Start the New Year Right
Want to make a resolution you’ll actually keep this year? How about setting down some travel resolutions?
We could all use a little more travel and a lot less boring restrictions placed upon ourselves. Try one of these New Year’s resolutions on for size and you’ll be checking things off your to-do list faster than you can say “wanderlust.”
Take a Solo Trip
Traveling solo can seem intimidating at first, but most people who have done it would agree it can be the most rewarding kind of travel. You have more room for spontaneity and flexibility when you’re by yourself.
You can see what you want, when you want; there’s no one to compromise with. Traveling alone also offers more time for introspection and exploration that you just don’t get when traveling with friends or family.
Explore Your Home State, Province or County
With so much to see and do in the world, your corner of it can seem dull and uninteresting in comparison. Lofty travel ambitions are great if you have the means, but sometimes you’ll find the best trips are waiting for you nearby.
Resolve to explore your neighborhood, city and state this year. There’s beauty and excitement everywhere if you know where to look. Appreciate what you have and everything else will seem that much sweeter.
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Visit a New Country
If you’ve exhausted every major city in your country on your travel bucket list or just want to feel a little more worldly, make sure you have a valid passport and try visiting a new country next year. There are nearly 200 countries in the world and many incredible places to see before you die, so there’s certainly a lot to choose from.
Make a list of the top five cities you’d like to visit there and then focus in on attractions. You may not get to visit everything, but at least you’ll have a jumping off point for future visits.
Use or Rack up Frequent Flyer Miles
If you’ve been contemplating getting a frequent flyer card, many airlines have excellent signup bonuses that will allow you to get up to 50,000 points within the first six months of signing up if you spend a certain amount of money. Depending on where you want to go, that could be enough for a free trip.
Even if you’ve already racked up a bunch of points from business and leisure travel, don’t keep hoarding your frequent flyer miles; spend them! Try choosing a location the points will cover or pick someplace you wouldn’t normally go because of expense or convenience.
Take a Family Heritage Trip
If you’re interested in genealogy or just want to reconnect with family, a heritage trip might be exactly what you need next year. If you’re not 100% sure where your lineage started, get one of those home DNA kits and find out your exact ancestry.
Then, take your parents or your kids with you to explore those places and find out more about where you come from. Traveling with kids makes for a particularly unique experience as you learn to see the world through their eyes.
These kinds of trips can be completely life-changing or at the very least enlightening.
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Be More Spontaneous
Are you the type to plan everything down to the last detail, leaving no room for acts of God or even spontaneity? Loosen the reins a bit and resolve to become more spontaneous on your next adventure.
Resist the temptation to plan and refrain from booking these things in advance. Staying in the moment opens you up to more opportunities you’d never have access to otherwise.
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!
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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.