Our 7 Most Important 2021 Travel Resolutions

quickwhittravel

December 30, 2020

Happy New Year! I think we can all agree: If hindsight is 2020, we’re never looking back! After all that the world went through in the last year, I think we can all start 2021 with a fresh perspective and a lot of hope. Here are Steve’s and my 2021 travel resolutions:

Take Longer Trips

Steve and I are kind of notorious among our friends for taking insanely short trips. Our reasoning is that we can actually take more trips if we take shorter ones! This year, though, we’re going to focus on quality over quantity. There are fewer places we can go this year, so we want to make our travels really count. So, instead of a 72-hour trip to Singapore (which includes 48 hours in the air), maybe we’ll take a full week in French Polynesia instead!

Longer trips definitely have their benefits!

Don’t worry, I’m not giving up on weekend getaways forever!
The Beauty of a Weekender (and Why You Need One)

Maximize Rewards We Earned in 2019

Honestly, 2020 and all its madness couldn’t have come at a better time for us. Between 2019 being such a whirlwind travel year for us (well over 100,000 miles traveled, 10 countries and 7 states visited, over 50 nights in various hotels), and Steve’s three eye surgeries this year, we actually needed a low-key year like 2020.

But now we’re over it! We’re planning on cashing in on all the rewards we accrued in 2019. We have several free hotel nights from Hotels.com to use, several hundred-thousands of airline miles to redeem, and credit card points to take advantage of as well! This year, we’re committed to getting back to travel in style.

An epic year of travel means a ton of rewards, and we didn’t get to use them in 2020!

Related: A Beginner’s Guide to Hotel Rewards

Right Size Our Expectations

Travel is different now. It just is, and it will continue to be. We know that, and we will definitely be “right sizing” our expectations accordingly. We won’t allow ourselves to be disappointed when things are closed; we’ll find something else to do. We won’t complain about dining outside; when it’s warm outside, we actually prefer it! We won’t complain that there’s no housekeeping in hotels during our stay; we’ll make the bed ourselves!

We both have to remind each other to right-size our expectations sometimes!

More here: 10 Trips Every Traveler Should Take

Be Grateful, Come What May!

Steve’s eyes are better. We can go for a run together. We can walk instead of taking public transportation. We can afford to travel. Steve has vacation time and flex time, so we can travel when we want. We’re healthy. Our families are healthy. We have a car. We have a place to live. There are so many things to be grateful for. So instead of bemoaning the things that have been taken away from us and the experiences we can’t have, we’ll be grateful, no matter what!

We have everything we need as long as we’re together!

Revisit One Favorite

We plan to revisit at least one place we absolutely LOVE! Because, why wouldn’t we go back to a place that brings us joy? Hawaii is always our happy place. Or maybe we can revisit Salzburg. Or Stowe, Vermont, could be an outdoorsy option. Or Savannah is always a pleasant destination—biscuits and grits, anyone? This year, we will go back to an old favorite and remind ourselves of why it’s at the top of our list.

We can’t wait to find something new next time we visit an old favorite, like this epic hike on our third trip to O’ahu!

Visit Somewhere New with No Expectations

Similarly, we plan to visit somewhere entirely new! We need a new adventure in our lives this year. But along with “right sizing” our expectations, we’ll commit to having NO expectations of the new place we’ll be visiting. We’ll take it as it comes, enjoy the journey, and be open to learning or experiencing new things along the way.

Salzburg in 2019 was one of our best trips ever because by the time we got there, we were too exhausted to have any expectations!

Read on: Perfect Trips Aren’t Planned

Appreciate Anywhere We’re Allowed to Go

I think this is key for 2021, but also for every year going forward. Being unallowed to travel like we always have was a real wake-up call. I never really thought I was taking my travels for granted at any time in my life. I was always happy to travel and in awe of how diverse and beautiful the world is. But this year, we will absolutely be able to appreciate our travels at a whole other level.

May all our travels make us this joyful. I love the way he makes me laugh!