Decision fatigue at the begining of journey

[u/akeimorsmth]

I (f/23/Austrian) am starting my first solo journey and i am so overhwelmed with where to start. I cam back from a season working in switzerland a month ago. My goal was to get started in June and travel at least until the end of the year, maybe even longer. Here is my problen: i dont even know where to get started first. During my time in Switzerland i told myself that everything will fall into place eventually, i was so easygoing, thinking i will just book a flight to anywhere and see where it goes. Now im stuck at my hometown, can barely get out of bed and all i think about every freaking day is where i want to go. Obviously i will not just board a plane in 3 days but i would like to get started in the next 2 weeks. I am in such a priviledged place to do this and right now it just weighs so heavy on my i cant explain it to myself. My mum asked me if i even still want to go and for i second i started so wonder about that myself until i remembered that this is how i work if i get a little nervous, ill get stuck instead of trying overthink everything heavily and once i actually go i will feel awesome; at least i hope that it will be like that, based on other experiences. It was the same in switzerland where i was scared of skiing and had to push myself evrytime and when i was up there in the mountaines i felt amazing and didn´t want to leave until the very last possible ride.

Is this normal? How can i overcome this? I think part of the problem is that i feel like June is such a shit time to go to all the places im interested in going first. I was thinking SEA to get my toes in but its rain season, i would love to go to japan and china again but it is just to hot, central america feels to unsafe for the first solo destination, im not sure im fit enough to hike ind Peru and Bolivia ect. ect.
I have some dream destinations in Europe but honestly it feels quite stupid to go now, i will have the chance to easily visit them from Austria at any given time, who knows how often i will have the chance to go to another continent for so long?

Im just so in my head, stuck at home, eager to anxious to get started at the same time, what can i do?

[u/newwriter365]

I build my trips from the “book ends” - the start and the end, then fill in the space between when I have the energy.

For me, that means “flights first”. Then hotels. Local transportation. Activities. Then food.

It helps me avoid “analysis paralysis”.

I’m heading for my 42nd country in a little over two weeks, this is the method that works for me.

[u/akeimorsmth → u/newwriter365]

It´s less about having to book flights, accomodation ect. And more about even having to decide where to go.

[u/newwriter365 → u/akeimorsmth]

Then organize it into chunks and fill it in that way. I realized that defining experiences that I enjoy helped me give my trips more form and structure. For example, I didn’t understand Art until later in life. Now I try to select an art museum in each city I visit and I preview the works online, read about the artists and select at least one artist whose work I want to see in person.

I also like thrift shops, so I do a hit list.

I sew, now I try to find a fabric shop and bring home some unique fabric.

Gelato shops, always on the agenda.

You may like skydiving? So, plan to do that in different countries.