First, decide what type of vacation you want to take:
Leisure vacation
Ecotourism
Volunteer vacation. What is a volunteer or service vacation? Some examples.
Cultural vacation. See one site here
Adventure vacations such as cycling, hiking, etc.
History vacation
You should answer these questions (and support them with research) in your essay:
Travel: How will you get there? Investigate at least three methods of travel, identifying the cost, duration, and arrangements necessary for each. Then evaluate which is the best for you. You will determine what is “best” by considering what’s important to you. A plane is faster than a train, but you can see more from a train. Then, pinpoint the booking information: flight numbers, departure and arrival times and places, cost of ticket or of gas if driving. Include your itinerary, the various places you will be visiting. Should you buy trip insurance?
Lodging: Where will you stay? Investigate at least three types of lodging (youth hostel, hotel, camping, staying with friends, housing exchange). Then choose a particular place. Identify know the name of the place, what room you would be in, address of the place, etc. If your itinerary includes several stops, identify lodging for just one destination.
Luggage and clothing: What should you take and why? What should you not take? How should you dress?
Meals: How much eating there cost? What are the “specialty” foods of this destination? What should you be sure to eat? Should you be cautious or avoid particular foods or the water? What should you drink? Identify several eating places that interest you.
Political: Do you need a passport? How do you get one? Might the political situation affect you?
Safety: What personal safety concerns do you need to be aware of?
Legal: What laws different from the US do you need to be aware of? What cautions do you need to take in order to abide by the laws?
Medical: Do you need inoculations before you go? What injuries, illnesses, or disease might you encounter? What medical care is available there? What does your medical insurance provide? Do you need to purchase special insurance for your trip?
Cultural: What cultural rules do you need to be aware of? What elements of culture should you go out of your way to connect with? To avoid?
What must you see or do? This section is the heart of your trip; it’s why you’re going. Give details.
Calculate this trip as a genuinely possible experience. It’s easy to say that you’d take the QEII cruising over the ocean and stay in the best hotels, but think about how you could actually take such a trip on a reasonable budget. Would you budget carefully in order to do as much as possible, or would you prefer a shorter stay in luxurious surroundings?
Helpful database: Global Road Warrior Helpful website: CIA World Factbook
