Is It The Destination Or The Experience?

Sometimes you can plan a trip for months in advance to your dream destination and it can all go wrong. At other times you can plan a trip within a week in advance with nothing really planned out and it ends up being your favorite trip in the world. Why is that and how could that be? What is really more important, the destination or the actual experience that makes your trip the perfect trip?

I have been traveling for many years now, sometimes with friends or family, most of the time solo and after a while I began wondering, what is it that made this trip incredible. I could totally argue both sides, but through my years of traveling, I found that it is the experience. It’s great to put check marks on your bucket list, but what if the destination wasn’t that great? What if you were completely disappointed? A lot of destinations we dream of aren’t really the way we thought they would be once we arrived.

2 New Years ago, I spent my New Years in Paris. I had dreamt of Paris for years, who hasn’t? The Moulin Rouge, the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa where all things I HAD to see! After a few days spent in Paris, I realized it wasn’t that dreamy Paris I had always pictured. All the things I wanted to see were nice, the Mona Lisa was amazing to see in person, along with the rest but there was something missing for me. On the other hand, I had met some of the most amazing people I have ever met from all over the world on this trip! These people made this trip amazing! The whole trip was filled with laughter, jokes and smiles. It remains on my list of good trips, but I don’t see myself going back to Paris, at least not any time soon. (For more on Paris check out: 27 Things You Should Know About Paris)

Over this past weekend, I had made my first trip to Mexico to attend the Travel Blogger Conference, TBEX. It was another one of my impulsive travels, I booked this trip 6 days before departure. Mexico was a destination that I always knew I would do, but it wasn’t at the top propriety of my list of places to see. Growing up in Los Angeles, I felt that almost everyone has been there and I wanted to go to the places people didn’t go. Seeing, Cancun as a kid on MTV’s Spring Break, seemed like the craziest party city in the world and I’ve never been one to party that crazy. I really didn’t have too much expectation for Mexico and I was blown away, I have completely fallen in love with Mexico from the moment I stepped foot in Cancun. The Moon Palace Resort & Spa, where I stayed, was an amazing hotel, I met such incredibly inspiring people, the beaches were breathtaking, the culture was beautiful, the land reminded me of a tropical island, like I was in Hawaii and the locals were so kind. I was in complete bliss the entire time I was there! I never wanted it to end! It was an incredible experience and I only left the hotel 1 time in the first 3 days because of the conference.

I didn’t get to do everything I wanted in Cancun and it did rain a few times, but it didn’t matter because the overall experience was amazing and priceless. I kept asking myself the whole time, how did I never come here before? I must be crazy!

Overall, I think there are a few things that make our travels amazing and depending on them, if you can combine more of these than less, then I believe you’ll have an amazing experience.

• Being carefree and just letting things happen and unfold
• The people you meet
• The Resort
• Location/Destination
• Your current confidence level
• Your mental state of mind
• Activities

At the end of it all, it’s those moments of inspiration and bliss that make you the happiest. The laughs we share and the journey, are what leave us with those stories to be told for many years. It starts off with the destination, but ends with the experience.