7 Travel Goals if You Don’t Take Travel for Granted

Whew, I don’t know about you but 2020 has shredded my travel goals. And I pouted about it, went through the stages of grief in March. Ok, ok, April and May too. But with reflection I’ve realized how privileged I am as a person and a traveler. I’ve been living in what the talking heads are dubbing the golden age of travel. It was easier than it’s ever been to pick up and go somewhere. And oh, I did.

But the world has shifted, re-arranged. Not only for the pandemic, but now we look and who we are, what matters, and what responsible travel looks like going forward. Those same talking heads are saying it will be at least 5 years before airlines are stable again. Some are saying travel will never look the same. Time to re-calibrate.

So today, on my birthday, I’m hitting the reset button on this year’s goals and starting over with some new travel resolutions. If you too are trying to figure out what the next steps are, or are looking for deeper meaning in your adventures, let’s make add these to 2020 travel trends.

1. Learn More about a Place and Its Culture

For much of my 20s, I was living relatively lean. I would cut all the corners and skip all the splurges for a trip a year, mostly domestic. And thinking about it, I enjoyed those just as much as my later international adventures. A small part of it was because I hadn’t seen as much, didn’t need a bigger and bigger awe-inspiring scene for the dopamine payout. But most of it was because I was fully present in those trips. I appreciated them deeply. And as a way to stoke my excitement, I’d read up on where I was going. So, my first travel goal: get the info I need to better connect to where I’m going.

I’m not talking guidebooks. Although I read those too, I learned young there is a danger in overplanning when I knew everything that would happen on our first ride at Disney. I’m talking books about culture and history, learning what makes a place unique. And every place has something. Historic novels, place-rich fiction, or even non-fiction pageturners. Who hasn’t read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and been transported to Savannah? Feed your imagination.

Not a reader? No problem at all. Podcasts, documentaries, and beautiful place-based Instagram feeds are good fixes. Or maybe your looking for a shorter read. Might I suggest a few killer travel culture blogs? These tips will get you all fixed up:

• Libraries– they still exist, and they are your friend. They’re great for searches, for getting a sense of what’s out there without being overwhelmed. Check out all you want for free and if you love something, then hit up your bookstore.
• The right Instagram feed– nothing against influencers with beautiful aesthetics, but for this goal we need to find IG feeds that focus on place. Search the location and then find accounts, normally businesses or tourism boards, that feature your destination.
• Shows, podcasts and documentaries– there is something for everyone now. Try to go beyond just the travel shows to get to the stories of your destinations. But I do have a few travel recs. They seem at opposite ends of the spectrum, but both Rick Steves and the late Anthony Bourdain dive into where they are and show you a place with genuine enthusiasm. Both have gobs of content out there.
• Blogs– oh, my, there are a lot of phenomenal blogs. But I want to give a standing ovation to two that stick out. They bring detailed richness beyond just typical destination descriptions. The Geographical Cure offers up beauty, art, culture, and the details of place that capture the whys of travel. Brainy Backpackers has clever destination guides and exploration of responsible travel.

2. Connect and Support a Place’s Local Economy and Neighborhoods

The slow movement is exactly what we need in these times. It’s more than just staying one place while traveling versus hopping around a bunch of destinations. The slow movement is all about connection to the world. One way to connect to a place is to support the local economy and explore neighborhoods that exist outside of tourist bubbles.

• Skip the national chains and shop boutiques and local stores– A big one for responsible travel goals because you’re supporting giving back to a destination economy (especially needed during these difficult times!) You’re also increasing your chance of learning more about life in this area.
• Go beyond the tourist board recommendations– By all means, use those too, but these mostly focus on a few lucky places over and over. Snag a regional or city “culture” newspaper/ newsletter to find local events and broader businesses.
• Think carefully about your impact with home rentals– I love a good Airbnb so don’t get me wrong. Staying in “authentic” neighborhoods is lovely, but when we all flock to the same neighborhoods, we kill affordable housing. Landlords make more off of travelers in popular spots than they do off of rent. Bye-bye residents. Look at how saturated an area is with home rentals, and if they are partial rentals or empty places and choose wisely. Neighborhoods die without permanent residents.

3. Find Locally Sourced Food and Local Eateries

The slow food movement has deep roots. Finding the source of our food, reconnecting with our supply chain, and eating “real” food prepared right where you are is deeply appealing to many. Food is the language we all speak and it’s a beautiful way to explore where you are.

• Locally sourced– careful, careful, careful. You can grow a sprig of rosemary in a pot on your porch, throw it in a dish that flew across the country, and call it locally sourced. The intent of local food is that all or most of the ingredients come from nearby. The best places can tell you where it’s all from. Find those and soak them in!
• Do what the locals do– Find some of the hot local eateries in the same way the residents would. If a city has a food festival or a restaurant week, even if it’s not while you’re there, you can check the websites and explore the lists of participants. Many also have programs like the Passport Program, which round up fresh, local bars and restaurants for BOGO deals. A little advance planning will have huge payouts.

4. Talk to More People When I Travel

I’m naturally an introvert. I prefer to watch and listen and analyze for a long time before I engage. Traveling doesn’t allow much of that, especially if you’re on a time frame. But my best and richest experiences, as well as the funniest stories, come from getting to know strangers. Not putting myself out there is my most consistent regret. So I’m ranking it high on the travel goals list going forward.

• Ask more questions– I want to ask questions and talk about what I’ve learned but I’m trying not to be demanding or make a faux pas. But people are generally understanding and I just need to show my interest and see what happens.
• Withlocals– one of the best things we’ve done is take a private, walking food tour when we first got to Rome. Elena introduced us to the city and taught us how to find good, authentic food. It was real and amazing. Programs like Withlocals, with private, affordable experiences, are the perfect way for introverts like me to engage.

5. Explore My Own Region Again

Most of us won’t be going anywhere far for quite some time. It’s time to shake up my list and add some of the no-so-far destinations. It’s easy to say “there’s nothing good where I live.” But I live in Kansas, and if I can find something in this less obvious area, I bet you can in yours too!

• Put your out-of-towner goggles on– tackle your home area just like you would another destination. Hit up the tourist places you haven’t ever been or haven’t been in years. Just remember, most indoor sites have timed tickets now if they’re open. And in a pandemic- anything outside is good.
• Crowd-source ideas– ask family, friends, co-workers, etc. what they do in your area. Everyone is going to have a slightly different slice of the region and you know that they are all local experts.

6. Go Camping and Get Back to Nature

This would be at the top of my travel goals if only I could get Hubs to camp. It’s been a long time since I did any proper camping but I had a long stretch of camping in state and national parks, getting around by car or train. Hiking and floating rivers and sometimes even just staying on the cheap while exploring an area. If you’re going out and about these days, nothing is safer than camping with your own equipment.

• Avoid the most popular national parks- everyone has the same idea. Outdoors. Road trips. Parks. And the US National Parks are limited in availability now and some are way too full (and were even pre-pandemic.) If you go to national parks, go for the lesser-known ones.
• Regional camping– head to state, provincial, or more regional parks to beat the crowds and have spaces to yourself. Many also cost less and are even free.
• Day trips– Don’t want to mess with the equipment? Just take a day trip and get out and explore nature. There are green spaces almost everywhere, even if it means a small walk and a distanced picnic in a park.

7. Reconsider My Bucket List

Big shout out to Brainy Backpackers for making me ponder this one. I’ve been destination greedy, coveting “seeing” the most popular sights around the world. For a lot of them, I knew why I wanted to go. Not just the list of what I wanted to see and pose in front of, but the deeper why I wanted to be in a particular place. For me, it’s been the calls of history, conflict, and mountains. Others are called by art and religion and music and danger. Or maybe it’s the pull of the water or the rails. But a lot of times, I’m just considering a place because everyone else is going, because everyone raves about it. It’s a psychology, and we’re all susceptible.

I still want to see all 50 states (7 left) and experience all the continents. But I’m sitting down with my bucket list, with my travel goals, and with wiser eyes. I’m going to reconsider. I’m going to re-prioritize why I want to go somewhere, what it means to me. Because after this time of non-travel, each one will count now. None will be taken for granted. I want to make them matter, and I also want to be more responsible about not contributing to over-tourism.

Mindfully traveling. No longer a list of where-tos, but whys. Of all my travel goals, this one is the greatest. What’s yours?

May the road rise to meet you travelers, and may you find delights everywhere.

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