New Year’s Resolutions every traveler needs to follow

Last Updated on January 5, 2015 by Christine Kaaloa

Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions ( every Traveler needs to follow)
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Each year I go through a ritual of making my new year’s resolutions. I seriously get jazzed about making  them. But magically, this year, ... I didn’t make any.

With my life being in a constant state of flux last year, it was difficult to lock my goals down. Refining my blog, work and life happened continuously at each corner. Trial and error, back to square one.. try another avenue.  It happened at such a pace that I couldn’t gauge anything.  I mean .. nothing.  I was one giant wonderball of change.  All the highlights and successes of my year, I didn’t even aim for or predict.

So goal making predictions… I’m not doing this year.

Nope. Instead,  I’m going to aim for traveler’s resolutions and I’m not making the goal “to travel more”. Comm’on, people.  We’re beyond that, right?

Living like a traveler during our vacations and in our home life is something to aspire to.

Top 5 New Year’s Travel Resolutions (every travelers need to follow):

 

 1. Cultivate and congratulate yourself for first times.

There are first times for everything.  Luckily, with travel there are gazillions of first tines and they’re all important to recognize. Most of them push you to be more adventurous.. to step outside of your bubble and do something you haven’t done yet. Whether your push is just a puddle jump, it’s still a leap outside your comfort zone.

Change is a good thing and you’ll be glad you tried it.  Celebrate it photo it, do a shout out on Facebook.  Each time you celebrate and congratulate yourself , it will inspire you to look for more first times… You’ll see more adventurous and courageous options.

 2. Make Travel your Workout and Diet

Did you know you can lose weight when you travel? When I was younger my New Year’s Resolutions list would always start with: #1. Lose 15 pounds.

Often, I was a slavedriver to this goal and felt defeated when I couldn’t lose the weight or fell off my wagon (in say, a week).  Exercise works better when you’re excited about it. By incorporating your travel excitement as your workout, you’ll find many options which make you jazzed about exerting physical energy.  Explore local transportation, walk a lot, take trekking tours, snorkel and diving certification classes or join photography expeditions. Just sightseeing alone is physical activity and coupled with the travel stress we encounter,… it all burns extra calories!

When I get home, I find my pants are always looser!

3.  Be a Traveler:  Go local

There’s always a debate about the difference between a tourist and a traveler.  I’ll give you my definition and you can agree to disagree later.  A tourist is drawn to the more passive aspects of the travel experience.  Sightseeing and learning about the environment without getting their hands dirty or experience anything authentic.    A traveler is someone seeking a more active and authentic experience, isn’t afraid to “get their hands dirty” and enter’s the local arena wanting to experience things the way locals do:  sample street food, get around via public transportation, meet locals, etc…  Be a traveler: actively seek the authentic.

new years travel resolutions, tourist vs traveler
What’s a tourist vs traveler?

4. Social responsibility

The more I travel, the less I want to see the destruction of natural environments . Practice good cultural etiquette and respect the traditions, I’m more conscious of the environment and whether I’m being wasteful. For some that means being eco friendly and saving on the environment- dumping their trash in receptacle bins. Or turning off lights in the hotel.  For others it may being more conscious of local community and animal safety.   These days I find myself avoiding activities which hurt our natural environment.  Animal are cute, but sometimes the way they’re used or cared for in animal attractions is just plain sad and cruel.  How can I share my culture or my experience vs. just take.

5.  Don’t make resolutions.  Just do it.

Just be conscious of it.  Find reasons why it matters to you and care about yourself, the experience and others, enough to know it’s going to happen.  Maybe not perfectly, but it’ ll happen.

What are your new year’s travel resolutions?  Have any to add that you think other travelers should follow?  Share it.

new years travel resolutions,
New Years Travel Resolutions: What’s yours?

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