Another Christmas and another year are behind us. Now it’s time to look ahead to a new year. What better time to set some goals to improve our lives and well-being than at the beginning of a new year. While you may still be nervous about traveling due to the pandemic, it doesn't hurt to plan for the future. Once it's safe to travel again I know I'm going to want to make up for lost time. Travel and entertainment venues are eager to have customers, and many will be offering great deals to get people back on the road.

There are those who don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions. “What’s the point,” they say, “I’ll just end up breaking them.” And there’s nothing that says we can only make a resolution on New Year’s. We can and should make resolutions any time of year if it means we’re trying to make our lives better.

Making a few resolutions, working on them and perhaps only succeeding for a month or two is better than doing nothing at all isn’t it? Success doesn’t always come with the first try! Make an effort this year to step out of your comfort zone and do something you haven’t done in a while, visit someone you haven’t visited in a while, travel somewhere you haven’t traveled in a while. Just get out there!

Here are a few travel resolutions that may make your adventures in 2023 and beyond a little more enjoyable.

Eat less and Move More – Travel doesn’t have to be something that takes weeks to plan and months to save up for. Resolve to explore more of what’s available in your own community, county, and state. There has to be lots of fun, entertaining, educational, and inexpensive things to do near you that you just haven’t tried. Vow to get out more, move more, explore more, experience more, and do less sitting around home eating things you shouldn’t. And spend less time sitting at the computer and playing on your cell phone. Go find a new experience instead of just reading about it online.

Resolve not to over pack – According to Doug Dyment of “The Go-Light Guru,” overpacking tops the list of biggest travel mistakes. One of his first recommendations is to create a personal packing list and use it each time you pack. He has a ton of great info about packing on his website: https://www.onebag.com/.

When selecting your travel wardrobe pick essential items that are multipurpose. Pack a nice comfortable pair of travel pants that can go from walking around town to dinner in a nice restaurant. Throw in a nice silk scarf that takes up almost no-room but can dress up that casual sweater, blouse or T-shirt. Throw in a nice pair of black jeans or slacks with a couple of nice tops and your evening wardrobe is set.

There are so many great fabrics to choose from now days that are light weight, wrinkle free, quick drying and easy to pack in a suitcase. I enjoy shopping for additions to my travel wardrobe at thrift or Goodwill stores. I've found some great bargains of expensive travel pieces I probably wouldn't have bought at full price. These are also great places to find little carry bags, pouches, fanny packs, camera bags, and accessories that can help make traveling more organized.

Print Some of Those Digital Photos – Do you take hundreds of pictures from your travels but never print any of them for anyone to see? Getting photos made from digital cameras is a snap these days. Many stores have do-it-yourself digital kiosks that make printing photos easy and stores like Wal-Mart have folks right there to help you if you have questions. A great keepsake from a special trip is to make a scrapbook or an album. These make great gifts too. Try putting some of your favorite photos on canvas prints for displaying and gift giving.

Take More Day Trips or Weekend Getaways – With our hectic lives it’s often hard to get away for a full-blown vacation or maybe the budget just won’t handle it. Rather than give up the vacation altogether why not plan to take a weekend getaway or overnight trip every couple of months. Knowing you’re going to get a mini vacation every few months can give you something to look forward too even if there is no big vacation on the horizon.

Shop For Travel Bargains – Vow to pay less for travel options. Whether it’s getting a discount ticket to an entertainment venue in your local area, to buying an America the Beautiful Pass to visit our national parks, to joining AARP, to asking for the senior discount, shop around for those travel bargains.

Plan to visit a friend or relative you haven't seen in a while. You'll catch up with friends and family and get a little vacation as well.

If you've been putting off planning that once-in-a lifetime dream trip maybe this year should be the year. You're not getting any younger you know!! A travel forecaster predicts Europe River cruising is going to be hot in the coming years. Maybe this is the year to plan that river cruise.

Whatever your travel resolutions for the New Year, get out there and have fun!