For this article, we’ve asked 40 of the world’s most dynamic travelers and travel bloggers what their top travel resolutions for 2015 are! Let’s take a look at what they’ve said, shall we?
Read their stories, be inspired, and make 2015 your most adventurous year yet!
Click on any link to read the 2015 travel resolutions from your favorite traveler.
1. Backpacking with Manouk Bob
2. A Week at the Beach with Sarah Fazendin
3. Roaming Renegades with Nic Hilditch-Short
4. Where Sidewalks End with Ian Ord
5. Passing Thru with Betsy Wuebker
6. Crazy Sexy Travel with Alexandra Kovacova
7. Epicure & Culture with Jessica Festa
8. Nomad Lifestyle with Jarryd Salem
9. Tune Up and Travel with Tom Edwards
10. Travel Babbo with Eric Støen
11. Pack Me To with Adelina Wong
12. Getting Stamped with Hannah Jahnke
13. Cosmos Mariners with Natalie Vereen-Davis
14. Heading Abroad with Clay Winowiecki
15. Dish Our Town with Brenda Tolentino
16. Sihpromatum with Savannah Grace
17. The Trusted Traveler with Jen Seligmann
18. Going Awesome Places with William Tang
19. Champagne Living with Zippy Sandler
20. Points and Travel with Cacinda Maloney
You might also like:
Manouk Bob | Bunch of Backpackers
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
Travel even more adventurously! In the summer of 2015 I will start my 6-month solo journey along the Silk Route and beyond.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
I plan to do more micro-adventures in the future, both in the Netherlands and abroad. However, most importantly I plan to spend more time with friends and family and less time behind computers. Since I started blogging 1,5 years ago, that balance got kind of lost (before my blog I was not active on social media).
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
I loved my first press trip to Thailand. It had a muay thai theme and our group was full of champion muay thai fighters from all over Europe! Definitely felt safe during that trip.
What else do you want to do before you die?
My personal answer would be finding love and start a family! My travel answer would be to travel from Cairo to Capetown overland.
Sarah Fazendin | A Week at the Beach
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
Travel for me this year is all about my family. While in years past we left the kids at home with grandparents some of the time, my kids are now old enough to join us on all of our worldwide adventures. As a result, we’ll be slowing down the pace of our travels, and spending more time in each destination, and I’m really looking forward to that!
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
As we slow down, our accommodations needs will change. We’re going to be spending more time in Airbnb and VRBO vacation rentals, and less time in hotels.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
While we had a number of fun adventures this year, this year my favorite was exploring our home state of Colorado. There is so much to do in the summer (think cute little town July 4th celebrations, hiking, boating) and of course amazing skiing across the state in the winter.
What else do you want to do before you die?
Well, there is a list a mile long here! But in the near future, before my children are grown and out of the house, I’d like to spend a few years living internationally as a family Where? Who knows. I’m open to suggestions! But likely someplace tropical. Would I need to then change the name of my blog to “Two Years at the Beach”?
Nic Hilditch-Short | The Roaming Renegades
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
We made the decision early on last year that we wanted to travel long term and have been plotting our escape ever since. It has meant putting our house on the rental market to move in my parents for 2015 and really concentrate on saving up. We are on a strict budget and will be making our money go as far as it can and reporting back on how we do that! So far we have trips booked to Dublin for St Patrick’s Day, Belfast, Bratislava and Vienna. We also would like to travel to Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina as we have heard great things! Most will involve train travel between each country too which is something we love.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
I think this year has taught us that we can still travel whilst saving up if we are savvy and make it our priority. I think we have learnt a lot about budget travel and just how much can be experienced on so little. So with that in mind I think that we can actually do even more whilst saving even more. You learn as you travel, and pick up tips, tricks and advice. We will be mostly travelling carry on only too this year which will both save us a lot of money and teach us more about travelling lightly.
What were some of your favourite adventures from this past year (2014)?
We headed off to Budapest to explore this amazing city and were richly rewarded by the kindness of the people and the beauty of the city, as well as how amazingly cheap it was. After that we spent some time in the mountains of Snowdonia, camping at the foot of Mt Tryfan and climbing 8 pitch epic routes up sheers faces hundreds of feet up. This was our first taste of multi-pitch climbing and it had us hooked! We also conquered the infamous razor edge ridge of “Crib Goch” on our Welsh adventures in which we experienced breath taking views and achieved something we had wanted to for a while.
We managed to tick quite a few things off the bucket list too, one of which was seeing the Tour De France live when it came to our village, the atmosphere was something we had never experienced before! We headed off to Ireland too for our first time and were able to step back and see the land of our ancestors! Later on in the year we had a great exploration in Krakow, Poland, a city which we really fell in love with and enjoyed more than we could have ever imagined! Again it was so cheap and allowed us to really dive into the culture and city without worrying about money! During our time in Poland we also travelled over the border into Ukraine and see the history and culture behind the veil of the media. It was a sobering and surprising visit well worth the 3 hour armed border crossing and interrogations!
What else do you want to do before you die?
Wow, what a question! Where do I start! There is so much we want to do, so many places we want to visit, so many things we want to experience. Travel related things such as visiting the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal, there are also others such as maybe eventually having kids and doing a PhD. But overall, I think it is about prioritising your dreams above work. We want to make the most of our time on earth, we want to live everyday and tick things off that bucket list every week. Life is short and too many people work away 40+ years doing something they hate everyday, shelving their dreams for a time that might never come. My aim is to live without limits, fear or regret.
Ian Ord | Where Sidewalks End
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
Funnily enough, 2015 may bring with it much less travel than 2014 did for me, and that will be intentional. I travelled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, Malysia, Thailand, France, Belgium, Greece, England, and Italy this past year, and they were all fantastic and incredible experiences in and unto themselves.
Some trips were for business while others for pleasure, and in fact I did mix the two from time to time (contrary to popular belief: it is possible!). This coming year I actually plan on doing more focused business development trips. My first of which will be a trip to Bhutan to speak at the PATA Adventure and Responsible Tourism Conference. I hope to get over to the Philippines a few times as well and develop some relations with boutique eco-tour operators and hotels. I will head back to Canada for a visit and a wedding later in the year. I hope to spend more time at home in Bangkok with less running around. Life’s not about quantity, but rather quality after all.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
Slowing down – I am a huge advocate of slow travel, though you may not have guessed it from my adventures last year. I hope to spend less time on planes and in buses, and more time in the destinations just learning the lay of the land, meeting the locals and developing meaningful connections. I don’t feel I’ve not done that, though occasionally life and ideas move faster than you want, so perhaps it’s just a matter of mastering balance and moderation that I’ll attempt to improve on.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
Oh boy – where to start. I got to see some pretty incredible places. I would have to say Myanmar left a great imprint and impression on me. It was shockingly beautiful and different. It felt like going back in time in some ways and we met some of the friendliest people in the world. Belgium was also a big highlight. Though the chocolate and beer were enticing, highlights also included gorgeous architecture, a rich history, incredibly welcoming people… and did I mention the beer and chocolate? I also ran an impromptu 10K marathon through Bruges, where we ran through museums, art galleries, private gardens, and beer breweries. Really an incredible, unique event and a cool way of seeing the city.
What else do you want to do before you die?
I want to live! haha… I feel like I ticked many of the boxes off my so-called bucket list early on, and felt satisfied that I had already experienced so much that I could always appreciate what I had accomplished if I were to ‘kick the bucket’ tomorrow. I feel that’s the most important thing in life. Try to feel thankful everyday for what you have done and what you are doing. The wish list of ‘places to go’ or ‘things to do’ can grow indefinitely, with each tick of a box bringing 3 more ideas to add to the list.
But life’s not always about ticking boxes – it’s about being present and living in the moment. I guess the biggest goal I have is to build up my travel company to a level where I can share unique experiences with as many people as possible, empowering them to get off the beaten trail, and to give back to both the people and planet in which they travel, thus creating a positive impact both on the guests, and their hosts. If I can get that fully up and running so when I do kick the bucket, it may live on, then I would be very happy.
Betsy Wuebker | PassingThru.com
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
We don’t really do resolutions per se, but we’ve got plans! Our strategic plan for the coming year emphasizes focus on our travel blog. So we’ll be attending TBEX Costa Brava and other conferences to better position ourselves and network within the industry. We’re also on the cusp of deciding to walk the Camino de Santiago (a spiritual path that leads to the shrine of St. James in Spain).
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
It’s going to be hard to beat 2014 – we were fortunate to have tons of awesome experiences. About the only improvement I can think of is we should have gone full-time nomad earlier. We’ve been location independent since 2011, but we’ve always kept a home base. It was bittersweet to give up our last home in Kaua’i, and so we procrastinated a bit too long on that one.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
We started the year off with a real bang: from Kaua’i to Ireland, and then over land through Europe to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. What a whirlwind. We learned that we prefer to travel a bit more slowly. With that in mind, we took the plunge and became full-time nomads (“deliberate homelessness”). We landed a sweet housesitting gig in Fiji for three months as a start to what will be a two year around the world trip. Our only itinerary, aside from the conference networking above, will be to follow warm weather around the globe. We’re finishing up 2014 in Australia. It’s been an amazing year.
What else do you want to do before you die?
We set ambitious travel goals when we got married eight years ago: to visit all seven continents and all 50 United States together (wherever we’ve been separately doesn’t count). After languishing a bit on that, we’ve kicked into gear. There are very few places we wouldn’t be interested in visiting. We’re also hoping one of our five kids together will bless us with grandchildren someday, but it looks like we will be waiting a while on that one. 🙂
Alexandra Kovacova | Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
I quit counting the countries I visit maybe 2 years ago so I don’t go after that any more. I also want to travel slower, spend more time with the locals and get to know the authenticity of the places as much as possible. To be honest this is the first time I have no travel plans for the new year and I will just follow the flow and my intuition. What I can tell you for sure is I plan to hit Latin America again at least once as Latin-American culture is my biggest passion.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
I am starting to do more of healthy lifestyle consulting and yoga teaching, so many trips will be focused on that. I will also spend more time in my home country, Slovakia, to do these things in person and then will work on starting yoga + healthy food retreats around the world. So my next trips will not be just about where I want to go but also where we can potentially do the retreats in the future. Which means you may be able to join me 😉
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
Hm, too many. To be honest, I try to make every adventure a unique one 🙂 Whale shark diving, learning Muay Thai boxing in Bangkok, spending 3 months mostly barefoot in the jungle of Costa Rica, volunteering in an all inclusive spa and yoga hotel, visiting the Panama Canal, relaxing on the beaches of Aruba, spending a month doing different adventure activities in my favorite country Mexico, getting to know indigenous tribes in the jungle … just to name a few.
What else do you want to do before you die?
OMG, this would be a super long list! But I really want to visit Antarctica, hike Kilimanjaro, learn a new language (4 fluently is not enough for me), have a family, and inspire as many people as possible.
Jessica Festa | Epicure & Culture
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
As of late, I’ve been doing a lot of shorter trips — about 1-2 weeks at a time. I’ve been really craving going on an extended trip, potentially getting an apartment somewhere in Latin America and really immersing myself in the culture. I love slow travel, and my favorite trips have all been extended backpacking trips, living with local families and getting an apartment for a month or longer. I have my sights set on Guatemala for spring 2015.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
I’m already passionate about responsible tourism — Epicure & Culture focuses on ethical travel and I’m the founder of Responsible Tourism Twitter Chat (#RTTC). That being said, there is so much I have left to learn. Through the chat and constant research I’m always learning new things about responsible tourism, about the greenwashing going on in the industry, about activities that may appear to be okay but are actually unethical, and about opportunities being missed in the industry to do something good.
In 2015, I hope to continue learning about responsible tourism and acting on that knowledge. Through my blogs, I hope to tell enlightening stories that help people travel in a more conscious manner. I also hope to do more volunteering abroad this year. I’ve taken part in voluntourism in the past; however, I’ll be the first to admit the company I went with wasn’t the most sustainable, and the projects I took part in had a lot of flaws.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
This past year has been a whirlwind. On January 1, 2014, I started off with a trip cycling and hiking my way through Kerala, India. This was hands down my favorite trip of the year, one because I’d always wanted to visit India, two because I love active trips, and three because it was surprising to me that one could bike and hike their way through any part of the country. I had this idea that it was too hectic, but Kerala had so many beautiful and peaceful landscapes to explore. I especially loved Silent Valley National Park, home to some of the world’s highest tea gardens.
Another favorite of mine was traveling through Japan’s Kansai Region. Japan fascinates me. It’s just so diverse. The people are wonderful, the heritage is rich, the food ranges from daintily prepared Kaiseki meals reflective of the season and region (I found this more near Kyoto) to heartier comfort foods (I found this more around Osaka) like deep fried meat and vegetable skewers — Kushiage-style cuisine — and okonomiyaki, which is like a savory pancake that can contain anything from pork belly to octopus and is topped with a rich Worcester-like sauce, bonito fish flakes and mayo.
Most recently, I spent two weeks exploring Colombia with friends from home. This was an amazing trip for me not only because I tend to gravitate toward Latin American destinations — the food, the dancing, the adventure activities in beautiful landscapes — but because I traveled with my best friends. Majority of the time I travel solo, and while it’s still my preferred mode of travel it’s really nice getting to share the joys of getting acquainted with foreign landscapes with people who mean a lot to you.
What else do you want to do before you die?
I’d love to summit a few high peaks. Mount Kilimanjaro would be amazing.
I’d love to continue to visit more lesser-known destinations and experience them in unusual ways. This February I’ll be traveling solo through The Azores. I’ll also be adventure touring through Israel in January, which I’m excited about. I’d also love to find a way to really make a difference in a community’s lives. Start a project, or get really hands on with one that already exists that I believe in. That’s something I want to make a priority.
Jarryd Salem | Nomadasaurus
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
My ambitious resolution this year is to travel across China, into Central Asia and through the Middle East with my girlfriend, Alesha, so we can continue on with our “Thailand to South Africa” overland adventure. Our goal is to get to Cape Town without flying. We got held up in Southeast Asia for a lot longer than expected as we absolutely fell in love with the region, but we’re getting itchy feet to move on now.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
The plan now is to move a little faster than we normally do. We are slow travellers, and love wandering the world without a deadline or time frame. However for us to maximise the opportunities for adventure in Central Asia and the Middle East, we need to be certain areas during certain seasons. This means we can’t get holed up in a place for weeks (or months) on end if we want to get to Europe by the end of 2015. We also don’t have the same luxuries when it comes to visas the way we do for Southeast Asia, which affects our time constraints.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
Without a doubt buying two motorcycles and riding 14’000km in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam has been our biggest adventure this year. We didn’t even really know how to ride motorbikes when we got them and went without a map of GPS for more than half of the journey. Getting lost in random towns, taking unpaved back roads when we had no idea if they led anywhere, it has been a great experience. Getting a bunch of scuba diving in, and ticking off our rescue diver courses, and wreck / nitrox specialties was fun as well. I also got to head to Europe for 3 weeks on the World Nomads Travel Writing Scholarship which I was unexpectedly awarded. Definitely a huge highlight for me, and a big boost to my new career.
What else do you want to do before you die?
Tom Edwards | Tune Up and Travel
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
My absolute biggest travel resolution is to become financially stable in a travel environment. In other words, right now as a professional musician about 70-80% of my income comes from playing live shows which I can’t do while I’m traveling; at least not to the extent I do at home (200+ shows this year!). By summer I’d like to flip that, and get around 80% of my income from passive sources online that don’t require constant attention: eBooks, affiliate marketing, that kind of thing. Wouldn’t hurt if that 80% ends up being more total than it is now, either 😉
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
For one, I’ve learned enough from my past travel failures to escape a lot of things which made long-term travel more difficult. I’m going to plan ahead a little more, stay in each place longer, and try to generally avoid sleeping with homeless people! haha if you’ve heard anything about my last big adventure, which I wrote my book ‘Planes, Trains, & Broken Strings’ about; my unpreparedness (including a huge lack of money) led to a lot of crazy, hilarious, but sometimes terrible experiences traveling. As interesting as it was, I don’t know that I want to relive it in South America next month!
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
I went skydiving for the first time this year, which was everything I expected it to be. The highlight of the year was probably taking a ‘last-minute trip to Boston’ and sleeping in my car for a week though!
What else do you want to do before you die?
This might be a curveball, but one of my biggest goals is to have a family someday. Wife, kids, big backyard, all of that. I’ll ALWAYS travel, and I’ll probably never work a 9-5 again, but I want to start a whole different kind of adventure someday, with a family of my own.
Eric Støen | Travel Babbo
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
I want to see more friends next year in person and not just on Facebook. My goal is to see ¼ of my FB friends in person – or roughly 100 people. They live throughout the US and in thirty or so countries. Not sure if I’ll make it to 100, but it will be fun trying. I’m tired of seeing people only online.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
In 2015 I’m going to go to fewer new countries but return to favorite spots in more. The more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve realized that traveling should not be based about bucket lists or checking things off. There are a lot of experiences I’ve had that I enjoy repeating – things like watching the sunset from the patio of the Antica Torre di via Tournabuoni in Florence and having lunch at Dimitri’s Amoudi Taverna in Santorini – so I’m going to start making those regular occurrences.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
2014 was a fun year. I started the year in Antarctica with my 8-year-old, then got to Bora Bora in February. In April I took my 6-year-old to Easter Island and Iguazu Falls. Over the summer we hit 15 countries with the three kids over two months. And then in October I traveled around Ethiopia with National Geographic for a couple of weeks. One of my best years ever. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to Australia – it was the only continent I didn’t travel to.
What else do you want to do before you die?
I let each of my kids choose any destination in the world every year for a one-on-one trip with me. That’s what got me to Antarctica and Easter Island this year. I would love to keep doing that for the rest of my life – a trip a year with each kiddo. As much as I enjoyed backpacking and seeing the world when I was single, it’s more fun seeing everything through my kids’ eyes. I never want that to stop.
Adelina Wong | Pack Me To
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
I want to go somewhere new, where I haven’t been yet. Most of my 2014 was spent rediscovering places and while fun and interesting in its own way, there is something so exciting about setting foot somewhere new for the first time.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
I’m hoping in 2015 that I’ll be able to travel more. I’m toying with the idea of taking some time off from work and setting out for a couple months. While I have lived in Europe, I haven’t spent a significant amount of time in Asia and would love to explore it more. If I do that, I’m hoping to learn how to pack less and be more efficient in what I put in my bag. I’m way better than when I first started traveling, but it would be nice to cut it down even more.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
I had a great year in 2014 and tried a number of things for the first time. I went on a sand dunes tour in Oregon which was so much fun. Imagine going on a roller-coaster for an hour. I also tried out paddle boarding for the first time in the frigid waters of Vancouver. I didn’t fall in so that was a success. I experienced my first Michelin star restaurant in Budapest, Hungary. I felt so out of place, but it really was a once in lifetime experience, not to mention delicious.
What else do you want to do before you die?
There are tons of things that I want to do before I die. The biggest are to set foot on all the continents and to visit all the UNESCO sites in the world. Along the way I’d like to do things like go ziplining, see the northern lights, visit Hobbiton, and soar in a hot air balloon among many other adventures.
Hannah Jahnke | GettingStamped
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
Slow down. In 2014 we have visited 28 countries: Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Philippines, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa,Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Latvia, France, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Brussels, Spain, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, with a side trip to the USA for 4 weeks. In 2015 we hope to slow down, and spend more time in each destination.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
I am not going to book travel plans too far in advance, which in the past has locked us into travel destinations where I wish I could have stayed longer/left earlier.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
2014 was a travel dream come true for us. A 43 day overland safari in Africa was #1 on our bucket list and it did not disappoint. The Serengeti National Park was big cat heaven lions are even more gorgeous in person, amazing how close to wildlife you get to Africa. Stumbling upon Koh Lipe, Thailand a small island we escaped to from Langkawai Malaysia. This is a slice of heaven, our favorite island to date. We will be returning to Koh Lipe in 2015.
What else do you want to do before you die?
Tough question, as this list grows longer the more I travel. Other travelers are always suggesting places I have never heard of before and my “travel wish list” keeps growing. Adam wants to go to Antarctica, and I want to learn Spanish fluently and explore more of Central & South America.
Natalie Vereen-Davis | Cosmos Mariners
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
Once I find a place that I love, I tend to go back and recreate the same trip: eat at the same restaurants, shop at the same places, visit the same museums. One of my biggest travel resolutions for 2015 is to find new ways of exploring some of my favorite cities and challenge myself to discover new reasons to love those places. Another of my big travel resolutions is to learn to travel more confidently with my toddler. She’s my sidekick when it comes to roaming around, but she’s only 18 months old—I’m still new to juggling a child and my travels. Sometimes I talk myself out of experiences because I’m afraid of the logistics with my toddler. But she’s been nothing but wonderful on our past trips together, so I have to get over the fear that I’m going to somehow mess up my experiences by having her there.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
This past year, I focused on the areas that were within a four to six hour drive of my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. I’ve lived in the U.S. South my entire life, but I’ve often overlooked what’s in my backyard for places that are further afield. I’m going to continue to explore everything that the South has to offer, but in 2015, I’d love to look at it in a more global way by delving further into the history of the towns here and connecting those histories to larger narratives.On both my domestic and international trips for 2015, I’d like to incorporate more of the regional literature and history into my experiences. I believe that reading local authors and understanding the history of an area makes a trip that much richer.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
I loved exploring the art district of St. Petersburg, Florida; I am a huge fan of Dale Chihuly, so visiting the Chihuly Collection there was a nerdy dream come true. Staying in the Jekyll Island Club Hotel (Georgia) was another high point, as I love history and old hotels. Exploring the area around Lake Lure, North Carolina, was a favorite trip, as I experienced an area of the South that I’d never been to before!
What else do you want to do before you die?
I’d love to visit all seven continents. I want to see the four areas in Europe from which my ancestors immigrated—I’ve gone to one already (Loch Lomond, Scotland). And I’d love to visit the places where some of my favorite authors, including the Brontes, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, and John Keats, lived and worked.
Clay Winowiecki | Headed Abroad
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
I have a huge goal to backpack Romania/Bulgaria in May/June and then move to Scotland in late August until Christmas. I’ve always wanted to live in another country for an extended period of time and this is my first real chance to do it!
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
I plan on creating all around better content on my blog. I currently don’t put as much time into blog articles as I could and they could be a lot better, especially on the media aspect of things. I also plan on hiring a web developer once i’m able to save up enough money for it.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
My two favorite adventures were actually hikes that I went on. The first hike was in Northern Michigan on the Lake Superior coast. What was so special about that was there were 35 mph winds, along with rain/hail/and flying sand since we were hiking on sand dunes. The hike covered around 8 or 9 miles and I left feeling like a warrior. The second awesome hike was in Ontario, Canada. It’s a hike called Robertson Cliffs and has a very steep and slippery terrain to climb. The best part was having to cross three waterfalls using logs and rocks.
What else do you want to do before you die?
Brenda Tolentino | Dish Our Town
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
In the year 2015, my family and I are journeying off to Southeast Asia. Due to the fact that we are travel bloggers, one can get caught up in seeing life unfold through a lens. My resolution is to remember to put the filming device down a moment, stop documenting, and start cataloging those sights and experiences in my memory bank and express them through thought and words more.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
We plan to spend a significant amount of time in one town wherever we are and really establish a sense of residency as opposed to just passing through. We have somewhat done this in the past, but we always took a tourist approach to most things and did a lot of extravagant things daily, like eating and drinking at luxurious establishments whimsically. We don’t do that at home, so we want to take more of a “home” approach to our day to day living whilst traveling.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
With a 10 year old daughter with a zest for life, every day is an adventure; but in regards to travel, our favorite adventure this year was taking her to Italy, just she and me, for 3 weeks before my husband joined us, and staying in many types of accommodations ranging from hostels to agriturismos to boutique hotels; also using all types of modes of transportation ranging from planes, to cars, to trains, to boats and of course by foot.
What else do you want to do before you die?
I’d like to cure cancer or learn how to bake a perfect soufflé, but if we limit it to travel, I’d love to be able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my whole family and closest friends in a cabin somewhere in the Swiss Alps.
Savannah Grace | Sihpromatum
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
2014 was not my most extreme travel year, so I definitely need to kick it up a notch. I’ve been dying to visit Japan since I was little and grew up with ESL (English as a Second Language) students living in my house. They always brought such cool gadgets and cultural gifts, in ways their country felt like my home away from home. I’m planning to do a 4-6 month South East Asia trip and I’m hoping 2015/2016 will take me there.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
More of it! You can always, always travel more. I didn’t travel as much as I usually do because we bought an overgrown, 113 year old house in a small Dutch village and spent all of 2014 doing rebuilds. It has been an exciting and rewarding project and once it is complete we will have much more time to concentrate on travelling.
When I travel, I want to document it better. Write more, take more photos and really focus on video footage. I am a travel author/blogger and my boyfriend is a filmmaker but lately we’ve been slacking a little bit. I want to take more time to capture the moments.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
In 2014 I visited my 100th country (Cape Verde), a huge travel milestone!!
In the beginning of the year I went skiing in the French Alps and at the end of the year, I hit the slopes in Whistler, Canada. Though the French Alps are undeniably stunning, the all round experience in Whistler Blackcomb and the quality of the skiing, was far superior. Wow!!! I was privileged enough to stay in the Aava Hotel and Hilton which both have beyond perfect locations, right next to the gondola. The Hilton Hotel really blew me away with the upgraded suite and its glossy kitchen, balcony with views of the slopes and a wood burning fireplace at the foot of our kingsize bed. It was pure luxury, something I’m not used to when I travel. There really isn’t anything more beautiful than pure white snow against a brilliant blue sky.
After completing my second travel book “Backpacks and Bra Straps”, I went on an international book tour in North America which was an absolute blast! I got to incorporate travel and book events throughout. The perfect blend.
We also had half a dozen family and friends come visit us in Holland. I was happy and excited that I was able to participate and help encourage their travel bugs.
What else do you want to do before you die?
Everything. Currently, at the top of my list is seeing the Northern Lights and lava. Oh, and I absolutely must visit Antarctica one day and go to the Moon (when it’s available).
Jen Seligmann | The Trusted Traveler
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
As travellers I think we often neglect to explore our own backyard enough so in 2015 my plan is to travel more in Australia. I’ve been to so many different corners of the world and discovered beauty everywhere. I’m dedicating 2015 as a year where I don’t leave my own country. I’ve got lots of short long weekend trips planned and then I’m hoping to get on the road for a few weeks later in the year for a bit of a road trip.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
2014 was a pretty good year for me travel wise. I made a plan at the beginning of the year to travel somewhere new every two months. I managed to achieve this from April onwards so in 2015 I’m hoping to better that by discovering a new place every six weeks or so. So far it’s looking pretty achievable. I think because I work full time I need to be more organised and not let time slip by. I’ve got things reasonably well mapped out for 2015 to help make sure I achieve this.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
Undoubtably my two week road trip around New Zealand’s South Island was a big highlight for me. I love being on the road slowly taking my time to get from a to b stopping whenever I see something of interest. The South Island just blew me away particularly the area around Lake Wanaka, Queenstown and of course Fiordland. The feeling of remoteness, beauty of the landscape and amazing wines made it possibly one of the highlights of my travels ever, not just 2014. You know a place is pretty special when your already planning a return visit while your still there.
What else do you want to do before you die?
What don’t I want to do would be an easier question to answer! I think the ultimate experience for me though would be discovering the seventh continent, Antarctica. I once read that only 2% of the worlds population has ever visited Antarctica so the biggest draw card for me is that it is so untouched and remote. The opportunity to see Antarctic wildlife like Penguins and Whales so naturally in their world would be incredible.
William Tang | Going Awesome Places
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
For 2015, I want to hit up at least one of the top 3 places I’ve been wanting to go to for awhile now: Machu Picchu, Kilimanjaro and the Galapagos. This upcoming year, one of the resolutions is to make it a reality and I’m happy to say that plans are in the works for a Machu Picchu trip in September.
I’d say another travel resolution this year is to just travel even more spontaneously. At heart, I’m a hardcore planner who has planned things out very meticulously in the past but over the years I’ve loosened up and in 2015 I would love to do a trip where I don’t really have much planned at all and just fly by the seat of my pants. It’ll be scary but I think will be an adventure on its own.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
One big thing I’ll be trying out this year is to travel China without going on a bus tour. Bus tours dominate in the country and every time I’ve been back, it’s always been easier to just buy a big package and get dragged around from place to place. On top of that they make you go through those dreadful shopping stops that include in-your-face sales pitches and product demonstrations.
With me going back to China this year, I’ve said enough is enough and hope to travel China much more independently though I do still see myself hiring local guides for parts of it.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
The most memorable and favorite adventure from 2014 has to be my trip to the Maldives and my stay at the Conrad Maldives. For one, it was an unforgettable luxury experience, the likes of which I will probably never have again thanks to the depletion of most of my hotel loyalty rewards. Secondly, I’ll never forget the incredible diving and snorkeling we did in the area that involved both manta rays and whale sharks. Epic is all I can say.
What else do you want to do before you die?
There are too many to fit in here but here’s one of them. I mentioned climbing Kilimanjaro. It’s one of the big to-do’s on my list and I’m determined to make it happen. Why you ask? Well I’m a big fan of hiking and I’ve done a few moderate ones in North America and I’ve always come out of each one of those with a huge sense of accomplishment. I think it has to do with hiking mimicking life in a lot of ways. It’s an uphill climb all the way and it’s hard work and you’ll probably hate it a good chunk of the way but when you get to the top, there’s nothing like that thrill of saying “I did it”. There’s just something about conquering one of the biggest mountains in the world in Kilimanjaro that make it one of my biggest bucket list items.
Zippy Sandler | Champagne Living
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
1. To explore my own backyard.
As a travel writer I tend to hop on a plane and go to Europe, the Caribbean, etc., but there are so many beautiful places to explore that are within driving distance that I’m missing by not just opening my eyes and seeing what’s right here.
2. To focus on more affordable travel.
There are so many of my readers who respond with “one day I want to do that too.” Helping them find a way to DO IT NOW would be so much more helpful.
3. To seek out corners of the world that NEED to be experienced by more people.
Those that are not highly visited, but have so much to offer.
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
Building on my resolutions, this year I really want to help readers to see that travel doesn’t have to be a once in a lifetime experience. I want to open their eyes to what’s in THEIR backyard, or around the corner that they may be missing. I’m really looking for ways to TAKE readers with me, offering a way to learn, travel, and experience Champagne Living style without destroying their bank accounts.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
It felt like I spent a lot of time on boats/ships in 2014. This was a first for me, as I usually focus on land travel. I learned that ships aren’t all about partying and cheesy Las Vegas style shows, that you CAN really get to know a destination (albeit quickly) if you do your homework. My favorite had to have been the Danube River cruise that I took with Viking. I’d never experienced the Christmas Markets before, and seeing the different styles of markets and how the residents really embrace them with nightly festivities for the entire family was great fun. Did I mention, that doing my holiday shopping was never easier?
What else do you want to do before you die?
Truthfully, I could die tomorrow and be fulfilled. My blog is not merely about travel, but about living a complete and “Champagne Living” life. It doesn’t mean I spend my evenings in stiletto’s sipping Veuve Clicquot. It’s about living with purpose and doing the things in life that fulfill me, that make me happy, and that I learn from. I’ve been living this way most of my life.
I suppose that writing a book about Champagne Living would probably be the ONE thing that I’d like to do before I die…and if I’m dreaming, I’d be writing it from an apartment overlooking my favorite neighborhood on rue du Bourg tiBourg in the Marais. It would provide the appropriate inspiration.
Cacinda Maloney | Points and Travel
What are your biggest travel resolutions for the new year and why?
You won’t believe this one, but it is to travel less, travel slower, and/or only to major bucket list destinations. Coming from a travel journalist/writer/blogger, who would even think that would be the answer? But for the last two years I have been traveling like crazy, for me that means more than 2 weeks out of the month. I have always traveled, traveling every 6 weeks of my life for over 20 years, but since travel writing, it has increased to the point where I need to slow it down! I still have two kids and a husband at home, so something has got to give!
What do you plan to do differently this year? How will you improve upon the past?
So the plan is to have longer gaps of time at home. That way I can keep up with the travel writing that sometimes has deadlines and be more relaxed. That way I can be more creative with my website and writing. The whole point of the traveling for me was to see more of the world, yet not for work but for enjoyment. My traveling turned itself into a job, which I am grateful for, but I left my 10-7 pm work to travel, not to get another job with deadlines and demands.
What were some of your favorite adventures from this past year (2014)?
The B2 Boutique Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, where I was last week was unbelievable and a destination within itself with its rooftop jacuzzi. Before that I was in Amsterdam, the city of bikes, which I love. I also recently took a Viking River Cruise, so that was quite eventful for me doing a cruise, which is only the second one I have ever taken.
The month before that I was in Sri Lanka and the Maldives! Wow, just wow! An elephant safari and endless turquoise blue waters. I also did, for the first time in a while a lot of USA travel to places like St. Augustine, Savannah, the Pocono Mountains, Scottsdale, as well as spent more time in the Scandinavian countries of Finland and Norway, going there twice this year and spent some time in Estonia as well. I also went south to Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica for my first yoga retreat! Plus who could forget Italy? I had the time of my life staying in Montestigiliano and exploring Rome, Florence, Siena and even Tuscany, LeMarche and Emilia-Romogna regions of Italy this year. I toured Normandy as a side trip from Paris as well.
But who could forget the crème de la crème? The Greek Islands, a place I had dreamed about my entire life! I ventured thru Athens to make my way to the amazing islands of Santorini and Mykonos, only to wet my appetite for more island to explore.
What else do you want to do before you die?
Wow, that’s a nice way to put it! From my bucket list, the highlights would be:
Diving pretty much any where in the world, seeing the Northern lights, going to Croatia, Cuba, Galapagos, Wakatobi, Indonesia; Turks & Caicos, Easter Island, Chile; Israel, BVI, Lake Como, Italy; Iguazu Falls, Guadalajara, Antelope Canyon, Provence, France; Scotland, Tahiti, Bali and go on an African Safari. The Galapagos trip is planned and there are a few others on the burner!
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