25 travel goals, from cheap trips near home to a new country every year

Travel goals examples: countries, parks and nights away

The classic travel goal is a count of places. The United Nations has 193 member states, so 30 countries is a big life goal and 1 new country a year is a steady one.

• Visit 1 new country a year for 10 years.
• Reach 30 countries by a birthday you choose.
• Visit every state or region of your own country.
• Visit 5 national parks in one year.
• Spend 30 nights away from home this year.

Travel goals on a budget

A trip has a price and a date, so a budget goal is a monthly amount. A savings challenge turns that amount into a chart you fill week by week.

• Save $100 a month for 12 months toward one trip.
• Visit 10 places within 100 km (60 miles) of home that you have never seen.
• Take 6 day trips this year by train or bus.
• Camp 10 nights this year.
• Pay for a whole trip with money saved ahead, with nothing left on a credit card.

Adventure travel goals

Adventure goals count firsts: a first trail abroad, a first night train, a first wave. For a surf trip the work starts at home, and surfing goals count it.

• Take one trip built around a sport: a surf week, a ski week or a bike tour.
• Walk a 5 day trail in another country.
• Sleep in 3 places new to you: a tent, a mountain hut and a night train.
• Swim in 5 different seas or lakes.
• Cross one country from end to end by train, bus or bike.

Slow and meaningful travel goals

Slow goals count days in one place, not places in one week. A long walk to a holy place is a trip and a practice at once, the same way spiritual goals count days of showing up.

• Stay 2 weeks in one town, not 5 towns in 2 weeks.
• Walk 100 km of a pilgrimage route, such as the Camino de Santiago.
• Take one trip this year with no plane: train, bus or boat only.
• Volunteer 20 hours on one trip, with a group you checked first.
• Write one page in a travel journal for every day away.

Travel skill goals: carry-on, solo trips and languages

Skill goals change every trip that comes after them. Travelling with a dog is a skill too, and dog training goals include the calm walks a trip needs.

• Travel for 1 week with only a carry-on bag.
• Take a solo trip of at least 3 nights.
• Learn 100 words of the local language before you go.
• Order a meal, buy a ticket and ask the way in the local language, all on one trip.
• Take one trip of 3 nights or more with your dog.

What is a good travel goal?

A good travel goal is a count or an amount with a date. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. "Travel more" is a wish. "1 new country a year" or "$1,200 saved in a year for one trip" can be ticked off.

Put the big numbers in proportion. The United Nations has 193 member states, so a goal of every country is a life's work, and 30 is already a lot. A count of nights away or of new places near home fits a normal budget and a normal year, which often makes it the better goal.

Count how you travel too, not only where. Two weeks in one town, a trip with no plane, a week with one bag: each is a goal you can tick, and none of them needs a stamp in a passport.

Then cut the big goal into parts. A trip a year from now is 12 monthly savings, one booking and one bag to pack. Breaking a goal into smaller ones works on a trip the way it works on anything else.

How to track travel goals

Log each trip, night or saving on the day it happens. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

Countries, parks and nights away are counts that only go up. Money saved is an amount: $100 a month is one entry a month toward $1,200.

Between trips is where travel goals go quiet. A picture that fills a little with every night away or every saving keeps the next trip in view.

Frequently asked questions

What are some examples of travel goals?

Visit 1 new country a year. Spend 30 nights away from home this year. Save $100 a month for one trip. Travel for 1 week with only a carry-on bag. Walk 100 km of a pilgrimage route.

How many countries are there to visit?

The United Nations has 193 member states. That is a useful top number for a country count. A goal does not need to come close to it: 1 new country a year is 10 in a decade.

How do I set a travel goal on a budget?

Start from the price of the trip and the date, then divide. $1,200 in 12 months is $100 a month. Count cheap trips too: a day out by train or a night in a tent is a trip.