Most New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside because people often attempt things that are difficult to do. Sometimes they can be difficult and unpleasant even though they are good for us. That includes things like losing weight or getting healthy, changing their outlook on life and becoming more positive or being more philanthropic. You can accomplish any number of these resolutions by making a resolution to travel more in the New Year.
We’ve discussed the many benefits of travel on this blog such as the reasons that travel makes us thankful for things and people. Other blog posts have explored how travel makes us better people. Although these blog posts can be a good starting point for traveling more as your primary New Year’s resolution, let’s see if we can up the ante with some more personal goals that are often part of our New Year’s resolution.
Fitness and Travel for New Year’s
Getting fit is on the list of New Year’s resolutions for many people and is often a resolution that holds special significance for those suffering from sleep apnea. You can combine the get fit resolution with the travel resolution by planning a trip or vacation that allows you to get out into the outdoors such as a backpacking trip.
Our country and the rest of the world have some real beauty that can best be explored on a bike or hitting the trail. You don’t even have to choose a destination that emphasizes bike trips or hiking. Just pick a destination and when you get there, rent a bike and explore or go on a guided bike tour if you’re less adventurous.
The same holds true for hiking. You don’t even have to hit the wooded or dusty trail. You can hit the shopping trail and just walk. If you’re a skier, how about a ski vacation to combine travel and exercise for meeting your New Year’s resolution? Even if you’re more the low velocity type, you can still travel to a ski resort for some great sledding or snow shoeing. The possibilities are almost endless.
Emotional Outlook and Travel
Cultivating a healthier outlook on life seems like hard work as a New Year’s resolution. Of course, travel in and of itself can do wonders for our outlook (see the two blog posts in the second paragraph). The key is to make sure that the trip is low on stress and geared to relaxation as well as getting in touch with the inner you.
Every one of the fitness and travel for New Year’s ideas will certainly fit the bill, so you could knock out three resolutions in one trip. You can also expand your horizons by choosing trips to a health resort that caters to your mental as well as physical needs along with the fun.
Dropping a Vice & Travel Resolution
Let’s be clear here. Quitting smoking, drinking, caffeine and sugar are all pretty involved vices to rid ourselves of. That doesn’t mean that you can’t use travel along with the other tools and techniques on your journey to rid yourself of one of these vices as part of a New Year’s resolution.
Once you’ve started on the road to recovery in terms of dropping the vice, travel can be both great therapy and reward for your progress. Choose any of the other suggestions and you can quadruple your resolution power. Exercise is always part of ridding ourselves of any of the aforementioned vices, and spas or resorts that cater to physical and mental health (as well as fun) are no brainers when it comes to assistance in kicking the habit.
Maybe you could go further afield and visit a non-smoking country like Singapore or Jamaica. There are still more than 200 dry counties here in the U.S. and many of them are beautiful places to travel and explore.
Giving Back and Travel Resolution
You’ve been telling yourself that it’s time to be more philanthropic in the New Year, but it’s hard to kick start the process. If you have the urge to give back and volunteer some of your time to a good cause, consider a week helping a local charity. Or, if you want to spread your wings, think about reaching out to an organization like Smaller Earth, which provides both short- and long-term opportunities to volunteer in some of the world’s most remote communities.
As you can see, you can mix and match your resolutions and pair them with travel in interesting ways that make it easier, more exciting and more fun to keep your resolutions. The ability to do it while seeing more of your own backyard, the country or the world is more than just a Kickstarter; it’s a life changer.