Travel Resolutions to Make (and Keep) in the New Year

Travel resolutions are different than the usual ones. They typically mean that you start doing something rather than limiting yourself on sweet treats and alcohol and, generally, happiness.

Good resolutions for travel make you feel better about yourself, not worse. You shouldn’t have to feel guilty around the new year. It doesn’t even have to feel like a time for renewal.

As you look to the new year, try to prioritize ways to bring a little more joy into your life rather than keep up with the Joneses, whoever they are.

Make resolutions that you’ll want to keep this year so you actually feel good about something for once in the new year. Here are some of my favorites.

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Rediscover your “why.”

The best travel advice is to travel with a purpose, no matter how small it is.

I’ve written at length about finding your why when it comes to travel. It can be a challenge to stick to that why when you’re feeling external pressures to travel a certain way, though.

If you decide to do any travel resolutions, do this: rediscover what you love about travel.

If you love connecting with your travel partner or travel buddies, make it a priority to plan a fresh trip with them in the new year. If you use travel to relax, don’t feel guilty about planning a getaway that’s all about lazy travel. 

Your travel dreams and bliss are just as valid as that acquaintance demanding you see this or that on an upcoming trip. They can add that to their New Year’s resolutions instead of giving you ideas for your own.

Practice the art of “no.”

You’ve done the reflective work around figuring out why you travel. Now feel free to say “no” to travel that doesn’t feel right or meet your needs.

Feeling resentful while you’re spending your limited vacation time and hard-earned cash is as bad as it sounds.

Don’t feel guilty about telling people you don’t want to go somewhere or take that big trip with them. If you’re always trying to please friends and family, you may run out of time for pleasing yourself.

That came out weird, but I think you know what I mean.

Give fewer f*cks.

Along those lines, we spend way too much of our time and energy caring about what other people think. There is power behind peeling away from the herd mentality we’re programmed to feel comfortable in and owning our choices.

I have a lot of work to do in this area, as there’s still a part of me that is very much a people-pleaser with a huge fear of rejection, but I’m working on it.

When it comes to travel, I think I’ve gotten better at making my own choices about how I’m going to spend my time and resources.

Isn’t it hilarious that so many people have opinions about how you should spend your money, by the way? Why should strangers on the Internet have so much power over what you do with your time? 

Frankly, who cares what your Aunt Karen thinks about your planned travel? She needs a new hobby.

Tune out the noise.

You don’t even need to listen to me if you don’t want to. There are a lot of opinions out there when it comes to travel tips.

Just about anyone can start a blog and spout off why three days in a destination aren’t enough or how to bypass drone regulations at the national parks.

Fun fact: Those both exist out in the world, by the way, and it’s trash advice. Please follow the rules at our national parks so that we can all enjoy them for years to come. That’s the end of that public service announcement.

Seek out advice or information that suits your needs or even any limitations you have in travel. If you’re afraid of flying and want tips on road trips, some nerd online shouldn’t make you feel bad about having a legit fear of air travel.

READ MORE: Road trips are great. Here are a few tips for traveling better as a couple if that’s your travel style.

Travel based on deals, not destinations.

If your goal is to save money all year to finally make that trip to Disney World happen, more power to you. The thing is, some places will always be expensive. 

If you’re in a pinch financially but really want to get away, there are hundreds of dollars to be saved by being smart about your travel planning. Plan your travel around deals you spot rather than a destination you have in mind.

Better yet, try to travel outside of peak seasons like the winter holidays or summer breaks. If that’s not possible, you can still save money if you take advantage of deals that pop up throughout the year.

My favorite tool for this is Going, formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights. It’s a subscription service that requires very little effort on your part. You just plug in your home airport(s) and watch flight deals come straight to your inbox. 

Skyscanner is great, too. That one allows you to watch flights until prices drop, even if you have to travel during a certain time of here. Be flexible with your thinking and the deals will come.

Explore closer to home.

It may not sound as glamorous as island-hopping in Thailand, but I know there are places closer to home that don’t require a passport for you to enjoy. Travel simply means going from one place to another. 

That new place can be a day trip closer to home or a quick trip to the next town over.

There are probably even places out there that you’ve been meaning to try but haven’t prioritized yet for one reason or another. 

I love being a tourist in places like Chicago, my hometown. My list of eateries and attractions to visit in Chicago is quite long. It can be very fun to be a tourist closer to home.

It may even feel more comfortable if you’re feeling a little stuck.

Try someplace new.

There is certainly something comfy and cozy about visiting that one favorite place year after year. If that’s your jam, I support you.

I could return to Italy approximately 423 times and it still likely wouldn’t be enough. (I thought about that number quite a bit.)

That said, it can be all kinds of fun trying something new when it comes to your travel habits. All resolutions should include trying out new things as part of the deal, even if they’re low-stakes. 

I’m not telling you to make yourself feel uncomfortable. It could be as simple as taking a day trip somewhere new within a short drive of your hometown. We’re all friends here. It all counts. 

Certainly, going big reaps some good rewards, as that might mean you find yourself somewhere wild like Easter Island or Perth, a jewel of Western Australia. (They don’t pay me to say that. I just really liked it there.)

Do something new that feels right for you.

Exit your comfort zone…or don’t.

Let’s expand on that last bit a little. We are too hard on ourselves for choosing to do things that feel good. The hustle mentality is trash. 

Fun fact: If your brain isn’t working one day for whatever reason, it probably means you need a mental health break, not that you should work through it. 

For some, extended reflection can lead to huge life changes like selling your San Diego home and becoming a digital nomad, then ditching that for life abroad.

If that sounds specific, it’s because it is.

READ MORE: We moved to France! Learn more about how we did it.

For others, it’s about reconnecting with things you love and realizing that some stillness is just fine, thank you very much.

I hate that we’re always telling people to get out of their comfort zones because it’s indeed such a comfortable place to be.

Who am I to tell someone to travel solo as a cure for their anxiety? We are not mental health professionals, people. We don’t all need to travel solo to be a better person.

In terms of travel, if you’ve always wanted to lead a more exciting life, do it. If travel for you is about other things, do that, instead. I’m just happy that you’re getting out there. That’s exciting enough. 

Expand your culinary horizons.

It can be very fun to get to know international travel more intimately through food. Heck, it’s fun to eat your way through your favorite domestic destinations, too. 

If you’re a picky eater because of limitations around food, that’s one thing I won’t touch. If you’re a picky eater because you think you just are, try to work on that.

If all you stick to is what you know, you’ll miss out on wonderful things that I guarantee you’ll find yummy if you give them a chance. Start with international snacks like weird chip flavors and unique sweet treats or bread slathered in cheese.

I know you can do it.

Also, you don’t need to visit every international McDonald’s. I get the appeal, but they really don’t need your cash as much as local establishments.

Eat better.

Along those lines, you don’t need to eat everything in sight to enjoy traveling.

As we get older and have more time for travel experiences, we’ve had to wrap our minds around the idea that while food is VERY important to us, it’s also about balance. 

Eating better can mean eating as the locals do.

Indulge where it makes sense, but explore the healthier side of things where you can, too. The locals aren’t out there feasting every night on every local specialty.

They can also get heartburn, too.

This isn’t about weight gain, by the way. I don’t give a hoot about resolutions to drop this many pounds or start a regular cross-training routine. If that’s what you’re after, get after it.

I’m talking about feeling better while you’re traveling and when it’s time to get back home.

If you’re beyond some dreaded age milestone as I am, drink more water while you’re at it. That one actually works. 

Commune with nature.

After moving from San Diego, we found it more challenging to get out there with threats of real seasons on the horizon. Whenever we can, though, we try to get those steps in as meaningful a way as possible.

We love day hikes, even when it seems like I don’t, and big step count days in destinations near and fear. We love walkable neighborhoods and peaceful walks well outside the city limits.

There is so much value in spending time outside, whether that’s hiking through the best national parks or walking to new places we want to see rather than driving.

It’s pretty dang good for you, too, and the ideal antidote for whatever ails you.

Get a good pair of walking shoes.

I’m not big on telling people what to wear while they’re out there until it comes to your safety or local customs. You should wear appropriate hiking gear and cover up in Bangkok temples, by the way. 

I am big on telling people that their travel will feel a whole lot better if they invest in a good pair of walking shoes.

I promise you won’t look like a tourist, either. Everyone all over the world loves a comfortable pair of shoes, and good shoes will let you do all the big things more comfortably.

Everyone wears sneakers, by the way, even in Paris.

Go off the beaten path…or don’t.

In the age of social media, is there anything that truly hasn’t been discovered yet?

I’m not about hanging out in overcrowded destinations overrun by influencers and pouty-lipped selfies, but I do think the idea of overrated travel destinations is overblown.

Your idea of going somewhere new may just be somewhere that’s new to you. I’m still missing quite a few of the “hot” destinations, so I’m rarely obsessed with finding the new “hot” thing. 

I’ve never been to Tulum, for example. Do I want to go at this point? It’s admittedly not super high on the list.

If your desire for the new year is to tick off a destination that has been on your bucket list forever, I’m proud of you. Get after it.

If you really want to find some random spot that will make your mother all, “I don’t even know what that means,” I love that for you, too.

Be a more well-prepared traveler.

Well-planned travel is always so much more enjoyable for me than travel on the fly. Spontaneity is not my strong suit and likely something I should work on — it’s coming in this list, even! — but some planning tips are good for the soul. 

Here are my top three faves:

• Embrace the new ways. Some things just haven’t returned to the old ways since it-that-shall-not-be-named. That includes pre-booking the biggest tourism sites, following travel news, and making dinner reservations.
• Book accommodations ahead of time. If you arrive at a new place thinking you’ll get some hot deal upon arrival, 9/10 times that’s a fool’s errand. I know that 1/10 times is what keeps you up at night, but I promise it’s best to book ahead.
• Make this the last year you take a trip without knowing any of the local language. Be a better tourist. Be a more respectful visitor. The locals will treat you better and they’ll appreciate you tried.

Humble yourself.

This goes out to the travel bloggers out there, too. When you’re cranky about big crowds, long lines, or loud spaces, remind yourself that you’re there, too.

You’re contributing to all of it. Places are crowded because other people want to see them, too.

Pack your commonsense and your patience. Take those deep breaths. Do whatever you need to do to sound like less of an ass when you’re retelling the story about such-and-such tourists.

We were all those lost, poky, even ignorant tourists at some point in our lives. I promise you. Ideally, we’ve learned from it, but that requires some self-awareness that not everyone possesses.

Use your vacation time.

If all you have time to plan is a weekend staycation, run with it. I’d just really love for you all to use that vacation time for what it’s intended for, a vacation away from your day-to-day. 

It’s a time to destress and regroup, or if you’re on a European trip with me, return more tired than when you left.

I’m working on mellowing out a bit.

If you’re an American like me, using all of your available time off is such a foreign concept. We all think it makes us look weak somehow, or like a bad employee. It’s just not true, though. Your employers are trying to trick you. 

I promise that even if you have to leave your current job permanently, that same job will survive without you. They’ll just hire someone else. As a former teacher, this was a cold hard fact to realize every time I felt guilt over leaving one school for a better situation.

You are replaceable. Travel experiences are not.

REALLY use your vacation time.

If you’re on vacation but still checking your work email, you have one foot in that trip and another back at work. That’s fine if you planned it that way. If you’re nomadic, the lines can get even more blurry between work and play. 

If you were planning to use your trip as a way to regroup and destress from the job you left behind, do the thing you came on this trip to do. Regroup and destress.

No one will thank you for working on your vacation. They’ll just know they can take advantage of you next time, too.

Get with the program.

There are all kinds of tools out there that can make travel so much easier, from planning your trip to making it more efficient once you’re at your destination.

Make travel work for you for a change with these tools to simplify travel:

• FlightAware: If you live somewhere with seasons, you know weather delays are a regular occurrence. Use this app to watch your flights. It can help you plan your arrival at the airport and mentally prepare for grounded flights.
• Google Flights: I’ve already gone into my deal-hunting ways with Going and Skyscanner, but Google Flights remains a key part of my arsenal. It’s also fun to explore based on travel dates if you’re flexible on destination.
• Seat Guru: Never sit right behind the lav again with this tool that gives you seat maps for more than 1,200 different aircraft. If you rarely pay for upgrades like us, it’s pretty clutch.
• Splitwise: Traveling with friends? Splitwise is our go-to app for splitting up travel costs so that no one ever feels like someone got away with something. I know I’m all about paying my debts, but I’m not about paying everyone else’s.
• TripIt: I love a good Google doc, but this is a free app that organizes all of your itineraries in one place. The best part is, it’s accessible whether you have a WiFi signal or not.

Plan for travel.

We always mean well at the start of the year. We’re awash with possibilities about all of the places on our bucket list around the world, and setting intentions about this being the year to make some of that happen.

Then the year actually starts and time starts to slip away from you.

Life gets overwhelming through no fault of your own. You forget about that time you were all dreamy-eyed about finally making it out to Petra or that multi-city Italian vacation.

Don’t let your future resolutions for travel become a thing of the past. Don’t allow your travel resolutions to fall by the wayside like your plans to replace your Pringles habit with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Have a plan and stick to it. Manifest it if you must. Set reminders. 

Do what you need to do to make the coming year the travel year you deserve.

Be spontaneous. 

On the other hand, it can also be very fun to just get up and go when the opportunity presents itself. A day trip nearby doesn’t require much other than the will to make it happen. 

I realize sometimes it’s physically hard to get off the couch, especially when there’s a new season of this or that out on Netflix. I have faith, though. You can do it.

Pack a day bag and hit the road.

If you’re feeling super adventurous, you can be spontaneous in a bigger way, too. Book a trip on a whim or on a great deal you scoped out thanks to the travel tools I’ve shared with you. It may become your new favorite destination, entirely by accident.

Note: Don’t be afraid of switching gears, either. We’ve completely changed our travel plans in favor of saving money by going elsewhere, and have lived to tell the tale. 

Do some good.

I try to choose new organizations to donate to regularly, especially when there’s political strife over issues like women’s rights. We could be better about using travel as a force for good in the coming year.

Travel comes with so much privilege.

Not everyone can do it, even when I’m talking about easy day trips closer to home. People have responsibilities at home that I know nothing about. 

Some people are caregivers to their elderly relatives. Others work multiple jobs to put food on the table. It’s a lot to think about. How great would it be if we considered that privilege when we traveled?

This can be supporting a local nonprofit in the destination of your choice or joining tours that employs at-risk groups. You can go bigger and plan a trip around helping people or shine a light on eco-tourism as part of your green resolutions for a healthier planet.

We got a taste of this on a trip a few years back to an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. It was so meaningful to hear about the work done by volunteers who got so little in return.

I suppose the love of some adorable rescue elephants is probably enough thanks for them. 

Note: I just urge you not to treat this kind of tourism as an opportunity for attention or clout, unless it’s directed at shining a spotlight on a problem or a group working to fix it. 

It’s one thing to promote a group doing good. It’s another to take smiley selfies with children of color living in poverty. It’s a thing, and it’s gross. Make some easy resolutions about not doing that, OK?

Relax.

This isn’t about lazy travel. I’ve already told you that you probably need a vacation.

This is about putting less pressure on travel. I’ve seen a lot of travel resolutions look at the promise of a whole new year as the time to book the big trip.

Not everyone can pull the trigger on something like that. I’m not here to tell you to stretch yourself thin because of some external pressures that make you feel bad about not doing so.

Now, if you’re holding out hope that your one flaky friend will finally agree to do the thing and THAT’S why you’re holding out, by all means, book the damn trip.

If the idea of “big” travel stresses you out, don’t feel guilty about not being able to make that happen. This goes back to tuning out the noise. Travel should be something that feels good.

Treat travel as self-care.

The most important thing in travel is that you stay true to your reasons for travel. It should also never feel like a burden.

Travel shouldn’t be all that stressful, even if it’s a family road trip. With some planning ahead of your trip, including that delicious moment where you set that out-of-office on your work email, your trip can be everything you want it to be.

If you want your trip to be less about sightseeing and more about taking it easy, stick to that. Treat your trip as self-care, however you define that. 

For me, it’s stressful to think about going to a new place and whiling the days away in a local cafe. There’s a museum over there and a food truck that I really wanted to try and a real World Heritage Site just down the street.

I’m not all that fun on beach vacations, either. I like to do all the things.

You don’t have to be like me, though. You do you. Travel isn’t a team sport, even if you’re rolling in a group.

Make your wishes known in that case, by the way, because you don’t want to resent your travel buddies on the flip side.

Travel can be exciting, moving, and exhausting, all at the same time. It can also be restorative. Plan the trip you want and then take that trip.

This is your year!

You don’t plan travel goals around the new year, either.

Think about what’s driving you to write your travel resolutions. If it’s driven by peer pressure or other outside influences like an upcoming New Year’s deadline, it may be time to reevaluate.

Do what you need to do to set those intentions in motion, though, and keep things realistic. If you don’t have enough cash in the bank to go to Antarctica, that shouldn’t be your travel goal for the coming year. (You need to plan further ahead.)

Don’t let that stop you from dreaming up plans for the year after, though.