now. Come upwards amongst the destinations that are at the go yesteryear of your mind. This year, directly that I am taking fewer trips, I desire my trips to survive to places I’ve never been together with are equally culturally dissimilar equally possible, thus I came upwards amongst the listing at the go yesteryear of this spider web log (yes, I know non all of the places are culturally dissimilar from each other!).
Third, figure out when you lot tin conk together with how long you lot have. For me, since I was exclusively going inwards August, I knew I had just a calendar month (since I bring to be stateside for weddings inwards September together with October).
Fourth, intend of the fourth dimension of year. Which ground has the conditions you lot desire to taste the most? I’m trying to escape the estrus of inland Austin, thus I wanted beaches. I crossed Hawaii together with the Caribbean Area off the list, but I withal wanted something beachy together with adventurous. The Republic of the Maldives together with Sri Lanka may survive hot, but they bring beaches!
Fifth, brand the length of your travels proportional to the size of the country. I didn’t desire to endeavour to catch large countries similar India, Brazil, or China when I bring simply a few weeks. I wanted to encounter smaller destinations that I could explore to a greater extent than inwards depth during a shorter menstruum of time. By this betoken I knew I was downward to using Dubai equally a hub together with finding destinations from there.
Finally, look upwards flights. From Dubai, it was $1,700 USD to Republic of Madagascar but $400 to the Maldives, together with $0 to acquire to together with from Sri Lanka, thank you lot to airline miles. I didn’t bring plenty points to wing on the African carriers I wanted (I burned 100K United points in conclusion calendar month on other flights — whoops!) thus Republic of Madagascar together with Republic of Kenya were out of the question. That left the Republic of the Maldives together with Sri Lanka equally the best places to catch from Dubai.
And, amongst that, where I’m going was settled.
Once I stopped letting besides much alternative conk on me from making a conclusion together with after logically going through my checklist, I stopped hemming together with hawing almost where I wanted to go, constitute my destinations, booked my trip, together with got on amongst getting excited almost visiting novel places.
Overcoming alternative overload inwards move is almost starting fourth dimension realizing that in that location volition ever survive to a greater extent than places to catch than you lot bring time, together with thus figuring out what destinations gibe what you lot tin create correct now. Once you lot start amongst your listing of destinations, getting downward to the perfect ane becomes a procedure of elimination.
I know many of you lot endure from the same occupation I create (your emails to me are proof), together with I promise you lot operate this advice to overcome alternative overload.
Because in that location volition ever survive besides many destinations to select from together with besides lilliputian fourth dimension to encounter them in.
Sumber https://www.nomadicmatt.com
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