Have you made any of these common new year’s resolutions: exercise more, get organized, eat healthier, be better with money.
They’re all great goals to have, but they’re also really difficult. Heading into the new year, make some easy travel resolutions you’ll love keeping.
Here are some 2025 New Year’s resolutions for travelers.
1. Learn How to Travel on a Budget.
With the rising cost of vacations — and just about everything else — everyone is asking, “How do you travel on a budget?” While it not always be easy, it also doesn’t have to be as hard as you think.
Try these strategies for saving money on vacation.
- Prioritize the parts of your trip that mean the most to you. If being comfortable is a high priority, go ahead and spend more on a nicer hotel or upgraded flight, but cut corners elsewhere. If fun activities are what’s important, fly economy and budget more for admission fees.
- Don’t get surprised by hidden travel fees. Some fees you can avoid if you know how to look for them. Others you’ll still have to pay, but at least you can budget for them when you know they’re coming.
- Get travel insurance. When something unexpected happens — you have to cancel your trip, you have extra expenses because your flight was delayed overnight, you got sick overseas and holy moly those hospital bills — travel insurance can help you recover that money.
- Figure out how to travel for free. You might be surprised how many ways you can take a trip and barely open your wallet.
2. Find More Time to Travel.
Time isn’t something we can magically create more of, but we can resolve to use it in ways that match our life’s priorities.
One of the most common reasons we think we can’t travel more is because of work obligations. The good news is that you can, and should, ask your boss for more time off.
- Turn your business trip into a leisure trip. Add some personal days to extend your business travel. These workcations are an efficient way to sneak in some time away without burning all your PTO.
- Become a digital nomad. Instead of being in your guest bedroom-turned-office in Boise, you could be finishing those reports from a cabin in Aspen.
- Bargain for PTO the same way you negotiate salary. Let your boss know that time to travel and recharge your batteries is important so that you can be a more effective team member. They might be willing to help with your resolution.
- Consider a gap year. Call it a sabbatical if you think it makes you sound more mature. Regardless of how you say it, you’ll get valuable time off while you develop personal and professional goals.
3. Get to the heart of your destination.
Most of us call this traveling authentically. You want to know what really makes a destination tick, get to know the people, and come home feeling like you’ve had a life-changing experience.
That’s a goal worth pursuing.
- Get off the main tourist track. Just because a destination is less popular doesn’t mean it’s less real or less amazing. Look for cities and sites that fly under the radar to find a new perspective on the world around you.
- Book a tour with a local company. When the guides are local, you get the inside scoop on your destination that outsiders simply miss.
- Travel solo. Sometimes when we’re on our own, we have to stretch a little more to connect with people. Instead of relying on companions from home, solo travelers often are more successful meeting new people on the road.
- Voluntour. Mission and volunteer trips put you on the ground in a community. It's a great way to build deep connections while you travel.
- Adopt a slow travel mindset. Sometimes called soft travel, the point is to slow down and settle in one place for longer. Get a feel for how the locals live instead of hopping from one site to the next like a hectic tourist.
4. Be a responsible traveler.
Traveling responsibly can take a lot of different forms these days: going eco-friendly, being socially conscious, honoring cultural differences. It can seem daunting sometimes or like there’s a potential misstep around every corner. Cut yourself — and others — a little slack and do the best you can.
- Choose eco-friendly destinations. Some places are more committed to sustainability than others. Travel to places with the same dedication to public transit, sustainably sourced food, and other positive environmental actions that you have.
- Be kind to strangers. This includes the person at the airline ticket counter, the cab driver, the hotel housekeeper, the random person on the street, your own travel companion, and everyone in between.
- Celebrate with cultural sensitivity. It's thrilling to visit another location at holiday time. Remember that these celebrations might have deep cultural or religious meanings and should, therefore, be treated with respect.
- Stay open-minded. It can be exciting to compare what you see at your destination to how you live every day at home. Just don’t pass judgement because it’s different.
- Choose travel companies that strive for social and environmental justice where they operate. This includes hotels, airlines, tour operators, cruise lines, and even restaurants.
- Buy high-quality travel gear. When you choose gear that lasts — a suitcase, clothes, electronics accessories — you don’t contribute to fast-fashion waste. You’ll spend a bit more for that quality upfront, but you’ll save in the long run by not having to replace your items as frequently. Mother Earth will thank you, too.
Travel Resolutions You Can Keep
Looking for more fun travel resolutions? These little nuggets of inspiration might be exactly what you need no matter where or when you travel this year.
- Learn a foreign language. Instead of telling yourself you’re going to be fluent, make your resolution more manageable and aim to learn just enough to hold your own in common travel situations.
- Don’t overpack. Fewer bags means there’s less to keep track of. Keep your baggage to a minimum to help keep your sanity (and a bit more money in your pocket).
- Stay healthy. Eat well (both the food you like and what’s “good” for you), stay hydrated, get your vaccines, and make sure your travel insurance includes medical coverage.
- Step outside your comfort zone. We’re not encouraging you to do something unsafe, but if you have the chance to try something you probably wouldn’t at home, now could be the time to be bold and take a chance.
- Introduce someone new to travel. You have amazing travel stories, tips, and tricks. Encourage someone to have eye-opening experiences, too.
- Take “the trip.” You know, that adventure you’ve been dreaming about but hasn’t turned into reality yet. This could be the year.
Travel Insurance for Your 2025 Resolutions
Whether your travel goals are to get away more often or to finally take that once-in-a-lifetime trip, let Seven Corners protect your investment and your health with travel insurance. We offer a variety of plans to meet your needs — from coverage for single trips to annual plans — so you can get away with peace of mind.
Contact our licensed travel insurance experts or get a quick quote online today.
