The New Year has Arrived!

Happy New Year!!

I hope that you all had a fantastic New Year's Eve/Day celebration, saying goodbye to--what I would consider--a rollercoaster 2011, and welcoming a promising 2012!

Now is the time to put everything from the last year behind us and look forward to the year ahead. As many of you begin your resolutions--whether they are new ones or ones that you vow to keep every January 1--I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.

As for me, I will continue to provide insight, tips, news and opinions about travel, and, hopefully, boost my own travel writing portfolio with more freelance work and professional trips (I'm crossing my fingers on this last part).

For those of you who plan to heed my advice from the last post and take a trip somewhere new and exciting this year, here is a list of some of the top destinations for 2012. I hope this gives you some inspiration for your travels this year, I know it has certainly got me thinking about places I would like to go.

I am excited to start this next chapter, and hopefully my faithful readers will keep tuning in and reading my posts. As always, I love suggestions and comments, so feel free to post your thoughts!

Cheers to 2012!!

Resolve to Travel

The New Year is almost here and the inevitable question has mostly likely graced your ears over the last week: What's your New Year's resolution?

I dread this question because I always have way too many things I want to do--or stop doing. I mean, there are the go-to options: work out more, eat healthier, join a book/cooking/art club, turn off the television more often, learn to sew, save more money, cook more often, etc. I usually try to have two resolutions--mostly because I'm a bit of an overachiever--but also because there is one resolution that is pretty much a constant in my life. I resolve to travel somewhere I have never been every year.

I have managed to accomplish that goal the last two years--South Africa in 2010; Edmonton and Myrtle Beach in 2011. So where will I go this year? I have a lot of destinations on my list, so the first task is narrowing it down to options that are plausible for me this year. Obviously, I have to take a lot into consideration: money, time, prior engagements. There are certain weekends that are blocked out for special events or friend visits or whatever else might be going on. And then I always have to think about how much flights will cost, if I have to pay for a hotel or if I can stay with a friend or relative. As much as I would love to go somewhere abroad, this year might be too packed with weddings and bachelorette parties and other such events that I would not be able to afford it. So something within the U.S. may have to suffice. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Maine or Seattle. I know people who live in both places, so accommodations would be taken care of, and flights might not be too pricey, depending on when I go.

This will certainly take some more thought as it is not something I should decide on a whim. As for the other resolution, I haven't figured that one out just yet. I have mulled over the idea of cutting back on chocolate, but we all know that won't happen. I will report back on my final goals for 2012, but until then, feel free to share your resolutions. If you could pick one place to travel in 2012, where would you go?