The new year is the perfect time to dream big and plan adventures but turning your New Year travel goals into a reality requires more than wishful thinking. It takes intentionality, strategy, and actionable steps.
3 years ago Hannah and I set out on a long-term travel adventure that continues to this day. But the planning started years before we left! So, whether your goal is to explore new countries, embrace a digital nomad lifestyle, or simply travel more often, this guide will show you how to make it happen.
Define Your Travel Goals
The first step to achieving your New Year travel goals is clarity. What does travel mean to you? Perhaps it means finding time to take a week’s vacation or using your allotted vacation days. Maybe it means leaving your job and traveling the world, so be clear about what you mean by traveling.
Be Specific: Instead of saying, “I want to travel more,” define it. For instance, “I want to visit two new countries and take a road trip across my own country.”
Prioritize Your Goals: Are you aiming for adventure, relaxation, or cultural experiences? Align your travel plans with your desire.
Set Realistic Expectations: Balance ambition with feasibility, given your available time and other commitments.
Create a Travel Budget
Money is often the biggest obstacle to travel, but it doesn’t have to be. A well-thought-out budget is the key to making your New Year travel goals financially achievable. Read my previous article How to Save Money While Traveling the World for more information on ways to make travel more affordable.
Estimate Costs: Research the average expenses for flights, accommodations, meals, and activities at your desired destinations. A site like Numbeo is great for figuring out day-to-day expenses, while Skyscanner and Booking.com are handy for pricing flights, hotels, and transfers.
Cut Back on Non-Essentials: Save for travel by reducing discretionary spending and outgoings wherever you can. Little cutbacks here and there can add up to big savings. Take an honest look at your financial status and make decisions that will financially benefit your New Year travel goals.
Take Advantage of Deals: Monitor travel sites for discounts on flights, accommodations, and tours. Tools like Google Flights and again Skyscanner can help you find the best prices. Sign up for mailing alerts from all the big airlines, they’ll let you know as soon as a sale is on.
Plan Around Your Schedule
A lack of time can derail even the most well-intentioned travel plans and the year can evaporate quickly. Make travel a priority by integrating it into the year ahead. Even if you don’t commit by booking flights yet, schedule travel dates in your calendar and be committed in your mind to stick to them.
Book Time Off Early: Book your vacation dates at work as soon as possible to avoid conflicts. Make your intention to travel known to friends and colleagues.
Utilize Long Weekends: Turn public holidays into mini-getaways or extend weekends by taking an extra day off. Be smart with your scheduling and increase your travel potential. Incorporating public holidays, weekends, and paid leave can massively increase your travel time.
Be Flexible: If your schedule allows, traveling during off-peak times can save money and reduce the tourist crowds at major attractions. A rule we stick to is traveling outside of school holidays, it’s often significantly cheaper.
Explore Affordable Travel Options
Turning your New Year travel goals into reality doesn’t mean overspending. Affordable options are everywhere if you know where to look. Check out my 5 Important Travel Hacks For Exploring Expensive Cities on a Budget.
House Sitting: Save on accommodation costs by taking care of someone’s home while they’re away. Platforms like Trusted Housesitters make it easy to connect with opportunities worldwide. Removing the expense of accommodation opens up so many travel possibilities.
Slow Travel: Spending more time in one destination reduces transportation costs and allows for a deeper connection to the place. Getting from A to B is a huge travel expense, so where possible aim to fully explore one area and avoid hopping from place to place.
Monitor Ticket Prices: Plan ahead by being on the ball with flight, train, and bus prices. Monitor the fluctuation in prices and find the sweet spot when they are at their lowest. Stay connected with alerts from transportation companies and trust me, you will not save any money booking at the last minute!
Leverage Technology and Resources Before and During Travel
Technology has revolutionized the travel process and is vital for keeping your New Year travel goals on track. Online banks such as Revolut and Monzo make great travel accounts as they charge nothing for foreign transactions and have free cash withdrawals (up to a sensible limit).
Apps for Getting Around: Use tools like Google Maps to get around, and download the maps of cities you plan to visit so you can view them without data or roaming charges when you arrive. Research if the country you are visiting has Uber, Lyft, or Grab and ensure your account is set up and ready to use.
Language Tools: Apps like Duolingo or Google Translate can help you communicate in foreign countries.
House Sitting Alerts: Join Trusted Housesitters and set alerts for the countries and cities you want to visit. The app will ping you as soon as something matching your specifications goes live. Click here to learn Everything You Need to Know About Trusted Housesitters.
Prioritize Experiences Over Luxuries
The allure of luxurious accommodations and first-class flights can be tempting, but they often come at the cost of other experiences. If you have the budget to enjoy a week or two of one-off luxury then great, go for it! But if you’re planning to travel regularly or for the long term put experiences ahead of luxury.
Research Accommodation Options: Hostels and Homestays save money and also offer cultural immersion. Sites like Airbnb offer big reductions for 7-day and 28-day stays, sometimes as much as 50%. Ensure you hit the discount markers and never be afraid to ask a host for a deal, especially for long stays.
Focus on Free Activities: Many cities offer free walking tours, museums with discounted entry days, or natural attractions like beaches and parks. Utilize the free stuff by locating your destination on Google Maps and hitting the ‘Things to Do’ button.
Eat Like a Local: Street food and local markets are not only budget-friendly but also offer authentic culinary experiences. Keep an eye out for places that are frequented by lots of locals – this should tell you all you need to know about an eatery.
Stay Committed to Your Goals
Life has a way of throwing curveballs, and it’s easy to let travel goals slide. Stay focused with these tips:
Visualize Your Goal: Create a board on Pinterest, start following Instagram profiles about your destination, or even physically pin your dream locations to a map on the wall as a daily reminder of what you’re working toward.
Break it Down: Instead of tackling your travel goal all at once, set smaller monthly milestones. For example, save a set amount each month or plan one trip at a time. Don’t try and plan a whole year of travel in one sitting instead create a ‘to-do’ list, prioritizing the more important stuff.
Tell Friends and Family: Keep your friends and family informed about your evolving plans, progress so far, and continued desire to travel. Saying a goal out loud commits you to it and makes you more likely to stick to it.
Consider Long-Term Travel Alternatives
If your New Year travel goals include extended adventures, think creatively about how to sustain them. Take it from me, I’ve spent the last 3 years traveling full-time and this style of exploring takes a lot more planning and budgeting. It is also tremendously rewarding and worth the effort. Here are my top tips;
Work While Traveling: Remote work or freelancing allows you to earn income while exploring new destinations. The world has shifted massively towards online working and the opportunities for digital nomads have never been greater.
Volunteering or Exchange Programs: Websites like Workaway offer volunteer positions in a variety of roles worldwide. There are cultural exchange programs that provide free accommodation and meals in exchange for a few hours of work each day. Read about 5 of our amazing volunteer placements.
Long Stay Visas: Every country has different rules about how long you can stay depending on where you are from. Digital nomad visas and working visas if you are under a certain age are possible in some of the world’s most iconic countries. Research how long you can stay to maximize your travel expenses.
House Sitting: I’ll hit you with the house sitting again! There are always sits available for 1-3 month stays in countries around the world.
Network with Like-Minded Travelers
Surrounding yourself with people who share your passion for travel can inspire you to achieve your goals. Start following people on X that have a similar ethos to travel as you do. Hannah writes for Goats On The Road, a fantastic website for travel ideas and solutions – they inspired us to get started on our journey.
Join Travel Communities: Connect with others through online forums, social media channels, meetups, or group tours. Find websites that compliment your style of travel or inspire you with travel ideas and solutions.
Seek Mentorship: Follow experienced travelers on social media or read their blogs for advice and motivation. This is the best way to learn what to do and more importantly what not to do!
Travel With Friends: Planning trips with like-minded companions can reduce costs and make the experience more enjoyable.
Embrace Flexibility and Adaptability
Even the best-laid plans can go awry. This can range from a budgeting disaster whereby your savings pot gets drained to more positive things such as a promotion at work or a new romantic interest! Flexibility is key to ensuring your New Year travel goals remain achievable.
Have a Backup Plan: If one destination or trip doesn’t work out, have alternatives in mind. Revisit why you planned to travel in the first place and reignite the planning process with a new date.
Adapt to Circumstances: Embrace the unexpected and view challenges as part of the adventure. While traveling, have a budget that allows for rainy-day expenses. Don’t let yourself ever become stranded with zero cash to get you out of a jam.
Keep Learning: Each trip will teach you something new about travel, making you better prepared for the next. We’re 3 years in and every day provides new experiences and sometimes challenges which ultimately make us more efficient on our travels.
Conclusion
Achieving your New Year travel goals is entirely possible with the right mindset and a solid plan. By budgeting wisely, staying organized, and embracing creativity, you can turn your travel dreams into unforgettable adventures.
So, why wait? Start planning your next journey today and make next year the one where you truly explore the world. For further reading check out my previous article – How to Travel the World on an Accommodation Budget.
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