Where should I go?
Where’s the best, coolest, most wonderful place in the world?
The answer is: It’s up to you.
To a large degree it really is up to you.
I’ve enjoyed drunken poker parties in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; lonely nights in Bangkok and everything else in between. In fact the best social event I ever enjoyed was with a book club in Bangkok of which I had become a regular member. It was great!
But probably those images don’t fit what you were thinking about those locations. But the world is a bit surprising and you won’t always find exactly what you expect. You need to go to your new destination with an open mind, eyes wide open and ready to be surprised.
The usual criteria applies, of course. You need to go you where you have appropriate qualifications to get the type of job you want. We all have different financial obligations and requirements and you need to go where you can earn the amount of money needed to keep yourself afloat. You need to go where you can actually land a job. But after all that, it is usually the social scene or the landscape or the history or culture of a country/city/area that attracts us. But even those things can surprise you.
One of the most interesting studies of culture shock I have ever read discussed how some of the most difficult cases of culture shock came from Americans going to the UK! What? Yeah. Their expectations were that there would be no culture difference and they were not emotionally prepared for what they ran into. My guess would be that a similar situation applies in the other direction where we think we know what we are going to – but we really don’t.
So – back to the title – what destination is best for you . . . be open to what it might be. Be ready for surprises on the upside and downside.
TED’s Tips™ #1: Keep an open mind about anywhere and everywhere. If you don’t you may well miss opportunities to experience more than you expect.