If you’re an avid traveler like me, you’ve probably already started thinking about all the places you want to visit in the new year. But have you stopped to think about what your 2020 travel goals will be?

New Year’s resolutions can feel like a chore but jotting down a list of your travel goals is anything but! These are the passions and ambitions that will drive your trips this year—kind of like a bucket list but without the whole “before you die” bit looming over you.

Travel goals are as individual as the people who create them. 

Maybe your goals focus on a common theme, like sustainability: booking a carbon-neutral trip, traveling somewhere without flying, or staying only in eco-friendly accommodations. They might be broad (“visit somewhere I’ve never been before”) or super specific (“learn how to salsa dance in Cuba”).

That’s the beauty of this kind of list—it can be anything you want!

Not sure where to start? Have a peek at TravelBash’s 2020 travel goals first for a nudge in the right direction.

✔️ Take a solo trip

There’s no better way to grow as a person and as a traveler than by heading off on a solo adventure, which is why this goal is at the top of our list.

Traveling solo forces you to become more decisive, resourceful, and confident. You learn how to navigate difficult situations and rely on your own instincts—an invaluable lesson if you’re someone who otherwise tends to let other people take the lead.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is intimidating, but the freedom and the opportunity to connect more deeply with the world around you are more than worth the temporary discomfort.

✔️ Visit a remote island

Everyone’s dreamed of escaping to a beautiful desert island at some point in their life—why not make it happen this year?

From the clear blue lagoons of French Polynesia to the rugged cliffs of the Faroe Islands, there are plenty of remote options to choose from (if you don’t mind putting in a bit of effort to get there!). To avoid decision paralysis, first decide what you’re after on your island retreat: blissfully deserted beaches? Volcanic peaks and treks through the jungle? Stunning reefs and shipwrecks to explore? 

Once you’ve settled on the kind of activities or vibe you’d like for your trip, it’s much easier to pick your perfect island paradise.

✔️ Learn another language

This one has less to do with your trip itself and more to do with the time leading up to it. Nonetheless, learning another language is one of the best possible ways to squeeze every last ounce of authentic experience out of your time abroad!

Not only is studying another language both interesting and good for your brain, but it makes your travel experience infinitely better. Imagine being able to visit a foreign country and make small talk, read menus, ask for advice, and meet people as easily as you do at home. All that time you might otherwise spend being confused, lost, or stressed out thanks to the language barrier would be eliminated.

To really get the most bang for your buck (and invested time), try learning a language spoken widely around the globe, like French, Spanish, Mandarin, or Arabic.

✔️ Splurge on a luxury getaway

Budget airlines and cheap hostels have their benefits, but we’re all grown here—isn’t it about time you ditched the gap year mentality and treated yourself to a real luxury vacation?

When you work hard for your money and only get a certain number of vacation days each year, it makes sense to pay for the trip you actually want (not the watered-down version that sacrifices enjoyment for savings). If you’ve decided to go big with this vacation, then really go BIG. Book the 5-star resort, eat the fancy meals, do the spa day, pay for that one-of-a-kind tour you’ve been eyeing. No half-assing things or sighing “I really wish I’d done XYZ” after you get home!

Don’t worry, your budget will be waiting for you when you get back. Till then, you’re royalty, baby 👑

✔️ Discover your roots

Ancestry travel has really taken off in recent years, and the trend shows no sign of slowing in 2020. There’s something undeniably appealing about a journey to visit the places our ancestors called home—it adds a layer of personal investment and meaning to the entire trip.

With DNA testing kits readily available through companies like 23andMe, it’s never been easier to get up close and personal with your family history. Simply submit your kit, wait for the results, and the destination of your next trip will be revealed to you in no time.

Who knows? You might find a long-lost cousin or two along the way.

✔️ Plan a Spartan holiday

In need of a real escape? You might want to add this goal to your own list.

The term “Spartan holiday” comes from the Spartans of ancient Greece, who were famously austere and frugal. Spartan travel is all about digital detoxing and minimalist living—packing extremely light and leaving your tech at home. The idea is to ditch all your baggage (literally and metaphorically!) in order to fully connect with yourself and with your natural surroundings.

You’re allowed to bring along a few analog accessories, such as a pencil and notebook, so it’s not all meditating in silence; but be ready for true solitude, wilderness, and plenty of time for self-reflection.

We’re coming up fast on the end of another decade, making this the perfect time to zero in on what you really want to get out of 2020. Traveling more is great, but how will you travel better?

Think about the kind of trips you’d like to take this year, not just the destinations you want to hit. Are you looking for personal growth? A deeper connection with your significant other? Time to decompress? Cultural immersion?

Focus on how you want your trip to make you feel, and then build the details around that—you’ll end up with a much more meaningful experience in the end.

Want to join an exclusive community of jetsetters that expect more from a travel agent? Ready to benefit from customized planning, personalized service and a travel designer ready to make your travel goals come true? Join our exclusive travel club TRvLB.

Courtnie is the founder & CEO of TravelBash. After years as an ambitious fundraiser, she took her passion for travel full-time. She has lived all over the U.S. and abroad and after planning her own destination wedding, she decided to help other couples plan their big day abroad too. She has written “Passport to Paradise: The Complete Destination Wedding Guide,” a top seller on Amazon. She has also been featured in Travel + Leisure, Destination I Do and The Washington Post. As a certified travel advisor, expert event planner and natural connector, she uses her powers to create VIP travel experiences.