How do you decide where to go on your next vacation? What are the questions you ask and check-boxes you mark off while making your decision?

• Does the hotel/city need to be family-friendly?
• Are you looking for a romantic getaway?
• Do you want to return to a favorite spot or would you prefer to explore a new destination?
• Do you want to travel by car, plane, train, etc.?
• Are you deciding based on activities/events or around restaurants and shopping? Or both?
• Are you looking for a budget-friendly trip or an extravagant getaway?
• Are you going with friends or family?
• Are you scheduling your vacation around certain hotels or beaches?

One of the biggest factors for me when deciding where to go is if I want to return to a place I love, or explore a new town or city. There is something to be said about returning to a familiar location — you know your favorite coffee shops, the closest bookstores, and the best beaches, you know the restaurants serving the best brunch in town, and the ones that are delicious, but fly under the radar. There is a sense of home, peace, and comfort when you arrive, and you feel like you and this place are old friends.

There is also something exciting about driving into a new town, landing at an airport, or pulling into a train station in a place you’ve never been. You’re about to find your favorite spots, as you pore over travel books, and read and re-read restaurant reviews.  You’re about to become acquainted with new baristas and bartenders, and you’re steps away from falling in love with sunrises while visiting new beaches and parks. There are shops you haven’t stepped into yet, and restaurants cooking your soon-to-be favorite dinner and pouring a glass of red. Everything is new and exciting, and will eventually become old and familiar, and possibly another go-to spot when you’re planning your next vacation.

We like to alternate between visiting favorite spots, and going somewhere new, but eventually you find so many you love that it makes it hard to decide. Visiting new towns in the same state helps to bring something new and exciting to the comfortable and familiar — this can help make deciding a little easier. How do you decide between a place you love, and someplace you’ve never been?