I’ve personally never been that great at sticking to my new years resolutions and because of this, there have been several years when I ditched the whole thing altogether. This year, however, I have lots to look forward to and a few goals I refuse to quit.
Travel
After months of networking, sending emails, trying tactic after tactic to increase the quality of Bohemian Trails, things are looking up. So far I’ll be traveling to Fiji, Israel, Austria and Greece. Other destinations that are still in the words include Ireland, Germany and Indonesia. Although I never like to get my hopes up, I’m truly excited for these travel opportunities and plan to get the most I can from these fascinating countries.
Write a Print Travel Feature
Many of you know that a huge goal of mine is to become a print writer, with the ultimate goal of one day publishing a novel. December 2011 brought me my first print feature in an international magazine (U.S. and Colombia). The fashion article was included in the magazine’s One-Year Anniversary Edition. I hope to write some feature articles for travel magazines this year. I’ve been busy pitching away so hopefully I’ll get there in 2012.
Master the Spanish Language
If you read my Weekly Wander article from November, you already know that I’ve begun taking Spanish classes. As a travel writer who values local life over tourist traps, it’s a little difficult to speak to locals if you don’t know their native language. Spanish is spoken in a slew of countries around the world so I decided to take advantage of my freelance schedule and signed up for intensive classes with Instituto Cervantes. Dating an Argentinian certainly adds to my motivation. My hope for 2012 is for me to break my shyness and speak with locals on my next South American trip.
Improve my Photography Skills
For my 25 birthday, my boyfriend literally read my mind about what I wanted and surprised me with a Sony DSC-HX 100 Camera. I knew that a huge part of travel is being able to take high-resolution images while on the road. Although my iPhone has bee serving me relatively well on my last few trips, I really needed something more professional to capture all that I was seeing. I plan on playing around with the different settings so that I can take pictures that represent the emotion of the destination I am trying to convey.
Find new Challenges to Conquer
One reason why I find travel so inspiring is because there are always new challenges to face and battle head-on. For example, I’m very shy by nature and traveling (especially solo) has forced me to break out of my comfort-zone and start conversations with fellow travelers and locals. I’m also more observant and reflective during my travels, and I am ready to find more challenges on my trips this year.
Like Bohemian Trails on Facebook and Tweet me at @BohemianTrails
