New Year Resolution: How to Set Achievable Travel Goals

By Sophia Goh –

The New Year is almost upon us, which means one thing: time to start thinking about those New Year resolutions. A fresh start is always exciting and the beginning of each brand new year is a great opportunity to think about what you want to achieve in the coming 12 months. For most people, that means figuring out how they can improve their lives, whether it means ditching a bad habit, shedding unwanted pounds or resolving to do something better. For others, it is also about making plans for the coming year, whether it is learning a new language, picking up a new skill or doing some travelling.

In fact, travel often features in New Year resolutions, because who doesn’t want to go on holiday and experience more of the world, right? Unfortunately, it is also one of the least kept resolutions because, as so many people quickly discover, it is one thing to aspire to travel and quite another to follow through with it. That’s where this article comes in.

Here are five tips for setting achievable travel goals as your New Year resolution. You can do it!

How to Set Achievable Travel Goals as Your New Year Resolution

1. Be specific

Setting the vague goal to ‘travel more this year’ or ‘go around the world’ is a sure-fire way of setting yourself up for failure. Be specific when setting your New Year travel resolutions.

Narrow it down to a specific place or a few options where you want to take your holiday. Resolutions such as, ‘take a trip to Tokyo, Japan’ or ‘visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia’ give you a clearer goal that you can aim for. Because you know exactly where you want to go, you can even start making plans. Start researching the destination. How much do you have to save to travel comfortably on the local currency, for the duration you want to be away? Lock down your time off from work. Look at booking airfares and accommodation.

2. Plan baby steps

Perhaps this will be the year you take that long-awaited holiday to Europe or at least, that’s what you hope to do. But where do you start?

Don’t just talk about it. Set little goals throughout the year that will help you to achieve your resolution before December rolls around again. For instance, you could resolve to put aside a fixed amount of savings each month that will go towards financing the big trip.

You could look up the dates of travel fairs and mark down dates of online travel sales on your calendar. This way you know when and where you could potentially book your holiday. The point is to incorporate the little details into your resolution so you stand a far better chance of achieving the big picture goal.

3. Think about timing

Research the destination you want to visit beforehand to ensure you get the timing right. Find out the best times to visit – chances are you probably won’t want to go someplace where it’s sweltering hot or freezing cold.

Will there be any major sporting or global events taking place during the time you want to visit? Going to a place that is all set to host an event such as the Summer Olympics or the Commonwealth Games could mean fewer accommodation options and higher prices. But if you’re a big fan of that sport and want to be in the thick of things, then you can start booking your holiday flights and hotels early to take advantage of early bird discounts.

Or maybe there is a famous festival that happens every year in the destination you’re visiting. Boryeong mud festival? Tokyo cherry blossom season? Bavarian Oktoberfest?  You don’t want to get there are realise you’ve just missed the best thing ever! So look it up early and plan your visit around the dates of the festival, and this definitely helps you kick off making the travel goals into a reality.

4. Consider your circumstances

If the best time to visit your dream destination coincides with your busiest working period of the year, then next year might not be the right year for you to plan that trip. Likewise, if finances are tight, you probably won’t be able to take that month-long North America holiday – not this year, anyway.

If your fitness is not quite up to par, you might want to hold off on that mountaineering adventure to give yourself time to train up. If you dream of going snorkelling or scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef but can’t swim very well, then you are better off resolving to become a stronger swimmer first.

Being practical and realistic about your resolutions is a key step to ensuring that you achieve them.

This doesn’t mean you can’t go. It just means planning them for the appropriate time so you can have the best trip. Remember to save and you’ll be accumulating more money toward your travel fund, which means a better trip. If you have to push back the dream trip quite far, then consider weekend getaways. We’re fortunate to have plenty of amazing holiday destinations that are just a short trip from Singapore and not expensive either.

5. Share your travel resolutions with someone

In the same way that having a friend who keeps you accountable means you are more likely to exercise regularly, sharing your travel goals / new year resolution with someone will also give you that extra bit of motivation to work towards achieving it.

Find someone who will be supportive of (and remind you of) your plans throughout the year. Or even better, someone who wants to go on the trip with you. If someone else is travelling with you then you will be more committed to making it happen and not letting them down.

Consider sharing it with friends via social media too. This way, there’s a public declaration of your intentions. You’re gonna want to have something to brag about after that right? 🙂

Now with your excuses crushed, Get Out and Travel! Check out Expedia Singapore’s 2015 travel sale for great travel deals to kickstart 2015.

To celebrate the new year, the Year of the GOAT, Expedia Singapore is offering special deals in our Get Out And Travel sale which runs till 25th January. Take a trip anytime between now and the end of March. Book hotels and flights from Singapore to Thailand, Indonesia, Australia or even Europe and U.S.A.

Book right away to make those travel resolutions a reality while the year is young!