5 Steps to achieving your travel goals

A new year always brings with it a great sense of hope. An opportunity to start afresh. A clean slate. Whether you’re one to set new year’s resolutions or not, a new year WILL start. Most of us love the idea of introducing new plans, starting something new or reviving the old as we start a new year. There’s something seamless about this approach. It means you have the year to use as a measure of progress or success even. From when the year starts to when it ends, there will be some association or link to your target or your goal, which will either confirm progress or lack thereof.


The other compelling thing about aligning your plans with a calendar year is this: a year is finite, which means it is going to end at some point. As such, whatever goals you set in alignment will also reach a point of conclusion. This alone places you at a point where you’ll have to confront your realities, good or bad. It may sound daunting but I tend to think it’s actually a good thing. Having something that brings you to a point of accountability can only be a good thing. I think I’ve so far, managed to make you feel like a student in a lecture hall and you’ve probably forgotten that we’re actually talking about something quite fun here! It’s intentional. It’s because I want you to start taking your travel goals as seriously as you take all your other goals. I want you to stop putting your travel plans on hold. If you could conquer just 1, it will be a step in the right direction. So, how do you go about setting your travel goals? Here’s my proposed approach:

1. Commit

We are all different. Some of us have vision boards, others have journals while others simply make a mental note of their plans/wishes/goals. Whatever category you fall in, as you think through your plans for the year ahead, make a point to include ‘Travel’ on that vision board. Put a pin on that map sitting at your desk. Pull out pictures of your dream destinations and stick them in your journal. Whatever process you use to make a note of your goals, make sure ‘travel’ goes on that list too. It is in this part of the process that you become intentional about it. It is at this point where you show your commitment to this aspect of your life, as you do all others. It is no longer an afterthought. You now have some foresight.

2. Research

If you haven’t already read my book ‘HOW TO TRAVEL TO 20 COUNTRIES AND 50 CITIES IN 5 YEARS’ then get yourself a copy by simply subscribing to this website. There’s a chapter in the book dedicated to this part of the process.  This is the part where you start collecting information through travel brochures, travel websites, travel experts and any other channels with the information you need to make some important decisions. My hope is that you’ll make this part of the process as fun as you can because exploration can be exciting - You get to ‘travel to a place’ before you can actually get there. There’s something liberating about one’s imagination – you get to experience things in a virtual world. You can finally see yourself right at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Watch some videos of your dream destinations for further stimulation, speak to people who’ve been there, get yourself excited about the prospects! Learn as much as you can about the places you want to visit.

3. Decide

Research is fun but it also comes with a responsibility: Decision. Once you’ve explored the many choices, you’ll need to come to a decision. A wise man once said to me ‘indecision becomes decision in time’. By not deciding, you’ve actually already decided. By not making a choice of where you want to go, you are choosing to once again, come to the end of yet another year, wishing you had bought that plane ticket to Mauritius. By not deciding, you’re perpetuating a cycle.

4. Plan

Now that you’ve identified ‘travel’ as 1 of your big goals for the year and you've explored your ideal destinations, start mapping it out on your list of priorities. Again, there are people who keep a year plan, people who place milestones on their calendar to remind themselves of the various events and also to mark them off once they’ve occurred. There are people who keep diaries (even if it’s an electronic one) to help them keep track of their daily, weekly and monthly schedules. Those places you plan to visit, start plotting them on your year plan. Even if it’s just a rough timeline. Having one is a great start. You can refine it when you have done more research around it.

5. Execute

You’ve made the commitment, you’ve done the research, you’ve taken the decision, you’ve incorporated this into your plans, now it’s time to execute! Executing basically means BOOKING THAT HOLIDAY! It means buying that ticket. If you have the experience and the know-how you can do the booking yourself but if you need a hand then enlist the services of an expert. As a rule of thumb, I would advise you to book no less than 3 months in advance if you’re going overseas. Locally, depending on where you’ll be going, the same rule may still apply but for places that are less ‘touristy’ you can get away with a month or 2 months’ advance booking.

This is the simplest way to guide you into setting and achieving your travel goals.
Commit, Research, Decide, Plan, Execute.
Give it a go and see how far it will take you.

Wishing you and your loved ones many adventures in the new year!