I am not one to set New Year’s resolutions … anymore. Because don’t kid yourself, if you didn’t exercise before January 1st you probably wont be doing it much, if at all, by February 1st. But as much as I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions being the answer to changing your life, I do think subtle ones can help you slowly progress into a better person. So, as a travel blogger I decided it’d be best to focus my resolutions specifically on travel!

1. Travel Solo More

I’ve only been on one overnight trip by myself, but even then I knew a friend in the city that I could meet up with for drinks. This summer I will may be going on a trip to the UK with my family, so when that trip wraps up I’m hoping to stay in Europe longer and discover some more cities by myself! Traveling alone is an amazing (though nerve wracking) way to step out of your comfort zone. Discover a city, discover yourself, and discover some new friends!

2. Make Local Friends

Whether traveling alone or with family/friends, I think it’s really important to make friends wherever you visit. Beyond having a new friend, you can learn about the city from someone who knows it best, and maybe have somewhere to crash if you ever decide to return … or maybe you’ll have a international fling, or meet your future husband/wife. Point is, interact with locals!

3. Use the Local Language

I’m currently trying to become fluent in French. I love the idea of knowing multiple languages. I want to make more of an effort to use basics of the local language where I’m visiting – it usually also makes people more friendly towards you when asking for help.

4. Learn to Better Deal with Travel Mishaps

During my backpacking trip this summer, I dealt with a pretty stressful situation. Basically, my friend and I almost didn’t make it to Croatia due to a fire in Rome’s airport. We had to sleep on the airport floor overnight and scramble to buy a new ticket, for the next day, that was triple the price of our initial flight (Lesson: don’t fly with Vueling). Anyways, I was a ball of emotions, my friend who was traveling with me and my mom (who I FaceTimed multiple times) helped me calm down and have faith that things would work out; we would make it to Croatia! There have been many stressful situations when traveling (that being my worst) but I need to deal with them without crying and/or calling my mom. Maybe learning how to meditate is the answer!

5. Avoid Restaurants in Touristy Areas

Any meal I had near a touristy area has been overpriced and mediocre. The best meal I ever had was in Saint Sulpice in Paris, far from any tourist and in a restaurant my friends and I randomly wandered in (I wish I remembered the name of the place). I always remember how my parents would rave about the meals they had in all their trips to Italy, but sadly when I went I didn’t get to experience the great food … just the great sights nearby the restaurants.

Do you have any new year’s travel resolutions? Comment below!