Belated Happy New Year! 2016 Travel Goals

Wow, the month of January is almost over and I am just now getting around to my second 2016 blog post? What a sad state of affairs. I'd like to blame it on preparation for far-flung travels or that I won the billion-dollar PowerBall jackpot, but neither is true. I've just been enjoying  life beyond the PC, iPad, cellphone, television, etc.

January is when a lot of people make resolutions. Not me, I make goals. Resolutions are great, but I find that I have a stronger chance of reaching a goal than sticking to a resolution. Goals are fun for me; I make them SMART and then it becomes a game.

Here is my list of 2016 travel-related goals (in no particular order):
1. Do more local travel - in-town, in-state, regional, etc. I find that when I have time to travel, I rarely consider staying local. This is a shame, because while my city is not D.C., NYC, or SF we do have some great museums, restaurants and unique things to do. GOAL: Be a backyard tourist and visit a local destination at least once per quarter.

2. Organize all the travel ephemera gathered over the past 25 years - ticket stubs, maps, currency, etc. I have two boxes full of cool little artifacts that I've tucked between the pages of guidebooks, into camera bags and pockets. It needs to be sorted and presented in a way that lets me enjoy it from time to time and gets it out of the cardboard boxes. I love this idea from Martha Stewart: travel ephemera boxes (photo at top). GOAL: Create two boxes every quarter. That won't get me finished until 2018 but it's a good start.

3. Look to the North - Canada. As someone who has been to 6 continents, it is almost laughable that I've never been to Canada. Sorry, Mississauga, you don't count. As I start to plan short trips for 2016 and 2017, I've started to consider Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax as jumping-off points for a Canadian adventure. GOAL: Book a long weekend in Vancouver to occur by November 30th, 2016.

4. Print my travel photos - I am woefully behind in printing my photos from Australia and New Zealand, so to add to our gallery wall, I need to get in gear. GOAL: Select the 5 best photos to print and frame by March 1st, 2016.

5. Take the dogs on a road trip - It has been years since we took the dogs on a road trip so before any more time passes, we'll pack the car, load up the pups and hit the road. The last time we went to Bahia Kino and the dogs played in the waves for hours. Perhaps, this time the mountains beckon? GOAL: Plan and execute a road trip with the dogs by September 30, 2016.

That's a pretty good list, I think. What about you? What travel goals do you have for 2016? Share them in the comments.
peace, love, and travel!