So, you want to travel more? Here are 10 new year’s resolutions to travel more this year.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If a product is purchased using one of the following links, I may earn a small commission from the brand at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Although the past couple of years have restricted travel and put a seemingly unending pause on making your dream vacations reality, I firmly believe that this upcoming year has something different in store for you as a traveler.
Before you become doubtful, I suggest implementing a few extremely tangible new year’s resolutions for travelers that will lead you to the traveling life you have always dreamed of.
And, to help you get started, I have laid out 10 attainable new year’s resolutions to travel more this year, right here, just for you! (Plus a complete guide on how to travel more here.)
1. Designate a category for travel in your monthly budget.
The biggest barrier between hopeful travelers and actually traveling is usually budget.
Traveling costs money (and sometimes a lot of money), so if your monthly budget does not allow financial room for travel, traveling will never truly be a part of your life.
I lay out how to save money to travel here — How To Budget For Travel In 9 Easy Steps — so I will refrain from talking your ears off in this new year’s resolution guide. But, if you don’t have time to read that whole in-depth article, just remember this:
Make “travel” a new category in your monthly budget separate from other spending money categories, so that you are actively saving toward your next big trip every month.
I suggest dedicating somewhere between 5-10% of your monthly income to this new travel category. Five percent is a tiny fraction of your income, but you will be surprised to see how quickly that percentage adds up to your next trip.
2. Tour one touristy place in your hometown.
Nearly every city has at least one museum, famous building, cultural center, hotel, nature trail or the like.
But, for whatever reason, it seems as though the majority of seasoned travelers have neglected to play tourist within their own hometowns (myself included).
I personally have been meaning to visit my hometown’s (Appleton, Wis., USA) famous Hearthstone Museum, the world’s very first house fueled by hydroelectric power.
Where is one place local to you that you have been meaning to visit?
3. Learn 5 words in a new language.
“Learn a new language” is a new year’s resolution that is frequently added to many travelers’ agendas.
However, the reality is that learning a new language really cannot be done in a single year, even with extensive cultural and lingual immersion.
This is why this recurring new year’s resolution seems to be a constant let down for those who attempt it. Those who attempt it end up quitting because it is simply too difficult.
Learning just five words in a new language, on the other hand, is a totally attainable new year’s resolution for travelers. Here are the steps to nailing down these five new words:
- Choose the new language.
- Choose the words (or better yet, phrases) you would like to learn.
- Look them up on a reliable online resource or language dictionary like linguee.com or wordreference.com (not Google translate).
- Practice the pronunciation.
- Practice the pronunciation again. And again.
- (Bonus) Learn full sentences with the words or phrases in the language.
- (Extra Bonus) Travel to the country of origin and use the words or phrases with the locals!
4. Go on at least one hike.
There are fantastic places to hike everywhere. You do not have to be next-door neighbors with a national park to go on a great hike.
I, as well as thousands of other seasoned travelers, love using the All Trails app and website to discover and navigate hikes both nearby and when traveling.
Or, perhaps hiking outdoors isn’t your thing. Is shopping more your cup of tea? Take a hike through a mall in a new city! All that walking and carrying heavy shopping bags is hard work. I think it counts.
5. Visit at least 5 new cities. (New Year’s Resolutions Travel More)
This new year’s resolution to help you travel more is pretty self-explanatory.
Again, you do not need to fly across the world to tour a new city. You could fly to a city located in the same country as you, or you could even drive 20 minutes down the highway to the next city over. You never know what hidden gems you’ll find.
6. Step outside of your comfort zone at least once.
Even though your comfort zone and fears are naturally instilled inside of you to protect you, sometimes they can be just a little overprotective.
Likewise, in order to travel more than you have ever traveled before, you will inevitably need to step outside of your comfort zone. After all, traveling is inherently stepping outside of your geographical comfort zone.
Therefore, challenge your fears that you know deep-down are being overprotective by stepping outside of your comfort zone at least once. This could be something as small as calling up a friend to chat or as large as moving abroad solo!
7. Study cultural competence for one hour every month.
Some travelers are culturally competent without even realizing it. Other travelers — or should I say, most travelers — on the contrary, need a little boost to fully elevate from tourist to cultured traveler.
Either way, understanding the definition of cultural competence is an admirable new year’s resolution for all travelers.
Similarly, not only is cultural competence an important characteristic for every global traveler to develop, but cultural competence is vital for every single working person in this continuously globalizing world. You can learn why here: 5 Benefits Of Cultural Competence In Everyday Life.
8. Make a Pinterest board of your dream destination. (New Year’s Resolutions Travel More)
This new year’s resolution for travelers is a super easy and totally fun new year’s resolution to help you travel more.
If you do not have a Pinterest account yet, build one and locate “Add Board” on your profile page. Name the board after your wildest dream travel destination, and start searching on the Pinterest home feed search bar for the destination’s photos and value-packed travel guides. Finally, save the resulting Pins that spark your interest to the board for you to refer back to when you’re ready to actually plan the trip.
(To get your searching started, I have tons of free travel photos and travel guides on my Pinterest. Follow me and find all of my free guides here!)
9. Follow 10 new travel creators on Instagram.
Similar to creating a dream-travel Pinterest board, following 10 travel creators on Instagram (or any other social platform you would prefer) will expose you to just how realistic traveling actually is for you, ultimately firing you up to finally book the trip.
Of course, I myself am an active Instagram travel creator, so you should absolutely follow me (although I may be biased). You can find tons of free travel tips, guides, photos and relatable travel content from me by clicking here: @indigosahara.
Additionally, here are my top ten current favorite travel creators on Instagram. (I tried to add a couple of men to the list, but I personally follow mostly women. There are tons of incredibly talented male travel creators on Instagram too though!)
- Bree from @eyeofshe
- Renee Hahnel from @reneeroaming
- Hayley Andersen from @haylsa
- Jorden Tually from @jordentually
- Allison Anderson from @photoallison
- Ian and Ana from @theotherside_vlog
- Christine Tran Ferguson from @tourdelust
- Mark Harrison from @markharrison4
- Amy Seder from @amyseder
- Hannah Rheaume from @hannahrheaume
10. Make at least one investment in yourself as a traveler. (New Year’s Resolutions Travel More)
The final push! It’s time to invest all of that money and energy you have collected and actually put it toward your travels and/or yourself as a traveler.
This new year’s resolution for travelers is open-ended on purpose. The investment could be:
- A trip you have been dying to go on.
- A simple weekend getaway to recharge your work-life balance.
- An online course.
- A retreat.
- A new camera or camera lens (you can find all of the best budget travel gear for beginners here).
- A new suitcase.
Or, basically anything else that will help you travel more this year.
Do you feel ready for 2023? Comment which 2023 new year’s resolution to travel more you’re most excited to conquer below!
More Tips To Travel More
How To Travel More This Year
How To Budget For Travel In 9 Easy Steps
Saving Money For Travel: Tips For When You’re Broke
Save These New Year’s Resolutions For Later
Save these travel new year’s resolutions for later reference by sharing them with others.
Leave a Reply