I believe that everyone should have a travel goal. Travel opens us up to other cultures and other ways of life. Now, I’m not saying you have to want to travel to other continents or even countries, but I don’t think I’ve ever met a single person who hasn’t wanted to go anywhere.

5 Steps to Figuring Out Your Travel Goals

  1. Start by reading this article by Steve Pavlina. If that doesn’t get you thinking about travel and goals, I don’t know what will!
  2. Think about your goals. Where do you want to go in your lifetime? Expand on these lifetime goals to come up with more specific goals. Once you have more specific goals in mind, rank them according to priority. Where do you want to visit the most? Share your goals with family and friends — maybe someone will have the same goal as you and you can push each other towards achieving it! Friends and family can also help you overcome roadblocks.
  3. Review your goals frequently. It is okay for new destinations to take the place of old ones and to re-prioritize your list. It’s your list, you can do what you want with it!
  4. Get out there! Look at your list and go somewhere that is feasible now, or start making progress toward a trip that isn’t quite feasible yet. Save money, book flights, research the city. Don’t be afraid of  trying new things like staying in a hostel or couchsurfing.
  5. Do it again! Keep working towards those goals and adding to your list of travel goals. The world is big — take in as much as you can!

What Are My Travel Goals?

My lifetime goal is to visit every country. Considering that I am only 24 and have already traveled to 49 of the 193 UN recognized countries, I feel like I am making very good progress… but I’m not slowing down! A more stretch goal of mine is to visit all 325 Travelers Century Club Countries and Territories; so far I’ve made it to 66 TCC locations.

During 2016 I have slightly more focused travels than I have had in the past. I am mainly focusing on seeing a little more of the US, which is not going to help me towards my goal of visiting every country, and I am also focusing on Central Asia and the Middle East. The countries I will be visiting for certain are Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, and Iran. In addition to those, I also plan to visit Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The outlier for the year? Brazil.

Assuming everything goes as planned, buy the end of 2016 I will have traveled to at least 59 UN recognized countries and 76 TCC locations. This keeps me well on track to visit every UN recognized country and put me within striking distance of visiting every TCC location. Even though this plan has me visiting less countries in 2016 than in 2015, I am exciting to visit a few countries that are considered more challenging, especially as an American. Of the 10 countries that I plan to visit in 2016, I will need a visa for 6 of them (and those visa fees sure are going to add up)!

What are your travel goals for your lifetime and for 2016?