The search for inner peace and that special feeling of being in the right place can take a person through half the world and still be unsuccessful. Simply moving from one high profile location with breathtaking scenery to another won’t do the trick. To really feel you are getting the most out of a moment, how things work is much more important than where you happen to be.

That’s the difference between mere escapism and a real pursuit of a luxurious lifestyle.

Anybody can book a five-star hotel, hop on a plane to an Instagram-friendly destination, and pose in front of a beach bar with a daiquiri in hand. Sure, some exotic locations seem like an instant ticket to high life, only they look far less glamorous behind the scenes. If you have to take a commercial offer, stay crammed into a confined area around a hotel, and endure dull food and average service just to get a couple of nice views, it may not be worth it. The same amount of money might buy you a much more unique experience if you are willing to think out of the box and travel off the beaten path. Remember, it’s your journey and it should include activities that you authentically love, not some amalgam of nouveau riche symbols out of an outdated playboy manual.

It’s great to be adventurous, but if you push too far into the unknown you might have to sacrifice your comfort. Nobody wants to be stuck visiting the same tourist hotspots over and over, so it’s easy to see how people get the idea of trying something completely wild. Just don’t expect smooth sailing if you willingly leave the well-organised world of luxury travel. Sure, you can have loads of fun if you rent a bungalow in the jungle on a remote Pacific island. Just don’t expect breakfast in bed and lobster for dinner if you go this route. The best advice is to keep introducing novelty into your itinerary but do it in a controlled way, so you can see what works for you.

These days you don’t have to be physically present at a location in order to see what it has to offer. You can easily have a virtual tour of a Hollywood studio or have the same casino playing experience on a website that you would get by partying in Vegas. Thanks to digital access to premium content, you can actually mix and match elements of your dream vacation while skipping all the boring logistic challenges. You could also use technology to stay in touch with the serious part of your life while you are residing in a warmer climate and trying to reset your energy.

Every person deserves to have all the details arranged just right. To do this, you need to plan in advance and nail some critical decisions that could make or break your trip. It starts with timelines and locations, then extends to organising travel, getting perfect accommodations, discovering the best local restaurants… the list goes on and on. Good news is that you don’t have to get everything lined up right away. When the basics are in place, you can add to your plate little by little and build a dream adventure from these seemingly minor whims. After all, it’s your expedition and you get to decide exactly where it takes you and which stops you want along the way.