Happy New Year! If you’re like the millions of other people around the world who see the new year as a chance to make resolutions for a better life over the next 12 months then it’s likely that ‘do more travelling’ will be on your list. Travelling to new places broadens your horizons and introduces you to new cultures, new foods, and helps you escape the daily grind of working life for a while. If your resolution for 2015 is to do more travelling then here are some top tips to help you achieve your goal…
- Be specific with your location: Don’t just choose a continent, or even a country, that you want to visit. Narrow it down to a specific city or region so that you can really focus your research and planning in order to get the most out of your trip.
- Decide when to go and commit to it: Whether you’re planning on taking your trip around your birthday, during the summer, or when your employer says you can have time off, it’s important to commit to a date. Book the time off work well in advance so that you can begin planning on what to do and where to stay once you get there.
- Set your own agenda: What do you want to get out of the trip? If there are specific places you want to visit, people you want to meet up with, or things you want to do then write it all down and begin to work out your own agenda. From this you can make an itinerary for your trip, from leaving your home, right through to your return journey.
- Do plenty of research: Once you’ve decided where, when, and why you want to go to this particular city or region then it’s time to decide how you’ll do it. You’ll need to work out how much it will cost so you know how much you need to save. It’s also a good idea to find out what the weather will be like at the time you’ll be travelling, and what the local customs are so that you know what to pack and what to expect when you get there.
- Start saving up: Once you’ve decided on where, when, why and how, it’s time to start saving up to make the trip a reality. Set up a separate savings account and start building your travel fund by creating a standing order that automatically transfers the money from your current account to your savings account when you get paid. You could also get a piggy bank and a daily or weekly habit to give up, putting the money you save into the piggy bank. If you regularly grab a coffee on the way to work why not start making your own flask at home instead, and put the £3 in your piggy bank each time?
