10 New Year’s Resolutions for Travelers | Travel Goals for the New Year
Whether you are a frequent traveler, occasional traveler, or looking to start traveling, these New Year’s resolutions can help you make new commitments and plans for 2026 travel.
These resolutions can help you stay motivated and committed to travel in the new year, whether it is trying new things, or reconnecting with old practices.
While this is a rather daunting list, we encourage travels to choose 2 or 3 to commit to, as well as setting your own travel resolutions for the upcoming year.
To offer a little extra motivation, we are right there with you committing to these “travelutions” for 2026!
Set travel goals
New Year’s Resolutions are typically setting goals, so this is a great place to start with your travel resolutions.
These goals can be anything you want them to be:
Getting to a specific destination
Saving a set amount of money for a set trip
Saving as much more as possible then deciding where that can take you
Traveling to a certain number of places in the year
Taking a solo trip
Taking a luxury trip
Flying first class
And any other travel goal you may have. This is individual and can be whatever you want it to be. The important aspect here is setting that goal and working towards it to make YOUR travel goal a reality.
Embrace Slow Travel
Take one weeklong trip (or longer) to a single destination. Sink into the place and enjoy it at a leisurely pace.
While rapid travel can be exciting and invigorating, it can also be exhausting trying to “pack it all in” and see as much in as little time as possible.
Slow travel has many benefits and can give a feel of truly being somewhere.
Return to a Favorite Destination
We know this can be hard, especially with limited time off and opportunity to travel. It is natural to want to use time and resources to see new places and broaden horizons, but there is something amazing about returning somewhere you have been and loved.
Knowing where an amazing coffee shop is, going back to a restaurant and not needing a menu, knowing your way around without Google Maps, just feeling familiar gives a different feel to a place you have been before.
Returning to a place you loved gives a new glimpse and feeling and usually leads to falling deeper in love with a destination.
Explore Domestic Destinations
This can also be tough for travelers who feel the pull to go far and wide, but there is so much to explore right in our own backyards.
Whether you take a quick weekend jaunt to a nearby city, take an extended road trip, or fly across the country, there is something magical about exploring our own country.
Be it a trip to the national parks, taking a foodie trip to Chicago or New York, renting a country cottage and taking nature walks, there is SO much to explore right here in the US.
We so often forget that there are stunning landscapes, amazing culinary scenes, epic adventures, stunning beaches and more just a drive or quick flight away.
Step outside your comfort zone
While almost every trip takes us out of our comfort zone, we encourage every traveler to really delve in to something new and outside your norm.
That doesn’t need to be something extreme, or an entire destination. You could spend a night glamping or experience a homestay with locals. Trying new cuisines, or a cooking class may be stepping outside your comfort zone.
While jumping out of a plane, or tent living in the Sahara may not be for everyone, stepping out of your comfort zone while traveling can open folks up to so many new experiences, raise confidence, and create further interest and intrigue in exploring the world.
Here are GWA Travel Collective, we are also huge proponents of solo travel and highly recommend a solo trip (big or small) to any traveler.
These are our favorite solo travel destinations.
Try An Activity You Would normally skip
There are some activities that may be in our comfort zone, but we prefer not to do or typically aren’t interested in, like walking tours museum visits or classes.
We cannot recommend giving them a try enough.
Free walking tours are a great option for travelers who ware typically not tour people, as they offer great local information and insights, without a financial commitment (if the tour is not for you, you are free to leave, but if you enjoy and stay, be sure to tip your guide).
Unique or interesting museums are also a great option for travelers that are typically not ‘museum people’.
Cooking classes are also a great option for travelers with any skill level to learn about local cuisine, history and traditions. These are also a great way to meet other travelers and/or get amazing local recommendations.
There are endless activities and experiences for travelers around the world, and what better way to dive into an activity that you may not normally participate in?
Commit to Sustainable travel
Sustainable travel is becoming more and more important as the impact of travel is taking its toll on the environment and local communities.
Whether you are already an avid sustainable traveler, or just looking to incorporate some sustainability practices in to your travels, there are many steps we can all take to lessen or impact.
Whether it is switching to sustainable products, avoiding purchasing new clothes and items for trips, practicing ‘carry in, carry out’ travel, booking homestays, or working with your travel advisor to source ethical and sustainable stays, there are so many things we can do to be more sustainable travelers.
For more of our tips and practices to being more ethical travelers, check out this post!
be a more immersive traveler
Being an ‘immersive traveler’ can mean many things and can be done at varying levels depending on destination, availability and interest.
Some easy steps to take toward being a more immersive traveler include learning key phrases in the local language (and using them), staying in more local areas and neighborhoods, utilizing homestay opportunities, using public transportation, and grocery shopping.
While it is not realistic to truly ‘live like a local’ while on vacation and being somewhere short term, engaging in daily activities like a local can give a much more immersive experience.
Live in the moment
Our Type-A travelers may need a trigger warning here…
While planning every moment of a trip may feel like it is maximizing the experience, it can often hinder it and not leave room for spontaneity.
Leave room to pivot if you see something interesting or get a great recommendation.
Incorporating rest or leisure days to just organically wander can feel like they are wasting time, but can really enhance a trip. These are often the days that lead to the best finds and local ventures.
If you really want to lean in to living in the moment, here are some suggestions:
Eat at 2 restaurants without reading any reviews
Open google maps and choose a destination within comfortable walking distance and start heading that way. Stop at any and everything that looks interesting. You may find you never make it to the original destination.
Spend the day getting lost. Just wander, whether it be via foot or public transportation, and see what comes your way.
Put your phone/camera away and only take it out when something it TRULY awe inspiring. Take 1 photo and move on.
Eliminate time limits or schedules for a day. Enjoy a slow mean, sit outside a cafe and watch the people go by.
As travelers, we so often focus on the site and forget that we are a part of the living, breathing city or place. Take the time to truly sink in.
Treat Yourself
“Treat yourself” can mean so many things. From booking a start to finish luxury vacation, to booking a spart spender getaway and incorporating bits of pampering.
Splashing out on a meal, having a spa day, booking a luxury hotel for a night, upgrading your flight; whatever it is, treat yourself!
A “treat yourself” moment isn’t just about being luxurious or frivolous, it is about recognizing the work you put in to getting to your destination. It is about truly taking time out for yourself and giving back to yourself.
The best travel gift you can give yourself, is to take out all the stress and work of planning a vacation, and putting that all in the knowledgeable and capable hands of a GWA Travel advisor.
Utilizing our team to plan your trip is the best gift you can give yourself.
From planning to returning home, you will be in the best hands, know you are getting the best experience for your money, and have our support every step of the way.
Whatever your travel resolutions for 2026, and beyond, we are here to make all those travel dreams come true!
So, set those goals, stick with them and reach out to us to start getting the wheels in motion for your perfect getaway!
