Travel Resolutions for 2017

Another year has gone by and many of the usual resolutions (like losing weight, learning a new language, moving abroad, …) have not been fulfilled and let’s be honest: the moment we wrote them down or thought about them, we knew already that they wouldn’t be accomplished anyway.

That’s why I’ve started to do just travel resolutions for the last years and most of those promises to myself I’ve kept. In 2014 I wanted to become a Divemaster in Mexico – in September I successfully completed the course. In 2015 I wanted to do a road trip in Spain and dive more – so I went to Egypt in January and drove around Spain in May. This year I wanted to go to Montenegro and explore some more places in Austria – I flew to Montenegro in May and took several trips around Austria too.

So I’ve asked myself what I wanted to experience next year. PLUS I’ve asked some great travel bloggers about their travel resolutions for 2017:

So what are my travel resolutions for 2017?

There’s this one thing I’ve been wanting to do for some year: take a journey on a container ship. I’ll be spending a few months in Colombia and after that I’ll be travelling around Latin America for about two months. After that I won’t be taking a plane to go home, but a container ship. Most of them have a few cabins for travellers to rent. Those somewhat two weeks will be a little retreat for me too – not working and simply calming down.

As for destinations: San Andres and Providencia in Colombia are two gorgeous Caribbean Islands that I can’t wait to see and then I have a plan to go to Galapagos Islands in April. Yeah!

Saving Money like a Pro by Mona – Chronic Wanderlust

Since Viki asked us to share our travel resolutions for 2017 I have decided to share my New Years resolution that’s already well under way. A while ago I found the 52 Week Challenge on Facebook. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, I hadn’t either! Well, basically it’s a set amount of money you save each week. Usually, you save one Euro the first week, two Euro the second, and so on until you reach your goal of 52 weeks and Euro 1378,–. Sounds easy right? Well until you get to the “higher weeks” and saving almost 200 Euros a month might not be all that easy.

That’s why I decided to switch it up a little: I started off with week one but then jumped to week 52, back to week 2 and then week 51, etc. Like that, I save Euro 106,– a month which is a lot more manageable for me and you also see your funds build up a lot quicker! Win win situation. How do you save for upcoming trips? Do you use a saving system similar to the one I use or do you set aside random amounts of money whenever you can?

Top 100 Travel Adventures by Lina and David – Divergent Travelers

As someone that travels full time, one might think it would be hard to come up with a travel resolution that reaches beyond the life we already lead. We’ve already seen so much and experienced so many amazing things, yet we resolve to take things a step further in the new year to come. For my husband, David, and I, 2017 is going to be the start of a new mission to our travels, to experience and document the Top 100 Travel Adventures in the world. We’ll be taking on the best of the best when it comes to stepping outside the comfort zone and being more active when traveling. 2017 will be all about the adventure and inspiring others to do more in their travels. We want to have more fun, be more active, inspire others to dream big and reach far beyond our personal goals.

I have done it all, now off to the beach to relax by Barbara – Jet Settera

In 2016, I traveled to 24 countries, I flew at least once every week. In the last couple of years, I backpacked through Asia twice, South-America once, saw the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, I hiked the Machu Picchu, the Grand Canyon, The Himalayas and the Kilimanjaro It has been an exciting, but very tiring few years, visiting 68 countries around the World.

In 2017, the only thing I want to do is going to nice resorts and relax on the beach. I am hoping to visit the Maldives, Tahiti and some islands in the Caribbean. I’m keen on diving in beautiful beaches and discover the underwater life, but I am no longer interested in hiking mountains, camping, backpacking through the World. Also, I have visited most of the countries on my bucket list, so from now on, I will travel like retired people do, check into an all-inclusive hotel and sip cocktails on the beach.

All those names by Paula – Contented Traveller

While there are lots of experiences we want o have in 2017, and lots of places we will be visiting, my biggest travel resolution is to remember people’s names. I meet a lot of people when we travel, and most of them are business associates, and people we are working with through our travel site, Contented Traveller. I apologise now but I am terrible at remembering names. My travel resolution for 2017 is to make a concerted effort to listen and to remember names. I must mention that this was also my resolution for 2016, but I failed miserably. Gordon tries to cover me when I forget, by distinctly saying the person’s name, and I have to say that I often help him out too. At others times we take an amazing interest in their business cards, desperately searching for the name. So in 2017, I am going to come up with a system to remember. I just hope I remember what this system is.

No more food fights by Stefan and Sebastien – Nomadic Boys

We’re a gay couple travelling in Latin America in 2016/17. Our travel resolution for 2017 is to learn to play nicely and share each other’s food. We do love our culinary discoveries a lot but it always seems to be the cause of many food fights.

This was particularly an issue when we were eating our way around Argentina and stumbled upon some delicious helado (ice cream) in Rosario. Dulce de leche with tiramisu flavoured ice cream was so delicious that greedy Sebastien tried to steal poor Stefan’s ice cream as well and carnage subsequently broke out.

The ice cream in Rosario is well known as being the best in the whole of Argentina, mainly as a result of all the high Italian immigration here over the last century. According to who? The Rosario Association of Ice Cream Makers of course, who have their own convention in Rosario every August.

Camping on Antarctica by Megan and Mike – Mapping Megan & Waking Up Wild

We’ve made the resolution to camp on the most remote continent on earth, and come February 2017, we’re going to make our resolution come true! One of the last untouched destinations on earth, Antarctica should be at the top of your bucket list for 2017 … the continent is absolutely pristine!! And while there are fantastic adventures to be had, like kayaking, paddle boarding, and the epic polar plunge, we’re going to be giving up our luxury room aboard a warm and comfortable cruise, to set up camp on the ice!

Some may call us crazy, though how many people can actually say they’ve slept on Antarctica! 100 years ago no more than a handful of people had journeyed to Antarctica, however today around 30,000 travelers visit every year. That said, if you’re after this type of adventure it’s important to book a cruise which includes land-based excursions because some of them don’t let you go ashore.

International regulations limit the number of people allowed on land at any one time, so large cruise ships with 500 passengers generally offer a “look but not touch” experience. Booking with a cruise company who limits their passengers to around the 110 mark means the opportunity to step out off the boat for hikes through ice fields, kayaking adventures, and of course, a sleepover with the penguins overnight!

New Book – Weird Traveling Florida (WTF) by Chris – One Weird Globe

2017 for my wife and I will start in Florida, where we are now. I’m putting the finishing touches on a new book about Weird Traveling Florida (and yes, the WTF is intentional), which is about Florida’s weird, bizarre, and quirky places. There are tons.

At the beginning of February, we take an epic road trip: Florida > Georgia > Alabama > Tennessee > Kentucky > Illinois > Indiana > Michigan > Ontario > Quebec > New Brunswick > Nova Scotia. We’re still planning the exact route, but it’s going to hit plenty of weird spots along the way. (Why Nova Scotia? My wife’s parents live there, and it’ll be far easier to sell the car there.)

After that: Eastern Europe! We’ll be taking advantage of the fact that some Eastern Europe countries aren’t part of the Schengen zone – meaning they have their own visa-on-arrival policies. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are Schengen-zone, so we’ll probably start there. Romania, Croatia, and Bulgaria aren’t (though they’re legally required to join the Schengen Zone at some point), meaning we should be able to get a few months in each of those countries.

Campervan Adventures by Alesha and Jarryd – NOMADasaurus

We’ve been travelling the world together almost full-time since 2008, so coming up with a travel resolution is a novel idea, as we’re always on the road anyway. But for 2017 we’ve come up with a great idea that we’re hoping falls into place: Buy a campervan and travel South America!

We’ll be landing in Argentina in February and heading to Antarctica at the end of the month for an 11-day expedition. Afterwards the plan is to buy a camper or 4×4 in Chile, and spend the next few months travelling around Patagonia and making our way north. Van life isn’t anything new to us, as we used to live in camper vans in Canada and Australia, so we’re very excited to get back into this beautiful, slow and nomadic way of travel. In our opinion overlanding is the absolute best way to explore a region. Our route is completely open to change and suggestions, which is exactly how we like to move.

Carros de Foc: A 5-day trek in the Pyrenees by Gabor – Surfing the Planet

I am a huge mountain lover, and fortunately, Barcelona, where I live at the moment is not very far from the Pyrenees, which provides basically unlimited possibilities for hikers. Every summer we go there quite often to hike either on the Spanish side or in Andorra. Nevertheless, since our round the world trip I haven’t done any mountain trek that lasted for more than one day, and I miss the feeling of sleeping somewhere between the mountains. Therefore, I decided that this year I would undertake the Carros de Foc, one of the most beautiful circular crossings in the Pyrenees, around the Aigüestortes and Estany Sant Maurici National Park.

The circular route connects 9 mountain refugees, and I will stay in 4 of them. The trail is about 60 km long and the total elevation gain is over 9000 meters. I know that these 5 days will be physically exhaustive, but I have already had the chance to hike certain parts of this route, and I know that the stunning landscapes will fill me every day with energy. There are dozens of lakes around the trail, many of them having different colours. I can’t wait to do this walk next summer.

Whale Shark Encounters by Raksha – Solopassport

I have a huge bucket list, most of them related to travel. Some become part of my yearly travel resolutions. One such item that has now become part of my 2017 travel resolution is swimming with whale sharks. I know it’s crazy and wild. It’s one of the adrenalin activities which I am craving for. Just thinking about this experience excites me. It would be magnificent swimming along the huge gentle giants of the ocean. As part of my travels, I wish to visit a place called ‘Exmouth’ in Western Australia, where I can tick off my bucket list item. I am sure it would be one hell of a unique experience and I can’t wait to fulfil this one resolution of mine.

Making a short movie by Inma and Jose – A World to Travel

We are visual people. Photography is among our hobbies – perhaps more than that already – and no day goes by without watching a movie. So much we love images that we can’t really wait to make our own short movie.

From the initial stages, crafting the idea, writing the script, drawing the storyboard, putting a great friends crew together, choosing the locations and more to the actual shooting, editing, colour grading and finally exporting our little creation, hopefully, 2017 will be the year when we will make our first movie. Really hard work but a satisfying one for that matter!

Antartica by Lauren – The Traveller’s Guide By #ljojlo

The 7th continent, the least explored and in my opinion the most extreme and majestic of all the continents on this mighty Earth. March 2017 will see myself and my partner embark on our dream of stepping foot onto the beauty that is Antarctica. Not only will we explore, hang out with penguins (well far enough away not to disturb) and take in the awe that is this unusual place but we are also hoping to sea kayak. Only a small number of people are able sea kayak within the waters surrounding Antarctica, so fingers crossed we can be a lucky couple to take in such a unique experience.

Who wouldn’t want to be sharing the waters with orcas and an incredible array of different species of seals? Well, maybe it isn’t for everyone. For us, however, it is the cream of the crop. Then, who knows maybe we can embark on scuba diving, but I believe further experience is required before jumping straight into the frigid waters. I shall be adding that to list for the next visit.

Pakistan, Kurdistan and more by Mar – Once in a Lifetime Journey

There was a time when I traveled every week for work across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. I got to visit lots of countries that are off the tourist trail such as Sudan, Nigeria, Madagascar, Kuwait or Syria and surely found myself more than once in a pickle. I fell in love with those places where stories were being told for the first time so I have continued to try and get to the least visited countries in the world. I have currently been to 91 and many of them are of that kind. In 2017 I would like to return to Pakistan (where I already went last year alone) to drive the Karakoram Highway, some parts of Iraqi Kurdistan which are relatively safer, Somaliland and Bangladesh. If there is something that I learned through travel is that, even in the most dangerous places, the kindness of strangers always prevails.

More now less phone by Hannah – GettingStamped

My 2017 travel resolution is to put the camera and phone down more and enjoy the moment. I find myself on trips lately where I’m so busy taking photos, Snapchatting, Instagramming, or watching the drone as my husband flies it that I never enjoy where I am. I know it sounds crazy, but it is possible to be on a gorgeous island and not have fun because you’re stressing out on getting the right photo, etc.

I remember back on our Thailand honeymoon before our blogging days, we would sit and enjoy the sunset with no cameras. Fast forward to today where we have 2 cameras on tripods doing time lapses, a drone in the air, and I am busy Snapchatting. Sounds exhausting right? It is…and that is the way in 2017 I want to leave the camera behind more often and actually enjoy that moment. My first trip of 2017 is the first week of January so wish me luck!

Hike the World by Cathy – RoarLoud

The goal of hiking the world was a natural progression for us. We love to travel and we love to hike. Most trips we combine them and see great views on our travels by hiking some of the highest mountains we can find. What better way to see an area than to get to a high peak! Previous trips brought us to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and also the highest peak in the Azores, a stratovolcano named Mount Pico.

Hiking on trips does require some extra planning to be safe and have fun. It also takes a bit more room in our luggage to pack our hiking gear, but the adventures are well worth the effort. For 2017, we plan to visit some mountains in the French Pyrenees and we will continue to hike locally in New England as well. We also have a “wish list” of dream destinations including our visiting Peru to see Machu Picchu and climb Peru’s Rainbow Mountain.

No matter where you go for a trip, you can’t help thinking “did I see it all”. The only way to be sure is by looking from the highest point, right? Add a hiking adventure to your next trip and see why life above the clouds is incredible!

Bad Rep Country by Rishabh – Gypsy Couple

We’ve had some crazy New Year Resolutions, most of which never came through, partly because of our lack of motivation once the high wore off. The one on top of our list for this coming year, is simply to visit a country with a bad reputation and explore it till we discover something really great about it. We’ve not decided the country or the time of year to visit yet but it is something we’re very excited about.

As travellers we believe that a stereotype has a lot to do with popular perception and a lot to do with who’s talking about them. Some travellers may call a country dirty, its people unhygienic, its food bland and its attractions ordinary the very next day the same person might find a life changing experience which nullifies all the above and makes the country the best he/she has visited. We all need to see the other side of the coin before making a judgement and what better start to a year than to show others something positive about something they’ve considered negative. We are planning to start with our home country, India which often bears the brunt of such stereotypes and maybe clear some of them in the process.

Back to Nepal by Lance – Traveladdicts

Exactly 20 years ago, I moved from my small town in Colorado to Nepal for a study abroad program. I was supposed to be studying high-altitude physiology and Buddhism. Instead, I got a lesson in foreign affairs and modern politics. During my visit, a small-scale Maoist insurgency quickly started turning into a civil war. My days were marked by checkpoints and my nights spent dodging military patrols.

I became very close to my host family during my time there. However, as the civil war escalated, people were displaced and I lost track of them. My resolution for 2017 is to retrace my adventure in Nepal – from the dark alleys in the Kathmandu Valley to the high mountains. And hopefully, discover what happened to my host family.

Now it’s your turn! Let me know in the comments about your travel resolutions for the next year – dreaming is permitted 😉