We
hope 2014 brings you more amazing indie travel experiences, and to help
you make travel a priority in your life this year, we’ve put together a
list of travel-related resolutions that you can actually keep.
Yesterday we unveiled our
annual list of great destinations for indie travelers for 2014, and this year we’ll be focusing on long-term travel and helping and inspiring all you folks to get out on the road.
We
know there will be some changes in store for the travel industry and
travelers around the world, but we think one thing that won’t change is
travel’s ability to transform us and to make the world a smaller place as we learn more about people and cultures different from our own.
1. Take your travel in any portion you can
At
BootsnAll, we believe that the life-changing experience of extended
travel is possible for almost anyone. But we also understand that it’s
not always the right fit (or the right time) for every traveler. If you
can’t get away for longer trips, take your travel in small chunks.
Taking weekend trips, booking red-eye flights, and planning your trips
around holidays to take advantage of extra free days off can help you
get more out of limited time, but remember that not every trip needs to
be epic. Pick destinations that seem manageable for the amount of time
that you have, don’t worry about “seeing it all,” and expect that you’ll
return at some point in the future.
2. Earn your experiences
Maybe
it’s the endorphins or the adrenaline that kicks in during physical
activity, but some of the best travel moments are the ones that are
earned with sweat, tears, and a few small bruises.
Get
active and experience the world on a human-powered adventure. Go hike,
kayak, swim, run, climb, ride, row, push, pull, hang, crawl, jump or
whatever else gets you moving.
>> Read: Trek Around the World and 10 Small Countries You Can Walk Across
3. See less, experience more
You
know the traveler type….the one who is running around from monument to
museum, pausing for a moment to snap a picture, and then scurrying off
to check the next item off a packed itinerary. It’s easy to recognize
the most extreme examples of this type of whirlwind traveler; it’s
harder to recognize the signs of trying to do to much in your own travel
behavior.
'Travel shouldn’t be about getting it done, but about savoring the moment.''
If
you find yourself needing a vacation after your trip, if the only
conversations you have with locals involve ordering food or buying
museum tickets, and if you come home with more photographs than
memories, you may be forsaking the experience of travel for the
accomplishment of it. Travel shouldn’t be about getting it done, but
about savoring the moment. Slow down, unpack, relax, stay awhile.
Read: Travel is Not a Contest (and Other Reasons to Embrace Slow Travel)
4. Invest in good gear
We’re
always extolling the benefits of packing light; it makes travel easier,
cheaper, and more convenient. But without the proper gear, traveling
light is much more difficult. Just try going two weeks with three shirts
that
aren’t quick-drying, and after spending all your time
waiting for your sink-washed clothes to dry or hanging out in the
laundromat, you may give up on packing light altogether. Investing in
gear that is designed to help you travel with less can make all the
difference. Compression sacks, quick-drying and lightweight clothes,
and the right toiletries are worth the investment.
5. Protect yourself
No
one wants to think about something going wrong on a trip, but nothing
ruins a trip faster than unexpected illness or injury, and the financial
strain that can come with them. Most travelers won’t need insurance on
their trip; they’ll return home with only happy memories. But for those
who do encounter unexpected problems, insurance can be a literal
lifesaver. From replacing stolen goods to getting you home in the event
of major injury, insurance is one of those things which, when you need
it, you
really need it. Protecting yourself, your family, and your financial investment in your trip is worth the minor expense.
6. Get past the “once-in-a-lifetime” roadblock
“Going on an African safari is a once-in a-lifetime-experience, so I want to do it right.”
“I’ll probably only go to Europe once, so I want to see it all.”
“This will be our last trip before we have kids, so it needs to be amazing.”
There’s
nothing wrong with wanting to splurge on a trip you’ll remember
forever, and of course there are some destinations that you will
probably only go to once. But
the problem with the “once-in-a-lifetime” mentality
is that it leads to “all-or-nothing” thinking. Too many travelers think
that they don’t have enough time or money to “do the place right” and
so they keep waiting until they have more time or more money. Except it
never comes, and so they never go.
Snap out of it! One week in
Italy is better than none, and going on a budget safari is better than
never going at all. Compromise on your dream trips and you’ll find it’s
easier to make them a reality.
>> Read: Affordable Places to Go on Safari and How to Experience the Trip of a Lifetime for Less
7. Change up your travel style
If
you’ve been traveling for any length of time, you probably have a
well-defined travel style. You might be a budget-backpacker, a mid-range
traveler, or a slow traveler; you might crave adventure, prefer the
beach, or stick to cities. Change things up a bit!
If you usually
go budget, splurge a bit on your next trip – book one night in an
ultra-luxe hotel, or bump up to business class, or spend big on a
multi-course gourmet feast. If you prefer the finer things in life, seek
out some street food or try a night at a hostel. If you’re an
adventure junkie, take a break on the beach for a few days, and if
you’re a sun-worshipper, add some active adventures off the beach. Solo
traveler? Plan a trip with your parents. In a couple? Go it alone next
time. Changing things up can help you discover more to love about
travel.
>> Read: Solo Travel Pros and Cons and It’s Not What You Think: Long-Term Family Travel
8. Save the planet you love to explore
We
travel to meet people, to experience things outside our normal life, to
eat, to drink, to do. And we travel to explore this big, beautiful
planet we call home. Yet, there’s no denying that the very act of travel
is effecting the planet’s ecosystem in a negative way. Planes, trains,
and buses all add pollution to the atmosphere. The hotels we stay in and
restaurants we eat in also require energy to operate. And if we’re not
careful, the tours we take and treks we go on can actually harm the
local environment and peoples we’re going to visit.
You can’t
eliminate the negative impact your travel has on the Earth, but you can
reduce or offset it. Travel slowly, go by foot or take mass transit as
much as possible. Respect the local culture and environment and only
support businesses that do as well. Give back to the local communities
you visit, and encourage others to do the same.
9. Boldly go solo
Traveling
alone for the first time can be scary. You might worry if it’s safe, if
you’ll be lonely, who you will talk to. But what you’ll quickly
discover is that solo travelers are never really alone unless they want
to be, and that there is always someone to talk to, eat with, or explore
alongside. Many solo travelers also say they meet more people than when
they travel in a group, as they are more approachable alone. If you’ve
never gone on a trip by yourself, make this the year you do, even if
it’s just for a weekend. And if you have taken a few trips alone, go
bigger this year, traveling solo longer or farther than you have in the
past.
>> Read: Tips for Solo Travel from Those Who Have Done It and Things You Learn About Yourself (and the World) Traveling Solo
10. Learn something
The
best trips teach us something, whether that be something about
ourselves or the place we’ve gone to explore. Embrace more opportunities
to learn on your next trip by taking a class in something that
interests you. From one-day cooking or dance classes to week-long
lessons in art, culture, language and activities, studying around the
world is one more way to make a deeper connection with the local
culture.
11. Be a traveler at home
Part
of travel is about experiencing new places, seeing and doing new
things, and meeting new people. So many travelers are open all these
things when they’re on a trip to a foreign place, and yet they quickly
forget the traveler’s mindset as soon as they return home.
Be a
traveler no matter where you are. Be a tourist in your own town. Try a
new restaurant; head to a side of town you never visit; find a new
event, festival, or parade you’ve never attended; go to a museum you’ve
never explored. Look at your familiar environment with fresh eyes and
try to see it as you would a new destination.
>> Read: Things to Do Discover About Home by Traveling and An Essay on Returning Home
12. Eat something that scares you
Chances are, you probably try a few new foods on every trip – spicy curries in
Thailand, the local fish in Colombia, a traditional dessert in
Italy.
It looks good, it smells good and it’s local, so you try it. Why not go
beyond that a bit, and try something that you actually don’t think
you’ll like? You don’t have to start chomping insects or rotten shark
(unless you want to), just sample something you wouldn’t normally expect
to enjoy. If offal isn’t your thing, at least try the tripe in Rome,
and don’t scoff at lentils without at least tasting them in an Ethiopian
berbere sauce. You’re mom was right: you don’t know if you’ll like it
until you try, and if you don’t, you may miss out on something
delicious.
>> Read: How to Plan a Foodie RTW Trip and The Most Unusual Snack Foods in the World
13. Find your quest
The earliest adventurers didn’t travel to “get away” from something, they were searching
for
something. You don’t have to go in search of a new land or a new trade
route in order to follow in their footsteps. Plan your own quest,
whether it be an ambitious goal like biking from North America to the
bottom of South America or a more personal journey, like tracing you
family history. Having a greater purpose to your goal can give you more
motivation to achieve it.
>> Read: 9 Epic Quests to Inspire Your RTW Trip and What is Your Why?
14. Talk to strangers and make meaningful connections
One
of the best parts of travel can be the connections you make with locals
and other travelers. If you tend to be on the shy side, focus on making
more meaningful connections on the road. Strike up a conversation with a
stranger in a cafe, on the bus, or in your hostel common room. Try a
home exchange program to get a better look at local life, or Couchsurf
for the first time. And don’t forget the connections you already have;
keep up correspondence with people you’ve met on your trips, and plan
more visits to family and friends who don’t live locally. Visiting
someone you know in another city gives you a built-in local guide and
helps you save money.
>> Read: How to Meet People on the Road Without Hosteling and The Art of Keeping in Touch with Fellow Travelers
15. Be impulsive
Some
of the most memorable experience are the ones we never expected to
have. This year, vow to be more spontaneous. Book a last minute trip or
arrive somewhere with no plans and just see where the wind takes you.
On a longer trip, leave one day (or week) or one destination up in the
air, or plan a mystery day trip where you just get on the next train and
see where it takes you in an hour’s time. You can even apply the same
idea locally. Pick a nearby city and just drive or hop on public transit
and get off at a new stop. With no time to prepare, you can be more
open to serendipity.
>> Read: How to Use a Guidebook Without it Ruining Your Trip and From Dreaming to Doing in 4 Weeks
16. Be an inspiration
Think
back to the time before your first big trip. You may have wondered if
someone like you could actually do this. Could you study abroad, could
you go on a trip alone, could you travel for a whole year? Maybe what
pushed you over the edge and made you finally just do it was the advice
or inspiration of someone who had shared their own story with you. Pay
it forward by inspiring someone else to take a trip, to travel more, or
to accomplish their own travel goals.
17. Ditch the technology
Smartphones
and easy access to the internet have been great for travelers. We can
stay connected with home, easily make travel arrangements, and get local
information at the touch of a button. But all this technology can also
keep us from truly being present; we’re too busy tweeting about the
moment to really appreciate it. Take some time to disconnect. Spend at
least one day on your trip without tweeting, Facebooking, or texting.
Go a week without checking email. Or really take a tech-break by
traveling to a destination where you won’t have any internet or cell
service at all.
>> Read: Tips for Balancing Technology and Travel
18. Make this the year you do it
How
many times have you said that this was the year you would visit that
place, or save for a round the world trip, or travel solo? Stop putting
it off! It doesn’t get any easier, you aren’t getting any younger, and
there will never be a perfect time. Don’t let five, or ten, or twenty
years go by before you know it. Whatever your travel dream is – to sleep
on the Great Wall of China, to dive in the Red Sea, to ride a horse in
Mongolia, to stomp grapes in France, to haggle in the markets of
Morocco, or to take a round-the-world trip – make this the year you make
it happen! Come up with a plan to achieve your goals in small steps and
make 2014 the year you realize your travel dreams.
''It doesn’t get any easier, you aren’t getting any younger, and there will never be a perfect time.'
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/11-12/travel-resolutions-to-keep-this-year.html
