9 Travel Themed New Year's Resolutions to Kick off a Year of Adventure
Try a New Type of Lodging
Although it’s great on your pocketbook, budget travel can sometimes be exhausting if the hostel is noisy or the beds are too firm. Similarly, if you’re always saving up to stay in a luxury hotel, you’re missing out on the community element of hostels and other types of lodging with a more open atmosphere.
Try someplace completely different next year. Go camping. Stay in an Airbnb. Rent out a whole apartment. Change things up a bit and you’ll feel a renewed sense of excitement.
Keep a Travel Journal or Blog
Chances are you’ve been meaning to keep a travel journal or start a blog but never seem to get around to it. Make it a goal this year to stick with it throughout every trip, big or small.
Buy a domain and invest in a nice camera. Take an iPhoneography or blogging course online. Keep all your paper ephemera to photograph or tape inside the notebook. There’s no right or wrong way to keep a travel journal; the only rule is to just do it!
Fully experiencing another culture means you'll need to travel like a local. Here are some tips for how to do so in a short period of time.
Learn a New Language and Try It Out
There’s no better time than right now to learn a language. Stop procrastinating and sign yourself up for a language class with a recreation center or continuing education school. There are plenty of supplementary tools online to help you get started. Download a free app such as Duolingo to your phone or tablet for learning on the go.
There are also CDs, mp3s and DVDs that allow you to listen and practice what you’ve learned by repeating what you hear. Once you’ve achieved a basic mastery of the language, go visit a country that speaks it!
Immersion is really the best way to learn and keep what you know fresh in mind.
