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Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a great start to the new year. Generally I don’t like setting new years resolutions. If I do, I set very loose ones. Ideas of resolutions but they’re not really. I’m firmly in the camp of if you want to make a change in your life you should do it then and there. You don’t need to wait for some arbitrary day in the year to do it. Make the change now. That said the new year is a great time to reflect on life and to look for areas of improvement or unhappiness.
If I were to set new years resolutions, they would be something like this:
Maximize long weekends
This is something I use to do in Budapest. Whenever there was a long weekend I would be off exploring somewhere new. Occasionally I’d add a day or two of holiday time so I can go further. I haven’t been using my long weekends effectively. Sure I used one every brig trip I took in 2014, but Canadians get 10 days of public holidays. Time to use them!
I’m already making good with this resolution. As I write this, I’m in a car on the way to Portland for the weekend with my family.
Go someplace new
2014 I revisited places I had been before. While they were fun and its always nice to rediscover a city, there just isn’t the same excitement.
In 2015 I want to go someplace new. Where? I don’t particularly mind. If I find cheap tickets somewhere, then I’m going. In an ideal world I’d like to go to Japan and South Korea or perhaps to Spain and Portugal with a layover in Iceland.
Learn a new language
I’ve been wanting to work on learning a new language and now is as good as ever. I’m thinking Spanish especially if I want to go to Spain this year. Plus it would be useful if I ever traveled to South America.
Also I’m going to find a mandarin teacher to brush up on my Chinese skills. I can sort of understand and sort of read but if I had to use them in China I would be terribly lost.
Eat better while on the road
When I’m at home, I have a fairly healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and minimal oil. I go meatless once a week. Once I head out on the road though, it’s a whole lot of junk food. I like trying all the weird things I can find in the supermarket, plus, I always maintain that the best way of getting to know a culture is through its food. While I don’t want to completely cut it out, I’d like to eat more veggies and fruit along the way.
Visit friends from a time past
While living in Budapest, I made a lot of new friends from all around the world, mostly from places I’ve never been. I would love to go visit them and see the places that they call home and of course see friends again!
What travel resolutions do you have in 2015?
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just to get back in the travelling game! Off to Burma and Thailand in feb! cant wait! Here’s to your travelling year! 🙂
That’s definitely a good goal – especially if you’ve taken a break for awhile. Those two would be a great adventure!
I’m planning possibly Japan/South Korea in April!
I agree with taking advantage of long weekends. As someone who routinely gets 4-5 days off work I really should be doing more!
Hurray for Japan / South Korea plans 🙂 and whoa! 4-5 days off sounds like the perfect getaway, but you probably don’t get to know too far in advanced thought right?
I know my schedule a year in advance, which makes it even worse that I don’t really take advantage of my days off!
Whoa! Yes, you should definitely take advantage then!
Great travel resolutions! I’d also like to make the most of my long weekends or days off in general. At my job, I tend to work weekends and holidays sometimes, so my “long weekend” might be 3 days off in the middle of the week. Happy travels for 2015 🙂
Oh! I think I would find that set up kind of strange after all these years of M-F workweeks. At least flights are cheaper on weekdays if you do try to maximize long weekends 🙂
Oh! I think I would find that set up kind of strange after all these years of M-F workweeks. At least flights are cheaper on weekdays if you do try to maximize long weekends 🙂
All great travel resolutions! I’m interested to find out how your language courses go! I’m studying French right now and hope to learn a completley new language come Fall!
Thanks! I’m still trying to figure out the best way to learn if I want to do it myself with a Spanish friend or if I wanted to sign up for a course… Maybe both. French is a great language to know. Very useful. What other language are you looking to try?
Eating better while on the road needs to be one of my goals this year too. I’m trying to cut sugar but it’s sooo hard! And definitely don’t get enough veggies in my diet. I hope you get to go somewhere new this year! We actually considered all the places you listed for this year too, but I don’t think they’ll be in our budget. I hope you make it though! 🙂
As for learning a language, I learned some basic Spanish with the free app Duolingo. It’s great for learning basic words and everyday phrases!
Cutting sugar is SO hard! I’ve been trying to do it as well but there has been just too much chocolate hanging around after the holidays. I’ve started drinking tea without it though so minor success. Yea, all the places I’m considering this year are definitely expensive but I’m hoping I’ll get to do at least one of them. Everyone has been recommending Duolingo! I’m definitely going to use it to help get my Spanish going.
A great list of things to keep in mind in 2015!! I would also like to get the most out of my long weekends as there are many places in Taiwan that I would still like to go to or return to. Hope your 2015 is off to a fantastic start!
Hey, stumbled across your website from The Unsettled Meliorist’s newsletter. Love your blog! The “Maximize Long Weekends” really resonated with me. I try to travel lots, but for some reason never seem to use my long weekends to their full advantage. It’s definitely something I want to do this year as well. All the best with your 2015 goals!
Thanks for coming over Rick and for reading 🙂 I’m really hoping to keep on top of my long weekends this year. So far so good. I’m 2 for 2, but the year is long. I hope you manage to do the same in 2015. Happy travels!