It is early March at the time of writing and, admittedly, it feels a bit late for a post about travel goals for the year. I’ve had the topics jotted down since December and my only excuse for not turning them into a post much earlier is that… I was too busy travelling!
Indeed, the first two months of the year have been a travelista’s dream – I hopped across six different countries, included two intercontinental trips and managed my budget by combining business and leisure. If you’re keen to hear where I have been and what my plans are for the rest of the year, keep on reading!
1. ADD AT LEAST ONE COUNTRY TO THE LIST
The first of my travel goals is to add at least one new country to my list this year. I may well add that I aim to continue to do so in the coming years as well. This is a classic, but important goal for me. I love to discover places, but I like to discover them in-depth. As a result I have developed a habit of returning to places when I feel there is “unfinished business”. This also applies for places that are faraway and hard to reach, which eats into my budget and holiday allocation. As an example, I am very excited about the fact that I am going to Cape Verde for the third time this year. I also have a long wish list of things to see in India that will require at least another five trips to complete.
However, I don’t want to lose sight of the many new things that are out there and want to push myself to explore further. To define what counts as a new country, I am using the “countries and territories” list by the Travelers’ Century Club as a guideline. Becoming part of this network of world travelers who have visited 100 or more countries and territories is definitely a goal. However, this is more long term than only the year to come! I made one concession to myself, by considering that US states count as different territories. Due to the sheer size of the United States and the variety of things to see and do, this seems reasonable.
The above photo is a shot I took in Lisbon on a city trip with my Mum last year. For Europeans, Portugal is a rather common destination for all kinds of holidays, but I had never been. I loved it and, yes, I am keen to return.
2. GO OUTDOORS AND PUSH MY LIMITS
I love the Great Outdoors and walking holidays are an almost mandatory part of my yearly agenda. 2017 was the year I took to the climbing wall, with a view of adding some extra challenge to the walking trips. I want 2018 to be the year I take these newly acquired skills outdoors. The place of choice is the Isle of Skye in Scotland. I love Scotland and try to go there once a year for walking. The photo is taken on a trip to the West-Highlands last year.
Another item on my outdoors wish list is skiing. After not having hit the slopes for three years, I decided it was time to brush up my skills. As such, I joined a group of friends on a trip to Austria in February. I was definitely very rusty and it took half of the week to find my previous comfort back. However, I left the skiing resort at the end of the week with a couple of black slopes under my belt and a definite taste for more.
Of course, the traditional walking trips also remain on the agenda. That third trip to Cape Verde will include a multiple day trekking on one of the more remote island. Let’s deal with that unfinished business!
3. DISCOVER PLACES CLOSE TO HOME
Whilst I love the excitement of an intercontinental trip, there are many gems close to home I do not want to overlook. Particularly during the summer months, my husband and I love to make day trips into the countryside. We try to plan at least one weekend escape within the country. During winter time, when the days are shorter, we usually stay in town, but we still make a point of searching for new places. In the past years, I have accumulated a very handy collection of guide books with ideas for daytrips, countryside walks and hidden places in the city.
Check out my posts about a daytrip to the Devil’s Punch Bowl and cycling in the New Forest for some inspiration on day trips and weekend escapes near London. The above photo was taken a few months ago on an autumnal walk in the Chiltern Hills. At just 30 minutes by train, this hilly countryside area is perfect for a day’s walk.
4. MAKE MOST OF WORK TRIPS
One of the side benefits of my current job with a large corporation is that I get relatively regular travel opportunities to our offices in other locations. The destination I travel to most often is India and through the many trips I have developed a real fascination for this country. The advantage of the trips is that they usually have a duration of at least two weeks. This allows me to use the personal time during the weekends to discover the towns and surroundings. Additionally, there is some flexibility in extending the stays at the beginning or ending for personal travel purposes.
The fact that I have developed good relationships with the local colleagues in the two years I have been in this role is a real bonus. The insider tips and practical help with getting things organised are extremely valuable.
Part of my travel goals for 2018 is to fit in a couple of business trip to India and at least one other intercontinental destination. On the photo above, you see Mysore Palace, at a couple hours drive from Bangalore. This made the perfect day trip on one of the weekends I spent out there.
5. TRAVEL CONSCIOUSLY
The last of my travel goals is probably the hardest one to achieve. It is to travel consciously. Living abroad and juggling visits to family and friends, combined with hopping around for work and going away on planned holidays means that I am usually living out of a suitcase for many weeks. I love the thrill of being on the road, but at the same time I want to take the time to sit back and enjoy without thinking already of the next leg of the journey.
This final travel goal is also the hardest one to measure. However, I have defined two planned ways for achieving it. The first one is to make time for slow travel. Long train journeys, for example, are something I enjoy and look forward to making more time for. On that trip to Cape Verde later in the year, I am already examining options to make most of the boats in between the different islands rather than hopping around by plane.
The second one is to explore ways for meaningful travel. When I visit a new place, I try not to focus in the first place on the blockbuster sights. Instead, I focus on understanding the way of life and “doing what the locals do”. This is something I want to do more of. An area where I find “conscious travel” particularly relevant is when visiting nature reserves and protected areas. Conservation of nature is one of the topics that are close to my heart. As such, I find it important to understand the context and challenges of the protected areas I visit.
The photo shows me in Kolkata train station last year, about to board the train for a 20-hour journey to New Jalpaiguri and then onward to Darjeeling. It took 12 hours. That counts for slow travel!
