How to compare two destinations without fooling yourself

Side-by-side comparisons usually flatter whichever option you researched more. Here is how to make the comparison fair.

The asymmetry problem

When people compare two destinations, one of them is almost always better researched than the other. The well-researched one has real prices attached and a plan; the other has a vague impression. The comparison then measures your research effort rather than the destinations.

Fix this first. Either research both to the same depth or compare both at the same shallow depth. Mismatched detail is worse than no detail.

Compare complete trips, on the same terms

Same party, same dates, same number of nights, same currency, same standard of eating and staying. Change one thing at a time. A five-night comparison against a four-night one tells you almost nothing, and a comparison where one includes breakfast and the other does not is simply wrong.

Separate cost from value

Two trips can cost the same and be worth wildly different amounts to you. Write down, before looking at any number, what you actually want from this trip: rest, food, walking, museums, weather, seeing a specific person. Score both destinations against that list, then look at the money.

Doing it in that order matters. If you look at the prices first, the cheaper option starts winning the value argument too, and you will not notice.

Watch the shape, not just the total

Two destinations at the same total can have very different shapes. One might be a cheap flight and an expensive city; the other an expensive flight and a cheap city. The second usually gets better the longer you stay, because the fixed cost is spread over more days. If your dates might extend, that matters.

Ask what could go wrong

How much of the total is a single provider's price that might change?
How much depends on weather you cannot control?
How exposed is the plan to one connection being missed?

A slightly more expensive trip with fewer single points of failure is often the better buy.

WholeAway can hold up to four destinations side by side with the same party and dates, and shows which component drives each difference rather than only the totals.