This year one of my biggest get-aways was to Argentina back in October. I planned and put a lot of effort into that trip and it was everything I wanted it to be. Each year I try to take 2 short trips, lasting no more than 20 days each, then my third trip is generally a 30-day break I take at the end of my contract. It’s an option that my employer offers that we can either use-or-lose. I didn’t put a lot of thought into my 30 days of leave because all my energy went into Argentina. Regardless of this on the 28th of December, I will start my 30-day break, but I am still procrastinating about where to go?

Due to my current location, I must go to Dubai because there are no direct flights anywhere, so Dubai is my hub. This year I plan on spending a few days in Dubai to attend to some business, then it’s off to Kuwait and Qatar to visit friends for a few days. Of course, those two countries will be highlighted in a few blogs, under my section called Travel for Food, but I will still have a few days to burn, so where should I go after?

Initially, I wanted to go to South Korea and Taiwan but scratched South Korea off the list because of the weather and distance from Dubai. After Qatar, I would like to visit two more places before I return to work, but I am still undecided.

In thinking this over, I came up with a criterion to help determine possible places to visit based on;

Weather – Since its December to January, I want to go to a place where it’s somewhat warmer with mild weather.  While I know most places might be snowing, raining, or dealing with storms during January I am hoping to avoid all of that by selecting countries with comfortable weather.

Distance – I do not feel like traveling more than 10 hours in an aircraft to get to a location.  I prefer short airtime, even if it means having a few layovers I would prefer to be on the ground more than in the air.

Overall Cost – I know last minute travel can be expensive, so I am looking for budget travel and countries where the US dollar outweighs the local currency.

Accessibility to the Main Attractions – I want to find a place where the distance between the airport and the main attractions isn’t extremely wide. For instance, Petra is on my list of places I want to visit, but to get there it can take more than 3 hours by bus.

I came up with Egypt, Jordon, Taiwan is still on the list, India, or Turkey. Still, I am undecided, not sure where to go, but I must say Egypt and Turkey are high on my list, but I am wondering if there are any other choices I should consider.