With a new year just around the corner, these are the best New Year’s resolutions for travelers.
It’s easy to set a goal to “travel more” in the new year, but how many people actually stick to that? If you want to achieve your New Year’s resolutions, it’s better to make specific, actionable goals.
Below I’ve come up with plenty of ideas for travel-related New Year’s resolutions. Whether you want to take more trips or just incorporate more travel into your life in other ways (like learning a foreign language or reading travel books) you’ll find more than a dozen ideas for achievable resolutions below.
1. Take a solo trip.
Traveling solo is a great experience everyone should have at least once. If you often find yourself putting off your dream destination because you feel like you don’t have anyone to go with, just go alone! Can’t seem to coordinate with friends, family, or your partner on travel plans? Again, make the trip solo!
If the idea of traveling solo is slightly terrifying to you, you can start off small. Take a weekend trip to a new city alone if you want to test the waters, or pick a country that won’t give you a lot of culture shock and has good travel infrastructure rather than jumping into the deep end with a challenging destination.
2. Visit one new country.
Visiting at least one new country in the new year is another great goal that is achievable for many people. Of course, you can also set this goal higher (like visiting five new countries in a year.)
But setting a New Year’s resolution to visit one new country is something that is very attainable, especially if you choose a destination that’s affordable (like these cheap countries in Europe.)
3. Start a travel savings account.
Want to travel more? Starting a dedicated travel savings account is an excellent way to make that dream a reality! I recommend starting an account that is separate from your main checking and savings accounts.
Some banks allow you to add another savings account, or you can open a new account — ideally, a HYSA (high-yield savings account) that pays higher interest than your average account. Once you’ve opened this account, it’s time to automate your savings. You’d be surprised how much you can save in a year!
Even if you can just set up an automatic transfer for $100 a month into your travel savings account, that’s $1,200 a year. Double that to twice-monthly transfers and you’re up to $2,400 a year.
4. Learn a foreign language.
One travel-related goal that isn’t actually traveling is learning a foreign language. I love studying foreign languages and I’ve personally been learning Spanish and French on and off since I was in school.
Free apps like Duolingo are an option if you want to self-study, or you can enroll in an in-person language course or find an online language tutor (which can actually be quite affordable!) To keep yourself accountable, set an actionable goal like “I want to achieve B2 level in Spanish by the end of the year.”
5. Take a bucket list trip.
Is there a trip that’s been on your travel bucket list for a long time? Maybe you’ve always wanted to hike Machu Picchu in Peru, see the pyramids of Egypt, or visit the Christmas markets of Europe.
Instead of having this trip just be a dream for “someday” why not make it your resolution to actually go this year? If you start planning and saving now, you can make your bucket list trip into a reality.
6. Use all your vacation days.
I’m always shocked when people don’t use all of the vacation days they’re given at work. If you’re American, it’s common to get only two or three weeks of vacation per year. If you’re from another country or your company has a more generous vacation policy, you may get several additional weeks of time off.
Even if you can’t use your vacation days for an elaborate trip, you can at least travel close to home and enjoy your time off. Never let vacation days go unused at the end of the year, especially if they just expire!
7. Explore close to home.
Speaking of traveling close to home, this is a great New Year’s resolution if you don’t have the budget for trips to far-flung destinations right now. You can still explore in your own backyard!
A great goal you might set is taking one day trip to a new destination near you every month. This could be a nearby hike, a beach, a historical site, another town or city, a national park, etc. Or you could plan a long weekend trip to a new destination that’s within a few hours of you for a special getaway.
You can even explore in your own city. Maybe you set a goal to try something new in your own city (be it a restaurant, a museum, a cultural performance, or an outdoor activity) every weekend.
8. Cook recipes from abroad.
Another resolution that allows you to incorporate travel into your life without actually traveling is learning how to cook international dishes. This is a fun way to travel the world without leaving your own kitchen!
If there’s a dish you tried on your travels that you can’t stop thinking about, learn how to make it yourself at home! Or pick a specific type of cuisine to master (for example, Thai food) or a specific technique (like making French macarons) and spend the year mastering your culinary craft.
Not a big cook? You could also make it a goal to try new foreign cuisine restaurants in your city.
9. Make progress towards a travel goal.
Don’t have any travel goals yet? Now is the perfect time to make some! If you do already have some travel goals, you can set a New Year’s resolution to make progress towards achieving one.
For example, if you have a goal of visiting all 50 US states, you can set a resolution for yourself to visit one (or two, or three, or more) new states this year. Breaking down longer-term aims like this into more manageable annual goals is the best way to make progress towards achieving your travel goals.
10. Spend your birthday traveling.
One of the most fun New Year’s resolutions for travelers is to spend your upcoming birthday traveling. A birthday trip is a great excuse to finally visit a destination you’ve always dreamed of or try a bucket list experience like scuba diving for the first time. There’s no better way to celebrate your birthday this year!
Another idea is to set a goal of traveling for a holiday this year. For example, you might want to experience Día de Muertos in Oaxaca, Mexico or celebrate Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
11. Take a road trip.
Road trips are a fun way to travel, whether you hop in your own car and road trip somewhere that’s just a few hours from home or take a road trip in a faraway destination like Iceland or New Zealand.
If you live within driving distance of any national parks, these are especially good destinations for a road trip. Or you could plan a road trip to a state, city, or other destination you’ve never visited before.
12. Read travel-related books.
I love to read and I set a New Year’s resolution around how many books I want to read every year. A great way to incorporate travel into your reading habit is to read travel-related books.
You could set a goal to read a certain number of books written by foreign authors, or make a goal to read one book per month that’s set in a different country. You could also read travel memoirs.
13. Travel in a new way.
One interesting travel resolution you could make is the goal to travel in a new way. What do I mean by this exactly? Well, there are honestly tons of ways that you could interpret this!
You could simply travel in a new way, like taking a cruise, a train trip, or a road trip in an RV if those are things you’ve never done before. Or you could push yourself out of your comfort zone by taking a camping trip or going on a multi-day hike or traveling to a country with a totally unfamiliar culture.
14. Share your travels with others.
Earlier I talked about how taking a solo trip is a great New Year’s resolution, but sharing your travels with others is also an incredible experience. Although I often travel solo, I also love traveling with others.
You might set a goal to take a trip with family this year. Traveling with parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, kids, or grandkids is an amazing way to make memories together. Or you might plan a special, romantic couples’ getaway. Or go all out and plan an epic girls’ trip or guys’ trip with your friends.
15. Document your travels.
Finally, one more New Year’s resolution for travelers is to document your upcoming (or past) travels. There are so many ways that you can do this and whatever you choose, you’ll be so glad that you did it.
For example, you could make a photo book of past trips. You could start a travel journal and bring it with you on your upcoming trips. You could even start a travel blog to share you travel experiences with the world. Documenting your travels is a great way to preserve your memories for the future.
New Year’s Resolutions for Travelers
These are some of the best New Year’s resolutions for travelers.
Whether you want to travel more in the new year or just incorporate travel into your life in other ways (whether it’s through reading, cooking, or exploring your own city), these are some ideas for you.
Setting New Year’s resolutions is an excellent way to shape the upcoming year and turn your travel dreams into a reality. After all, studies have shown that just the act of physically writing down your goals make you more likely to achieve them! So I highly recommend taking the time to set some resolutions.
Happy traveling!
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