I am a travel addict. No matter how much I travel or explore, my greed to experience and see more always keeps me on my toes. And while I do manage to travel a decent amount (a lot as per others), these constantly itchy feet made me think and eventually set a resolution for myself on 27th December, 2010 – #atripamonthin2011. I am not much of a resolution maker or keeper mind you. Never have been. But I thought, maybe, just maybe, if I set one regarding something I was obsessively passionate about, I’d make an extra effort to stick to it. And I did.
So, the plan was such - starting 1st January 2011, I decided that every month of the year I will go some place. It could be with friends, with my husband, with family, my dog, or even alone, but every month I will go somewhere. A trip / vacation, unlike what most people think, doesn't necessarily have to be to some fancy sounding destination. It could be a weekend getaway, visiting a place you have already been to, a short domestic holiday or a bigger International one. A trip is a trip. So, based on the month, the event / situation and the amount of money I / we were comfortable spending in that month on the trip, a place was decided upon. And guess what *drumroll* I stuck to the #atripamonthin2011 resolution. I traveled in every single month of 2011.
Jan: Bangalore.
Feb: Pune.
March: Alibagh.
April: Delhi.
May: Thailand.
June: Germany.
July: Germany.
August: Valley of Flowers, Uttaranchal.
September: Alibagh.
October: Australia.
November: Nowhere. I knew Dec would more than make up for it. :)
December: Delhi, Pune & Gujarat.
I got and still get various reactions from people; from the minute I announced my resolution. The only difference is what began with a shocked expression and a ‘yeah right you’ll do it eye roll’ has now turned into a pleasantly surprised or a sort of envious ‘you really did it every month eh!’ It feels good. Not because others are envious, but because I stuck to doing something that excites me so much. Some of my closest friends, family and fellow travel enthusiasts now believe me when I say that it’s not tough to take a couple of short (or long) trips in a year. As the year progressed, and I managed to go for a trip every month, they, and I realized that it’s not such an unachievable goal after all.If you plan right and work things around it and of course, save sensibly, it’s quite doable.
It’s a new year, and while I haven’t set a resolution for this one, the enthusiasm is high and the desire to explore new places and revisit older ones is even stronger. I will travel more. I will explore more. I will learn more. And yes, I promise to write more too. Mean while, all you wander-lusting people out there, don't procrastinate or be envious of the next person who is planning a vacation or is happily uploading their recent holiday pictures. Don’t brush aside the thought of going somewhere or wait for when you have the time and money because you will never have enough time or money. Never.
Make time, save the money and tick off places one by one on that long overdue travel bucket list. And don’t let others ever tell you that you can’t do something or that it’s an impossible thought. I am telling you otherwise. It's all possible so never say never.
Have a trippy 2012 all!
What an ambitious resolution! It's great that you completed it though! So fulfilling.
ReplyDeleteHey Brock! thank you...and yes it was extremely fulfilling. Have a new one set for this year...hope to stick to that aswell. :)
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