This year I will go to the gym; I will eat less chocolate; I will lose weight.
Yup - New Year's resolutions we have all made and which have fallen by the wayside quicker than we made them.
So how about making resolutions you can actually keep? Resolutions you will want to keep? It is easy - make resolutions about the thing you love most - travel.
Here are some great ideas for travel New-Year's resolutions you can and want to keep!
Get active
And we don't mean going to the gym. Instead, resolve to go on a hiking or cycling vacation. Travelling on two feet or two wheels you cover a much smaller area but you get to see that area in depth. We offer them for all different fitness levels. Check out our posts about the world's most popular hikes or the ten most popular cycling trips.
Do something you never thought you would
For some this may be doing an active trip. For me personally it was going to Antarctica. It had never been much on my radar yet it turned out to be one of the best trips I had ever done. And last year I ended up visiting Chernobyl, something I was hesitant about given the radiation. It turned out to be one of the most interesting (spooky/sad/life-changing) day trips ever.
Make a bucket list (give yours)
You don't even have to leave home to do this. Make it, revise it often and look it at whenever you plan a trip. We have all heard about people who suddenly were not able to travel anymore. What if that were you - did you see what you wanted to see?
Here are some of the items and destinations on my (ever-expanding) bucket list: Armenia & Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, l'Anse aux Meadows, Caribou migration, Kamchatka, NW Passage, sky diving, Wildebeest Migration, balloon ride, dive/swim with humpbacks, see the monarch butterflies in Mexico, raft the Grand Canyon, hike the Faroe Islands.
Make a dream come true
Take a good look at your bucket list. Now pick one item and make it happen. A year ago I travelled to South Georgia. It had been on my bucket list for 17 years. What dream will you fulfill this year?
Spend more time with your family
Perhaps you (grand)children live in different parts of the country. Perhaps their lives are so busy you do not get to see them as often as you want. One way to see lots of them and to get to know them, is taking a trip together. Check our tips on how to plan a great multi-generational trip together. Quit your job and travel
I love my job but I remember times when it was not so great. And I resolved it by quitting my job and travel. It allowed me to get a new perspective on life, recharge my batteries and think about the next chapter.
Take a sabbatical
Of course quitting your job is not an option for everyone. But taking a sabbatical of a few months or even a year might be more within reach than you think. Check your employer's sabbatical policy or, in the absence of one, when your employer offers a raise, ask for a few months off instead. Worried about derailing your career? Check out these tips from monster.com.
Go volunteer
Giving back is huge during the holiday season. But what if you could do more and help people in need overseas for a sustained amount of time? A good place to start is Me to We.
Learn a language
Imagine how much your travels will be enriched when you speak the local language! Scour your local yellow pages for language schools or book a local living trip with G-Adventures.
Get sustainable
While our particular brand of travel, in small groups using small hotels, is one of the more sustainable ways to travel, there is no doubt we can do better. And you can help! The biggest source of carbon emissions related to travel is flying. Resolve to offset your flights this year!
Just do it!
No matter what you resolve to do this year, remember this: when you are 90 and sit on your veranda in your rocking chair.... will you remember what you did or regret what you didn't do?