Researching potential destinations
Start with my specific interests in any location
The refinement process has taught me that to prioritise choosing a place that has enough things that really meet my specific personal interests. Seems silly to say it out loud but I have definitely fallen into the trap before of being impressed by the general positive spin put onto a place and ended up with a holiday not all that suited to me personally.
So if somewhere piques my interest, I ignore what is usually associated with that place and always search my specific interests - ‘mtb biking tours in hanoi’, ‘hikes in wallonia’, ‘car museum in turin’, ‘surrealist art in montreal’, ‘baking class in oaxaca, ‘contemporary dance performance in savannah’.
Specificity works way better than ‘things to do in…’ and can turn up some surprising and often off-the-beaten-path results which can lead to a uniquely exciting itinerary which is made up of things that interest me and not just the ‘everyone does them’ things.
If not enough seems to come up, my research may end here. Otherwise, it gives me a good idea about how well-matched it is to me, and how long I might want to stay.
Use multiple sources
The information (particularly on blogs) is mostly generic, repetitive, superficial and mostly just paid-for advertising. I also find my interests are usually too broad for specialist sources of information (such sites dedicated to bike travel for instance) and besides, I might want to forge another path.
Beyond using search engines for specific terms as above, I favour the official national or regional tourism websites of the place I’m looking to visit - because they are made by locals, they tend to have a breadth of information about all the different options available in that place, a variety that is usually lacking in UK-based or global travel sites.
I also make use of factual sources - maps, weather websites, and population counts - to ascertain landscape, proximity to other things, typical weather patterns month by month, and how big a place is - all of these contribute to a rounded picture of what a place is like beyond the perfectly-composed imagery of its most famous landmark, and help me get a sense of whether it will be the kind of place that suits my favoured style of travel or priority for that trip.
Check what accommodation options are available
Accommodation makes a big difference to my enjoyment of a holiday so I always do an accommodation check - it can be subtle, but the availability, style, standard, variety and price of accommodation options can give a flavour of what kind of traveller the place caters towards.
Try to ascertain how easy independent travel will be
I’m a fairly intrepid and unfazed traveller, and I’m a polyglot so can often communicate, but I do believe there are some places which are less suited to independent travel arrangements. There are places where I would rather opt for the extra surety and guidance of an organised trip, a hotel or a tour. I like my adventuring with a side of comfort, relaxation, and frankly, luxury.
So I ask myself: Do I speak some of the language? Can I drive on the roads fairly safely? Will I stand out too much as the only visitor? Can I book and arrange things myself before I arrive?
These kinds of questions help me decide if certain places will work for independent travel or not.
Read between the lines
Virtually no matter the source, articles tend to make everything sound fantastic and worthy of a visit - no-one ever says things like ‘this place is great for x, but not great if you are mainly looking for y’ or ‘don’t bother visiting here if your main interests are x and you actively dislike y but you will love it if you get a real kick out of z’. Its case of reading between the lines.
So who does the place seem to be marketed towards? Are there many options for things I like or just a few? Is this place very populous? Is it very remote and secluded? Are there accommodation options that I like the look of? Do the tourist options centre around one specific activity/site/festival/monument/historical event or does it look to have a variety of things going on? Does it look like this place receives visitors from lots of different countries or just one? Does it look outdoorsy or indoorsy?