5 common New Year's resolutions and how to accomplish them through travel

Don’t blink or you’ll miss it, but the new year is upon us and that means it’s time for everyone to sit down, dig deep, and come up with ways in which we can improve and grow during the year ahead.

I don’t know about you, but it feels good to put these resolutions on paper and then not-so-much to try to live and breathe the “new me” every day from then on. Things fall to the wayside, morning alarms go ignored, and the inevitable rat race of work returns.

My solution? Travel.

No, it’s not for everyone and yes, it can certainly be uncomfortable at times, but I guarantee that you will be able to accomplish a bulk, if not all, of the resolutions you have set for yourself by committing to explore the world in the upcoming year, whether it’s on the other side of the planet or in your backyard.

Here are 5 common New Year’s resolutions and how travel can help you to carry out them all!

1. EXERCISE MORE

Skiing in the Alps, walking along the canals of Venice in Italy, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro - it all sounds like exercise to me and if I’m being honest, far more exciting than walking on a treadmill.

I get it, those are only for a moment in time and work is calling, but let’s be honest: eventually, our brains will become used to the sunrise alarms that beckon our presence at the gym, sleeping through them without a second thought.

What are we supposed to do then? The answer is to change it up!

I bet waking up for a sunrise stroll up Cerro Ancon to look out across the Panama Canal would get the juices flowing. The best part is that it doesn’t even come close to feeling like exercise because it’s a new experience.

I understand that it’s often not possible to travel for extensive periods of time to truly accomplish a sustained exercise goal, but in the very least being active abroad can mix-up your routine and re-ignite that passion to exercise regularly once returning home.

Even if you’re unable to leave the country, try going for a walk through a part of town you’ve never been and explore something new. There are plenty of ways to accomplish this New Year’s resolution through travel!

View from atop Cerro Ancon in Panama City, Panama

2. LEARN SOMETHING NEW

This resolution is as simple or as complicated as you’d like to make it.

One of the reasons why the travel bug will forever be engrained in my DNA is the sense of challenge and accomplishment that comes with gallivanting around the globe.

Whenever I wake up in a foreign country and become engulfed by the fear of the unknown, there’s only ever one choice: learn something new to make it feel like home. Learn the public transit system. Learn the conversational parts of a local language. Learn how to grocery shop.

No, these aren’t necessarily lifelong skills that I’m going to take back to the comforts of my house, but I think the adaptability, flexibility, and determination needed to overcome these obstacles can only help to create lasting internal growth.

If something tangible is more your scene, don’t run away. There’s still an easy way to learn something new!

Make a concerted effort to enhance your photography skills as you go about your day-to-day life, whip up some homemade pasta under the tutelage of a master chef in Milan, or even kick off your martial arts career by taking a beginner class in Japan.

Quite honestly, this is the easiest New Year’s resolution to accomplish through travel because of the endless possibilities!

A photo of Seattle, Washington during my first trip with the sole purpose of learning about photography

3. SAVE MONEY

This one seems a bit counterintuitive, and I get it. There are all sorts of costs associated with getting out and seeing the world: flights, insurance, and luggage, just to name a few.

Saving money is geared more towards those embarking on a bit of slow travel in the year ahead and if that’s you then congrats — it’s time to pad your wallet… destination dependent, of course!

It’s no secret that the street food in Thailand is dirt cheap or accommodations in Central America are insanely affordable. Once actually on the ground at your destination, you’ll start saving on these basic needs and that leaves more leeway to explore and try something new which, conveniently enough, also checks of the New Year’s resolution we just covered above!

If slow travel isn’t in the cards, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of luck.

Start reflecting on your choices during the weekends or holidays off from work. Exploring the outdoors or even a mini road trip can help to keep costs low while simultaneously taming the nagging travel bug that lives inside all of us, at least for a short while.

Outside of a tank of gas, there’s minimal spending required which will help to keep more coin in the bank and allow you to plan that adventure abroad you’ve been dreaming about.

Sure hiking in your backyard isn’t roaming around New Zealand, but you’ll still get plenty of bang for your buck, not to mention the fresh air!

Hiking in Oregon, USA

4. LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST

It’s important to realize that living life to the fullest looks different for everyone.

For me, some of the most memorable experiences I’ve had, such as chasing the Northern Lights in Finland or getting lost during a hike to find the Choclon Waterfall in Panama, are what have filled me up the most.

They have challenged me, opened my eyes, and, as a result, have left me walking away knowing that I’m a better person.

Is that the gold standard for everyone else? Absolutely not, but the thing is, how do you know what’s for you if you don’t try?

Part of living life to the fullest is not only about doing the things we know will fill us, but also putting ourselves in positions to try the things we’re unsure about.

So, here’s my challenge to you: get out and see the world, but force yourself to experience something new while doing it. It's the only way to truly learn what living life to the fullest means to you!

Finding Choclon Waterfall in Panama was our “live life to fullest” moment this year

5. VOLUNTEER MORE

It’s always a struggle to find time to volunteer in everyday life, isn’t it? It’s not that you’re a bad person. It’s just that the one Saturday you have off is for relaxing.

It’s ok! There’s an answer to your problem and it’s a thing called voluntourism.

This new way of traveling has quickly become a booming industry, with thousands of experiences scattered across the globe that include everything from protecting sea turtles in Costa Rica to teaching recreational classes at a local school in Fiji.

You certainly don’t have to volunteer for your entire trip, maybe a day or two here and there, but it’s a great way to connect with the local culture, check this resolution off the list, and feel good about the impact that you’ll be leaving behind!

Although voluntourism is on the rise, it’s still important to do adequate research ahead of time as to the reputation of organizations that you consider working with. It’s sad to think about, but there are people who won’t hesitate to take advantage of not only the kindness of strangers but even the people who these programs are created to help.

That’s not to say don’t do volunteer abroad, just be sure to know who you’re doing it with. There are still plenty of reputable programs that could really use the support!

Heather Elliott volunteering in Ghana with The Senase Project

So, what do you think? Is traveling in your cards for the year ahead? I hope so! Just remember that you don’t have to go far to accomplish these New Year’s resolutions. Simply get out and go explore… whatever that means, wherever it takes you, and however you get there!

Stay safe & happy travels, everyone.

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How I Caught The Travel Bug: and 3 reasons why I can't let it go

I vividly remember standing there on the shores of Hopfen, Germany. It was the summer before my senior year of high school and I was captivated by my first taste of international exploration. Although I was there to play soccer, what I remember most are the cows grazing the fields behind our apartments, the majestic Alps rising high above the blue water of the lake, and the quaint town with its endless schnitzel. I didn’t know it at the time - I don’t think I quite knew how to process it all - but that was my first experience with the travel bug.

I should have guessed that something had shifted. Things that were once important to me stopped taking up space in my brain. Whenever my mind would drift, it would take me straight back to that scene, standing there on the shores of the lake. Suddenly the excitement, awe, and desire to see more would keep me at the edge of my seat, working my way through Google Earth, scanning it all to find the next great adventure.

Fast forward to 2009, I was a freshman at Ithaca College. At that point in my life, I had shifted back to a more rigid mindset. Work hard, get good grades, and be successful. I had no intention of studying abroad, but then everything changed.

As I walked down a narrow corridor towards the sub shop on campus, I passed a poster for Semester at Sea. I was 5ft. from where I was going and this small 8x11 piece of paper stopped me in my tracks. I took it off of the bulletin board, sat down on a nearby staircase, and started to read and re-read every single detail. I was completely and utterly entranced as the world passed me by.

The idea of an opportunity like this had utterly captivated me. Once again, everything else I had on my plate was brushed to the side so I could focus on the important thing: doing anything possible to make a semester abroad happen. I spent the entire summer working two jobs, saving as much as possible to go out and see the world.

Have you ever had an experience that's so comfortable that it’s odd? That’s what Semester at Sea was. 

I’ve never been good at social situations. It gives me anxiety to even think about it; I overanalyze, overthink, and can never come up with something to contribute unless I’m addressed directly. Even then I fumble over the words. 

Why did 19-year old me think it was a good idea to put myself in the middle of the unknown, surrounded by people I’ve never met? Still, to this day, I don’t know have an answer to that question. With that being said, I’m incredibly glad that I forced myself into it.

Suddenly it was the day of embarkation and as we watched Halifax silently disappear on the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean, I still had no idea what I was doing. The next 110 days were a whirlwind, but I walked away with some of the closest friends I’ll ever have, all because one thing brought us together: travel. 

That’s a bond of the purest form and one that can never be broken. We’ve all gone our separate ways and haven’t traveled together since, but whenever we catch up we always reminisce about the stories that we created together, all without missing a beat.

After returning to Ithaca for the rest of my sophomore year, I started to understand that the travel bug wasn’t just a phenomenon that people mentioned in passing. It was real. This time it wasn’t going to loosen its grip and to be fair, I didn’t want to let it.

I’m not sure what the tipping point was, exactly. Maybe it was the sleeper bus in China that dropped us on the side of the highway at 2 am, or climbing Lionshead Peak in South Africa as the sun set over the ocean. It could have been the time in Ghana when our van broke down on a dirt road right in front of the only house in sight and we ended up playing with the family for what felt like hours, far longer than was needed to fix our transportation. Whatever it was, I’m grateful that it happened.

From that point on I’ve always known that deep down traveling was more than simply buying a plane ticket and snapping some pictures; I had fallen in love with it. The aerial views from a window seat, the taxi rides in the wrong direction, the regular doses of PeptoBismol; all of it.

Don’t get me wrong, I go through the rollercoaster of thinking along the lines of what some might term logical: Get a job, find a stable career, live comfortably, and be happy. 

If you’re reading this and think that I need to control my desire to perpetually wander the world, you wouldn’t be the first person to tell me that and I’d be willing to bet that you won’t be the last.

To my credit, I’ve tried. The last four years have taken me around the globe to some amazing places for work, but what many don’t realize is that traveling for work and truly traveling are two very different things. It was too comfortable. I couldn’t do it anymore.

So here I sit, writing this blog and hoping that it puts me out of my comfort zone all the while maybe, just maybe, inspiring you to do the same. After all, what better way to expand your borders than by living beyond their walls?

At the end of the day, it’s simple: I can’t stop traveling, I won’t stop exploring, and here’s why:

THE CHALLENGE

Dropping myself into a country where I don’t know anyone, a place where I don’t speak a lick of the language or have the slightest idea of how to navigate the city. That’s my greatest joy.

I’m not going to lie to you: it’s difficult. Even scary at times. There are days that I don’t want to leave whatever apartment I’m temporarily calling home, because those 4 walls are the only protection I have from the unknown.

When I overcome the fear, the concept of comfort expands beyond those same walls and suddenly I’ve overcome the challenges I once faced; I’ve learned a different way of life.

THE DRAMA

There’s a reason why so many of us are addicted to reality television: the drama. But what if there was a way to experience it first hand instead of sitting on the couch?

I’m not talking about the “he said – she said” BS.

I’m talking about running through the airport as the gate to your next flight is closing and you hear your name paged throughout the terminal. Your heart starts to beat faster as you feel the endorphins releasing, your forehead starts to perspire and then you realize that it’s out of your hands. What’s the universe going to throw at you next? How are you going to deal with it?

If this sounds stressful to you, that’s because it is! It’s in those situations that you grow. You learn to cope with wherever you are, whoever you are with, and whatever is happening. A valuable skill to have in life, indeed.

When I think about drama, I can’t help but remember the time that I was sitting on a train in Morocco when it suddenly broke down. Not knowing any of the local dialect, my friends and I struggled to communicate with the woman that shared our compartment. As the train delay dragged on, the closer all of us became, eventually laughing the rest of the way to Marrakesh. A dramatic situation successfully turned into a lifelong memory!

THE PURE JOY

Yes, traveling makes you happy. That’s a well-documented fact. I’m not necessarily referring to the personal joy it brings (although it does bring plenty), but rather the joy you get to witness in every place you go.

When someone you’ve only just met on the street invites you into their home, encourages you to sit in their chair while they make themselves comfortable on the ground, and fills your stomach with a seemingly endless supply of food (all the while never asking for as much as a cent in return), it touches you. Witnessing the magnitude of joy and generosity they exude is contagious and you walk away a better person because of it.

So, let me sum it all up for you. My name is Chris and I have the best problem in the world: I love to travel.

What are some of your most memorable travel experiences? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for following along!

As always, stay safe & happy travels.

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