A resolution is a determination or a firm decision. Every year as a tradition, countless numbers of people make a New Year’s resolution to either do something or not do something. People want to start the new year off with a better footing. According to Go Skills, the top New Year’s resolutions are:
- Exercise more
- Lose weight
- Get organized
- Learn a new skill or hobby
- Live life to the fullest
- Save more money / spend less money
- Quit smoking
- Spend more time with family and friends
- Travel more
- Read more
In my opinion, traveling can pretty much fulfil almost all the other nine resolutions. Think about this, travel can help you live life to the fullest and spend time with family and friends. It can be a your new hobby. You a new skill by trying something like rock climbing or navigating. To travel you do have to be organized or you may miss something important like a connection or be shut out of something you would like to do. You will read more just through learning about new cultures or just having the time on a plane while you’re getting to your destination. More exercise can be accomplished through a lot of walking and physical activity and you will be eating differently. Although, I’m not quite sure you will always lose weight.
Why do I travel. I have wanderlust. I always have. I love the adventure of starting a new journey. I crave to see things and being somewhere new. To me there’s no greater feeling than traveling. My top reasons for traveling or to escape, learn new things, spend time with family and friends, challenge myself, and experience and discover who I am and the world we live in.
- Escape: I do believe that we all suffered from a certain amount of boredom from the same old same old and the day in and day out. The mundane can weigh us down and for me, I like to escape and refresh myself. I love to refocus and a time just relax. I can also get away by being at home. I collect mementos from my travel that I keep in a cabinet in my sitting room. I look at them and remember.
- Learn new things: I enjoy bringing the world home. I thrive on watching artisans, eating new foods, seeing new fashions, and observing the world around me. I’m not a souvenir hunter but I do enjoy collecting treasures. I have cookbooks from around the world and learn new cooking technique and work with new ingredients. I enjoy integrating new design, styles, and foods that I’ve experienced into my everyday life.
- Spend time with family and friends: This is probably my number one reason for traveling. Even though I do enjoy solo travel, I thoroughly love being with family and friends and sharing travel experiences with them. If you read any of my other blogs, you’ll know that I love giving experiences as gifts and normally we would travel with our kids between Christmas and new year and enjoy that time together. Time away t reconnect is meaningful.
- To challenge myself: Travel is a challenge. It’s not only about the logistics and time away, but the rigors of being somewhere outside of your element. My biggest challenge for this coming year is traveling for more than a week or two. This will be the first time my SO and I will spend 24/7 together. While I do crave some quiet time, I will thoroughly enjoy being with him. I think the challenge will be in ensuring that we both have some rules for some private time. My other challenge is communicating in a language I don’t know. The nuisance of language can change meaning and translating software may not always capture that. Another challenge is eating the unknown…
- To experience and discover who I am and the world: You really do learn who you are when you’re traveling. You learn what your limits are how and if you get out of your comfort zone. Some of the best experiences I’ve had are when I’ve thrown caution to the wind or done something that I normally would not do. I’ve grown as a person because of it. The other part is I enjoy experiencing and discovering the world. There is so much out there to learn and do. Think of all the people to meet and see. It’s an amazing world and I really want to discover it.
So, what are my New Year’s resolutions for 2022?
- Write more
- Head out west
- Travel to at least two new countries
- Take a trip with my kids.
- Take a driving tour.
This is as far as I have gotten. Number 2 is based on a conversation with Amanda’s oldest friend. I haven’t taken a trip with both my kids for 2 years, so that is a must for me. I want to take a driving tour with my SO. He is my muse as far as historical Philadelphia and we both love documentaries. The latest was documentary he saw was on The Ford Motor Company. I suggested a trip to see the Henry Ford Museum. Maybe we can take a driving tour with the pups. Writing more is a must and as far as number 3, I already have that planned, so that may change. Where do you want to be this year?
I want to wish the happiest of Happy New Years to one and all. Here’s hoping that 2022 is the best of the best.
The Travel Journalist
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