When the holidays roll around you suddenly have all this free time on your hands.
Your kids are restless at home and you’re bored out of your mind. You and your spouse are thinking of spending some quality time away from home.
If money is no issue, then you may be struggling with the choice of either vacationing locally or abroad. Decisions, decisions.
Well, perhaps the following pros and cons shared below can help you plan for your next big family holiday.
Domestic
Domestic vacations usually involve travelling within the country. As close to a neighbouring town or as far as a distant state.
Popular holiday destinations in Malaysia include beaches, waterfalls, resorts, camping spots, heritage areas and many other tourists’ places.
They could also mean just going to a relative’s house. Domestic vacations can be either be a short visit or a long one.
Pros
- Cheap: Yes, domestic vacations are cosmically more affordable than overseas ones. But on the flipside, because you think everything is cheaper, the impulse to overspend may be greater. So, you may actually end up spending just as much as if you were going on an international holiday.
- Company: Because you’re travelling locally, you can pretty much take as many of your relatives with you for a huge family vacation. Everyone can drive in their cars and meet up at the destination.
- Safe: Travelling locally means you’re basically in good hands. You know where things are supposed to be, where to go to get help, plus you speak the local language.
Cons
- Slacking: Because you’re likely not as worried about safety or security that much, you may neglect to take precautionary measures like fine tuning your car, packing extra or bringing extra cash. If you’re lucky, nothing happens. Just be sure to be just as vigilant when you’re travelling locally just as you would abroad.
- Predictable: Yes, there are plenty of places to go sightseeing in Malaysia but there may not be a stark difference between each resort or city or beach that you go to. The country is still pretty much familiar even with new sights and sensations. You basically already know what to expect.
- Disappointment: If you’ve been vacationing domestically for any length of time, you may know not to always trust viral spots, especially eateries. What people promote online isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.
International
International vacations involve going on holiday to another country, even one as close to Singapore or Thailand.
The visit involves staying overnight or a couple of days, usually at a hotel or resort. The trip could involve a tour guide or travel agency.
Visitors usually go sightseeing, eat good food and take lots of photos. Taking home souvenirs and shopping are also common.
Pros
- Culture: Learning about how other people live their lives can be nothing short of life-changing. You also grow as a person, whether that’s through learning another language, embracing history, and even making new friends.
- Variety: The number of things you can see, eat, buy, etc is infinite when you’re in another country (even if you’ve travelled there before). There’s always something new to explore, a new cuisine to try, more souvenirs to bring back home.
- Experience: There is no greater experience for children than to be exposed to different cultures while they’re young. Those core memories are truly unforgettable.
Cons
- Price: Barring the actual travel tickets, you need to think about lodging, transport, food, shopping and possibly any emergency fees in case something happens. Don’t forget to take into consideration the exchange rate. That’s why it’s usually cheaper to go to countries like Indonesia or Thailand.
- Crowd: If you end up in some tourist trap town, then expect a lot of visitors. So, you may not even get to go to those places (attractions, restaurants, etc.) from the sheer number of people who are already waiting in line.
- Dangerous: Yes, there are perils everywhere even on our shores. But the risks are automatically higher when you’re in stranger’s land. Especially if you don’t speak their language. I won’t list them down in case you panic, but some added security measures should be implemented.
- Pollution: Unfortunately, if you’re taking an international flight, you’re actively contributing more to carbon emissions and global warming. But if this isn’t a regular thing, then two trips shouldn’t do that much damage.
- Stress: Planning for an international can be super stressful. You have to book plane tickets, hotels, pack necessities and have contingency plans for everything.
Prep Your Travel Plans
Travelling doesn’t have to be a headache, not when you do your research and plan accordingly.
But if you’re travelling abroad for instance, it’s probably better to do so under a travel agency. This way, they can keep you safe and they’ll probably already know all the areas and spots to go (and which ones to avoid).
There are also crazy deals and packages when you do use a travel agency that will save you tonnes of money. This applies for domestic vacations as well.
So, if it’s your first time, or something you’ve never tried, maybe now’s the time.
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