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Random Travel Destination Generator: Set Rules First

A random travel destination generator can pick a place you cannot reach or should not visit. Set six rules first, then check each result before you book.

· 7 min read

A random travel destination generator gives you a place in one second. The hard part comes after: can you reach that place on your dates, inside your budget, and is it a sensible place to visit at that time? A tool that picks with no limits will sometimes give you a place that fails all three tests.

This is a how-to for using any destination generator, such as the AhaSlides country wheel or the map tool on geomidpoint.com. You set six rules before you spin, and you run four checks on each result before you book anything.

Two kinds of generator, and what each one misses

Most free generators fall into two groups.

  • Country wheels. You press a button and get a country. The AhaSlides wheel holds 195 countries, and the page says you can also use it as a vacation destination generator. It is fast. It does not know where you live, how long you have or how much you can spend.
  • Map tools. Geomidpoint offers a free point tool. Its trip page says the tool can pick points over the whole surface of the earth, or only within a set distance of your home or your vacation destination.

A country wheel can give you a country you cannot afford. A map tool can give you a point in the sea. Neither knows what you refuse to do.

Flight search sites are a third place to look for ideas, but they are not generators. The Google Flights help page says that, instead of typing a destination, you can find destinations from a popular destinations list or from a world map. That is browsing, not a pick made for you. It is useful later, when you check prices.

Set six rules before you spin

The Geomidpoint trip page states the key idea. It says you can set your own rules and eliminate the points that you know you do not want to visit. Its examples include a maximum distance, no points on water, and a limit on what it costs to get there. It also warns that the point you get may be a very interesting place, or "a stick next to a couple of rocks" in the middle of nowhere.

Use the same idea with any tool. Write these six rules down first:

  1. Departure airport. The airport you will really use. Add a second airport only if you will travel to it by train or car.
  2. Dates. The earliest day you can leave and the latest day you must be back.
  3. Length. The number of days, including travel days.
  4. Budget. One number for the whole trip: flights, sleep, food and local transport.
  5. Maximum travel time. For example, no flight longer than 9 hours.
  6. Your "never" list. Things you refuse even if the place is perfect: shared dorm rooms, driving yourself, hotels below a rating you trust.

Now spin. If the result breaks a rule, spin again. This is the method Geomidpoint describes: generate points one by one until one passes all your rules. The page also suggests generating five or ten that pass, and then choosing between them. Keep that short list. It is easier to choose between five good options than to accept the first one.

Four checks before you book

A result that passes your own rules is still only an idea. Run these four checks on each place on your short list.

1. Check the flight price, and what it includes

Open Google Flights and search your dates. The help page says the calendar shows the lowest total price to fly for each day, and that prices are updated about once every 24 hours. If your dates are flexible, track the route. When you track "Any dates", Google sends an email when the route's minimum price drops significantly over a month (Google Travel Help: Track flights and prices).

Read the price carefully. Google says the price shown is only for the flight itself, including VAT and airport taxes, and that extra fees, such as baggage or card fees, may apply. It also says Google Flights uses over 300 partners and that not all airlines or flights are included. After you book, Google tells you to contact the airline or online travel agent to confirm the booking (Google Travel Help: Find plane tickets). Add the extra fees to your budget before you compare places.

2. Check your own government's travel advice

Geomidpoint is a US site, and it suggests avoiding countries that have a US Department of State travel warning. The same step applies wherever you live: read the travel advice that your own government publishes for the place.

This article uses the UK government's pages as the example. GOV.UK publishes advice for 226 countries and territories. The pages cover entry requirements, safety and security, and health, and you can sign up for email updates on each country page (GOV.UK: Foreign travel advice). If you hold another passport, look for the same kind of page from your own foreign ministry.

Read the whole page for the place, not only the warning. The GOV.UK page for Portugal, for example, says there is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October. It also says that no travel can be guaranteed safe, and that your travel insurance should cover your itinerary and planned activities (GOV.UK: Portugal).

3. Check the entry rules for your passport

Entry rules depend on the passport you hold and on where you go. The entry requirements page for Portugal shows the kind of detail to look for. For people with a full British citizen passport, it says (GOV.UK: Portugal entry requirements):

  • the passport must be issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and expire at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area;
  • you can visit the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and visits in the 180 days before you travel count;
  • at the border you may need to show an onward or return ticket and proof that you have enough money for your visit;
  • under the new Entry/Exit System you may need to give fingerprints and a photo on your first visit.

The page also says that the Portuguese authorities set and enforce these rules, and that you should contact the embassy if you are not sure. Do the same for every place on your short list. If you cannot meet a rule before your departure date, remove that place now, before you pay for anything.

4. Check the season

This check is general advice, not a rule from one source. Most generators do not look at the month. Search for the weather and the main events in the place during your dates, and read the official advice for seasonal risks, as in the Portugal wildfire example above. Heat, rain, public holidays and closures change what you can do. If the season is wrong, take the next place on your short list.

A planner that applies the limits before it picks

If you prefer not to filter by hand, Random Travel is a trip planner listed under "Our products" on the home page of Pacix Labs, which runs this blog. Its page calls it "Not a random trip generator": it asks for your departure airport, trip length, dates and budget first, then lets you rule out dorms, flights of 9 hours or more, self-driving legs and hotels rated under 8.0. Only then does it pick.

The page says the result is inspiration, not a booking system, and that prices, hotel types and flight routes are estimates. Its links open real searches, such as Google Flights and Booking.com, so you still run the four checks above before you book.

You can get the same result with a free wheel or map tool and the method in this article. The planner only saves you the filtering.

Checklist: use a destination generator well

  • [ ] Departure airport written down
  • [ ] Earliest departure and latest return dates written down
  • [ ] Number of days, including travel days
  • [ ] One total budget
  • [ ] Maximum travel time
  • [ ] A "never" list
  • [ ] Spin again until a result passes all rules, and keep five to ten results
  • [ ] Flight price checked, with baggage and other fees added
  • [ ] Your own government's travel advice read for each result
  • [ ] Entry rules for your passport checked
  • [ ] Season and weather checked for your dates
  • [ ] Travel insurance that covers your itinerary chosen before you pay
  • [ ] Booking confirmed with the airline or agency after you book

Frequently asked questions

What is a random travel destination generator?

It is an online tool that picks a place for you, for example from a list of countries or from a point on a map. Simple versions pick with no limits. Some let you set limits first, such as a maximum distance from your home.

Can a generator pick a place that I cannot visit?

Yes. A tool that picks without limits does not know your passport, your dates or your budget. Read the entry requirements and your own government's travel advice for the result before you plan anything.

How do I keep the trip inside my budget?

Set one total budget before you spin, then check the flight price for each result. Google Flights lets you track a route for any dates and sends an email when the minimum price for the route drops significantly over a month. The price it shows is for the flight only, and extra fees such as baggage may apply.

Is a surprise trip a good idea for a group?

It can be, if everyone agrees on the limits first. Agree on dates, budget and the things nobody accepts, then let the generator choose inside those limits.

Sources

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