Being stuck between two is a good problem
If you're torn between two holidays, the good news is that you probably can't go far wrong. You've already done the hard part, which is narrowing the whole world down to two places you'd both enjoy.
The trouble is that two good options can go round in circles for weeks. Here's how to settle it.
1. Check the timing first
The quickest tie-breaker is the weather. Look at what each place is like in the exact weeks you're going, not just "summer". One might be at its best and the other too hot, too wet or too busy.
Each of our destination guides shows the best months to go, and the month pages, like where to go in September, show what's at its best when.
2. Compare the whole cost, not the headline price
Add up everything: flights or fuel, somewhere to stay, getting from the airport, eating out, and the things you'll actually want to do. A cheap flight to an expensive city can cost more than a pricier flight to somewhere where dinner is half the price.
3. Compare the journey
Travel time is part of the holiday. A two-hour flight and a short transfer means you're by the pool by lunchtime. A twelve-hour flight with a change takes a day each way, which is a big slice of a week. Think about who's travelling, too: what's fine for two adults can be a long day for small children.
4. Picture the best day in each
For each place, describe the best day you'd have there. Where would you wake up, what would you do, where would you eat? Whichever one is easier to picture, and makes you more excited describing it, is often the one you really want.
5. Try the coin toss trick
Assign each holiday to heads or tails and toss a coin. You're not going to do what it says. Instead, notice how you feel when it lands. If there's a flicker of disappointment, you've found your answer: you wanted the other one.
6. Ask which one you'd regret not doing
Imagine it's a year from now and you went to the other place. Which one would you be sorry to have missed? Some trips get harder with time, like a long-haul trip before the children are teenagers or a hiking holiday while everyone's still keen. Others will still be there in five years.
7. Do one now and one next time
Often the best answer is both, just not at once. Pick one for this trip and put the other at the top of the list for the next one. Being clear that the other place is next makes it much easier to let go.
If you're choosing with other people
When two of you each prefer a different place, all of the above helps, but it can still end in a stalemate. A fair way to settle it is to each spread some points between the two in secret, then let a draw weighted by those points decide. It's how somewhere🎉 works, and our guide to deciding where to go on holiday explains why it works so well.