I know i missed the boat a little for travel resolutions, but better late than never, right? 2013 is going to be a brilliant year for travel, so i felt it would be useful to map out a few of my key goals and plans for the year and track them as i go along. Some key goals for the year are to…

Do more weekend tripping

As i one of these workers that like to travel, it can be difficult to commit yourself to year long adventures. Instead, i plan to do much more travelling in my downtime. Rather than sitting on my ass or being down the pub at weekends, i will attempt many more mini-excursions to see more of my surrounding areas and cities. I already have three or four weekend breaks planned in February and March to kick start me into the year.

Get a driving license

Despite being  26 i have yet to get a driving license. *gasp*

My main plan for the first quarter of the year is to tackle this issue head on and get myself a license. More and more as i travel around the world i realise the benefits and simplicity a car hire would offer me for seeing more off-the-beaten path areas on my travels. Time to get this sorted i think.

Make use of more airmile and reward systems

I also seriously need to get myself a Virgin Atlantic credit card. They give you reward miles for every pound spent, which can be used on flights around the world. That’s a shed load better than the no frills offer i receive from my bank! That could add up to £50-£100 in free airmiles per year if i used it frequently.

Also – Here’s a quick roundup of my current travel plans:

Portugal

I have yet to visit Portugal before, so this trip will likely fall at the end of February. Suggestions on the best places to play golf and get in a little R&R welcome. I’m going out with a couple of friends, so it’s likely to be a great trip.

Paris 

My girlfriend is running a half-marathon the first weekend of March, so you see me along the banks of the Seine cheering on the runners with a cafe au lait and pain au chocolat in hand. Unfortunately, my current training schedule has ensured i won’t be entering the race myself (what a shame!).

We plan to use AirBNB or similar to find a crash pad, so we better book it up fast! I’ll probably get us bunked up somewhere near the start line for easy arrival to the race.

Las Vegas

My second trip to to devilish Las Vegas, Nevada. I play to fly out on my birthday of the 18th March for a few days then hop over to New York City on a connecting flight from Las Vegas Mccarran airport.

A day trip to Philladelphia is in order, with the remaining couple of nigths spent rummaging around the lower east side of NYC and the hipper areas of Williamsburg and Brooklyn, before venturing back to JFK. Bigger trip reports to follow, in due course!

Other places i aim to go:

Berlin

You might have already seen my other post on Berlin, but this would be much more of a civilised affair. Fortunately, i would be staying with an ex-colleague, so no need for another Wimdu rental for the time being, although my experience in Copenhagen was great and i would recommend others try out similar house rental sites.

Australia

Now this is a big one. Not only on cost, but on magnitude and time needed in my year to accommodate this trip. With family out in Melbourne, i would love to get out there again and explore some of the Victoria area. The 12 apostles and further beyond beckon, but i also need to sort out my driving license before i can explore this country to it’s full potential. I also need to save up some serious holiday time, too.

2013 is going to be an awesome year – i can’t wait!