Humans tend to be creatures of habit—even when it comes to travel. This year, challenge yourself to change just one aspect of your travel life. If you always take a cruise, try a tour instead. If you always go to the beach with your friends, consider a solo retreat. And if you never use your vacation days, please claim them this year!

Ready to choose your New Year’s travel resolution?

Travel resolution #1: Check one thing off your travel bucket list.

We tend to push our most cherished travel dreams into the future.

• When I pay off the car, I’ll take the kids to Disney.
• Once I get in better shape, I’ll finally book a Galápagos cruise.
• After things calm down at work, I’ll go to Thailand with Mom.

Unfortunately, the trips we keep postponing may never come to pass. This year, choose one destination and do your best to make it a reality. Pick a date. Start saving. Make it happen.

Discover the dos and don’ts of bucket list planning, plus 20 top bucket list travel places.

Travel resolution #2: Become a more prepared/organized traveler.

Your suitcase is covered with cat hair. You’ve lost all your international power adapters, except for one that works in Liechtenstein and Rwanda.  Your passport is… somewhere.

If you’re prone to last-minute travel panic, this is the year things could be different. January is the perfect time to take stock of your travel gear and documents and make sure you’re ready for every adventure in the year to come.

• Check your passport’s expiration date. If it expires this year, the time to apply for a new one is now. Remember, it can take two months or more to process a passport application. Also, many countries require visitors to have a certain amount of time remaining on their passport before it expires.
• Get a Real ID, if you don’t have one. This form of ID (or a passport or other compliant identification) is needed to board domestic flights.
• Purchase annual travel insurance. Multi-trip travel insurance is a smart buy if you’re taking two or more trips in the next 365 days. Don’t wait until the last minute: the sooner you buy insurance, the sooner you’re protected.
• Assess your baggage. Make sure all your travel bags are clean, with functioning zippers and wheels, and ready to go. Stick your hand into all the pockets and compartments while you’re at it, to make sure there’s not a forgotten pocketknife or airport bagel in there.
• Get organized. Hanging toiletry organizers, packing cubes, and well-designed travel backpacks all can help reduce your travel stress.

Travel resolution #3: Stick to your vacation budget.

It’s so delightfully easy to overspend on travel. A Michelin-starred restaurant dinner here, a few theme park tickets there, and suddenly you’ve racked up $3,000 on your credit card. (“At least I’m earning travel rewards points,” you say. We say: Be careful!)

This year, try to reduce travel spending by:

• Committing to a travel budget for the entire year
• Booking flights far in advance
• Booking cruises during wave season
• Traveling in the shoulder season
• Avoiding the most expensive travel mistakes

Here’s our library of clever budget travel tips (including how to save money on travel insurance).

Travel resolution #4: Leave no vacation day unused.

Did you know that 23% of American workers took zero vacation days in the past year? Four out of 10 workers (42%) took just one to 10 days off.¹

If you’ve been losing vacation days because you feel guilty about taking them, have too much work to do, or are being pressured by your workplace not to take time off, it’s time to change that. Paid time off is part of your compensation. You earned it. You need it. And you deserve it.

(Worried you’ll book your vacation and then get called into work? Add the “Required to Work” upgrade to the OneTrip Prime plan and get trip cancellation and interruption coverage for covered work-related emergencies.)

Get help using your time off to the fullest with our guide: The 6-Step Plan for Maximizing Your Vacation Time

Travel resolution #5: Take a spontaneous trip.

You wish you could be one of those people who’s always zipping out of town for a concert, or a football game, or a camping trip. But it seems like there’s always another commitment that keeps you at home.

This year, resolve to be a spontaneous traveler—even if it’s just for one weekend. Fly to a new city, take a road trip to a national park, or even try one of those travel agencies that will plan a surprise trip for you.

Here’s our guide to the apps, tools, and strategies that can help you snag low-priced, last-minute travel: How to Find Last-Minute Travel Deals to Anywhere (Really). And if you get an annual travel insurance plan now, you’ll know that all your spontaneous adventures will be protected.

Travel resolution #6: Take a solo trip.

Traveling by yourself is transformative because it encourages you to engage with the world around you. You may make a lifelong friend in a Dublin pub. You may hear your inner voice more clearly while hiking the New Zealand coast. You may have a spiritual revelation at a retreat in Thailand.

If you’re feeling anxious about solo travel, just remember: with Allianz Travel Insurance, you’re never traveling alone. 24-hour assistance is always there when you need help. Here are a few tips to help you plan international solo travel.

Travel resolution #7: Try an immersive travel experience.

If your typical vacation is on a cruise ship or at an all-inclusive resort, it’s time to branch out. Think about planning a cultural immersion travel experience, which involves meaningful engagement with the people and culture at your destination. It might involve a homestay, a language program, or a skillcation (like learning to forage in Sweden, or dance salsa in Medellin.)

Travel resolution #8: Take a trip to reconnect with someone you love.

If you feel like you haven’t had a real conversation with your teenage grandson in years… if you feel like you and your spouse text more than you talk… if you’ve drifted away from your sisters since you moved out of state… there’s a simple solution. Go on a trip together. Here’s our guide to planning a trip that helps you reconnect with loved ones.

Travel resolution #9: Change your vacation style.

There’s nothing wrong with going to the same beach town or mountain cabin every year. But if you’ve fallen into a travel rut, this could be the year you try something new.

Or, if you typically travel to a new place every year, maybe this is the year you return to your favorite destination. Visiting a place for the second time, when you already have a baseline comfort level with getting around, can be even better than the first. Explore lesser-known neighborhoods. Linger in the parts of the museum you didn’t get to see. Go back to that corner café you loved so much.

Wherever you go and whatever you do, make sure you protect yourself with the travel insurance that’s trusted by millions of Americans each year. Get a quote.

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