New Year, New Places & Old Resolutions

Few things are as exciting & motivating as New Year: every 365 days, everyone's mindset shifts. Most of us plan, and some of us reflect on the past. But most of us are ready to open a new chapter of our lives while closing the previous one. One of my favorite books I've ever read, written by Daniel H. Pink, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, says there are 86 specific days in a calendar year marking opportunities for making fresh starts. However, none of them is as significant as the New Year. How to leverage planning & objective setting in travel to make your trips more valuable & meaningful? I have set 1 resolution in 2019 that I have been able to fulfill every year since...

86 Days to Choose From

It may be the beginning of a year, month, week. It may be a new quarter, special holiday, birthday, or anniversary. Any of these days can work as a milestone that can be set as something new & special. Just think of Mondays. It presents us with 52 new opportunities to "start fresh" every year. So, why do we even want to start fresh? In the book I mentioned, the author argues that when people experience a new beginning, they are more likely to engage in behaviors associated with positive change. How many of us will plan our first run, first workout, first book read, first non-alcohol day in January, 1st of a month? Why would I start on Friday when I can party all weekend and then start on Monday,?

The reason is that every Monday presents us with a fresh tart. It makes us feel a significant sense of optimism and energy, which often leads to increased productivity and creativity.

I'm "guilty" of this as well as I'm writing this article on Jan 1st, right after my run, full of energy & optimism that 2025 is going to bring. Not to bore you with more words on how our brain works & motivational quotes anymore, but you are all subscribed to this to read more travel stories, or perhaps just understand the world of tourism a bit better. So, what is 1 travel resolution you can give yourself to make your travel more enjoyable & meaningful?

Visit New Place Every Year

I love planning, goals & systems. Same as anyone reading this, I have also attempted to set myself a specific goal every year. Throughout the years, only 1 has stuck with me and I have been able to fulfill it repeatedly. Since 2019. I had a thirst for adventure. I have been moving/traveling around Europe for some time prior to that - but to put it lightly, mostly through the less interesting part of the old world. I knew I wanted to explore as much as I could - but also somehow understood that I would never be able to explore "everything." At the time of writing this newsletter, it's estimated that around 400 individuals have seen "everything." By everything, I mean every single country in the world. 3 of these people have done it twice.

So naturally, the chances of me becoming the 401st one are, let's be honest, very slim. So by understanding & realizing that I will likely not see all of it - I was looking for a reasonable & motivational goal. That's when I decided not to look in the future. I just set myself a reasonable goal of visiting 1 new place every year.

In my case, it's 1 new country.

In 2019, I went to 🇵🇹 Portugal for the first time(had no idea what the future would hold between me & this country.)

2020 international travel didn't exist but I made it to 🇬🇷 Greece.

2021 seemed a lost cause, but in December of that year, I went to 🇯🇴 Jordan with my friends, my very first time in the Middle East.

2022 was the beginning of my nomadic journey. I went to 🇨🇴 Colombia and ended up visiting 13+ countries that year.

2023 I fulfilled my dream of visiting 🇯🇵 Japan and other special places in Asia.

In 2024, I finally made it to the 🇺🇸USA.

Small Steps Lead to Memorable Travel

Yeah, enough of bragging about me & my travels. I did not mention this to name all the cool places I've visited, although it did feel pretty special! The point is, when I set this resolution - its goal was to motivate myself to save up money, find time & prioritize travel & adventures. To make sure that whatever happens in my life - I will find time and explore places that I have not been to. Try cuisines I've never tried, learn activities I only ever see others doing, listen to music that may not be my usual style, and meet people I would have otherwise never met. To put it simply - the goal was to learn. Until now, I was lucky enough to be able to travel internationally every year, but even if that doesn't happen - this should not prevent us from exploring.

Last year (oof, I'm still getting used to using this referring to 2024) I already mentioned this in one of my newsletter editions - trying to spark up your interest in domestic travel.

Be it a new continent, new country, new city, or even your backyard. I'm the biggest supporter of people reaching & fighting to meet their dreams. If your dream is to travel the world and never stop. So be it. I'm not saying we should stop. But consider that sometimes, less really is more.

Sometimes 6 years of trying to visit 1 new country a year leads to thousands of new tastes, hundreds of new faces, and tens of new places. New career opportunities, business ideas, and most importantly, countless bonds formed with people from different parts of the world. As bizarre as life is, it brings immense joy, but happiness served in whatever form, tastes best when shared.

HNY 2025!