Has your commitment to giving up sugar for life and forgoing all burgers begun to wane? Is your pledge to work out daily, read more, work harder and live on kale becoming a distant dream? Fear not! It’s not too late to make some magnificent travel resolutions that will turn you into a superhuman!*
Here are 5 travel related resolutions that you’ll definitely want to keep way past the first 2 weeks of the year, resolutions that could actually have a very real and long lasting impact on your life.
Plus, you’ll actually have one hell of a time keeping them!
Some new year resolutions you won’t want to break!
1. Take Better Photos
With travel photography the golden rule is quality over quantity. No one wants to look at 74 snaps of you standing in front of the same temple trying to perfect your pose.
Dedicate a few seconds to thinking about composition and what you actually want the picture to convey and not only will you avoid wading through swathes of digital dross until your camera dies, you’ll get to spend more time actually looking at the beauty in front of you with your eyes instead of through a lens.
For a bigger insight into taking great travel photos check out these expert tips for taking better travel photos or consider a photography internship.
Remember – quality over quantity when it comes to travel photos.
2. Challenge Yourself
Taking on a challenge in a far flung country can be an incredibly rewarding and sometime daunting experience.
Some require serious training (we’re talking Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp here), where as kayaking in Costa Rica and cycling in Rajasthan and are great for anyone with a touch of fitness and a dash of adventure.
Not only do you get the warm glowing feeling of a job well done at the end of a long, hard day, you get to leave the tourist hubs and see the country side from a whole new perspective – often from above it!
Search tours, step up to a challenge and enjoy the smug feeling of achievement after.
3. Go Solo
Have you been waiting for months for your mates to get their act together and be ready to book your dream trip? Or always fancied a gap year trip?
More and more people are seizing the moment and heading out into the world solo for their very own adventure. Though it can seem daunting at first, travelling solo can be a breeze with no one to please but yourself.
However, with options out there from brilliant small group adventure tours to rocking hop-on hop-off bus passes and hostels with roof top pools and BBQ zones, it’s unlikely you’ll go far without making some friends for life.
Revel in the sense of freedom from travelling alone.
4. Give Something Back
Make a real impact and volunteer while travelling. There are so many amazing opportunities all around the world. Here are some suggestions:
• Volunteer helping animals
• Volunteer in Africa
• Help communities
• Conservation projects
• Find volunteer programs in Asia
5. Stop More
Sometimes travel can seem all about getting to the next point on a map. Moving on as quickly as possible and seeing as much as you can sometimes mean you never really experience the place you’ve washed up – always thinking ahead to the next bus ride, that next hostel, the next beer. Make this the year you decide to take a pause, breath in the new air and take stock of the beauty that surrounds you… and THEN move on to the next beer.
* Disclaimer – resolutions may not actually turn you into a superhuman – but they will help you make the most of your travels.