Wyndham Wisdom

New Year, New You? Travel to New Places Tops My Resolution List

By Charyn Pfeuffer

I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of New Year resolutions. I'd like to think I'm a constant work in progress and that change is possible at any point during the calendar year. I don't need deeply discounted gym memberships to step up my health and wellness, nor do I need reminders to save money. I don't smoke and there's little chance I'll give up my nightly glass of wine and Elliott Stabler eye-candy fix on Law & Order.  I'm perfectly happy and comfortable in my own skin and try to incorporate several of the top New Year promises into my everyday life - all 365 days of the year.

Here are four commonly broken resolutions according to a Time article that I make a conscious effort to live by daily. Take note that travel figures prominently into the mix.

• Learn something new. There are valuable lessons to be learned from every interaction. From our mentors to our manicurists, every single person brings a new perspective to the table.  I don't feel like I'm growing unless I'm learning, and maybe it's my journalism background, but I seek information with a Nancy Drew-like curiosity.

• Be less stressed. Sure, sometimes life throws you a curve ball, but if you can take a deep breath and keep a cool head, you can usually handle even life's most difficult challenges with some semblance of calm and grace.

• Spend more time with friends and family. This is a definite priority for me, as my friends tend to outnumber my remaining family members, and have proven to be rock stars over and over again in time of need.  If I learned anything in my 38-years, it's that the definition of "family" is wide open to interpretation.

• Travel to new places. As a travel writer, my passport and I are inseparable, although I have a new perspective going into the New Year. This year, I want to travel less for work and explore more for me. I want to return to a handful of amazing destinations I've been to on assignment over the past few years and share them with my longtime partner.  Believe me, I'm grateful to be able to travel the world in the name of "work," but I'd love to share all its natural beauty with my favorite partner in crime. What places top my "to return" list? The Amazon in Peru, Atacama Desert in Chile and Sonora Resort in British Columbia, Canada are my current top three picks.

What resolutions do you typically make, keep, or break, and what are your constant "work-in-progress" personal improvement goals? Also, do you have any big travel plans on the 2012 horizon? Feel free to share at cpfeuffer (at) yahoo (dot) com.