It’s time, isn’t it? Time to gather round at the point where December meets January, look 2018 straight in the eye, and say “Frankly, this year, I don’t give a damn.”
You’re going to do things differently in 2019, aren’t you? Treat 2019 like a blank canvas of exciting possibilities. Go on more adventures. Be more adventurous. Make the next 365 days of your life the best 365 days you’ve ever had. Oh, and you’re going to buy a hat that makes you look ever so slightly like Indiana Jones. You’ve told yourself that last one is absolutely essential. Anyway, here’s a list of new year’s resolutions you should definitely think about for a much better, and more adventurous 2019.
1) Go Wild Camping
Whether it’s in the Norwegian Fjords, the Scottish wilderness, Dartmoor or somewhere else cool, epic, and exciting… you’re going wild camping this year. No ifs. No buts. No excuses. No “But… but… I need a bathroom with plumbing.”
Why? Well, because there’s nothing quite like sleeping under the stars. Nothing quite like waking up to a rising sun, or the dawn chorus. Nothing quite like cutting yourself off from civilisation for a few days and getting synchronised with nature. Doctors in Scotland are prescribing this type of behaviour, so you know it’s good for your health as well. Go. Wild. Camping.
Read: 6 Reasons Why You Should Go Wild Camping
2) Climb a Mountain
There’s a lot of mountains out there. A lot of mountains to climb. With that at the forefront of your thoughts, why not challenge yourself to climb a big one in 2019. Speaking from my own experience, I can recommend Toubkal in Morocco (4,167m). Don’t like to brag, but it’s the highest peak in North Africa. I know, I know… I’m a hero. Where’s my medal.
There’s nothing quite like that sense of achievement when you make it to the summit, properly exhausted but totally elated. It might just be the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but it’ll put 2019 on the map. Big hill, mountain, volcano; just climb something. You adventure loving legend, you.
3) Plan and Use up All Your Annual Leave
Look. I get it. You want to impress your boss. Want to show them you’re a hard worker, and that you’re more than worthy of a lovely, show-me-the-money, pay rise at the year’s end. Can’t stop you doing that. Can’t force you to take all of your annual leave, but I can remind you that not taking all of your annual leave is a win for the fat cats. A win for the people who want to see you working for free. Know what’s better than working for free? Going on an epic, life-affirming, adventure to somewhere you’ve never been before.
Read: How to Turn 29 Days Annual Leave into 64 Days Off in 2024
4) Learn a New Skill
If you’ve ever dreamed of learning to freedive, ice climb or getting schooled in adventure photography, make 2019 your year to do it. Don’t make it like that new year’s resolution you made to learn guitar which, if you’ll remember, you quit after three lessons because you’d already learned ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and, I mean, what other songs are there anyway? Educate yourself something in new. Upgrade your skill-set.
5) Go on a Paddling Adventure
You read that book in school, didn’t you? Can’t remember much about it but you remember it had something to do with a boy rafting his way down a river. Schmuckleberry Schminn. Something like that. Anyway, in 2019 why not go head out on a kayaking adventure? Greenland, maybe. Sardinia sounds good. What about the Norwegian Fjords?
There’s nothing quite like silently exploring rivers and coastlines, fishing and foraging from your one-person ship, finding spots you’d never get to on foot, before pulling up in a remote cove and setting up camp for the night. It’ll stick with you forever.
6) Be Good To The Planet
Support environmentally-conscientious businesses. Support local economies. Clean up after yourself. No littering in nature, or anywhere else for that matter. Basically, just be nice to the planet so that it can stay nice for all the outdoorsy people (like yourself) who want to make the most of it. Don’t go about kicking trees because they looked at you funny. Be a more responsible version of yourself.
7) Meet More Adventurous People
You’ve got adventurous mates, sure. But you’ve also got a lot of mates who are quite happy to sit in and binge Netflix until they have to turn off the TV because it’s overheating from nine hours of consecutive usage. Each to their own, of course, but why not go on a solo adventure and turn adventurous strangers into adventurous friends. After all, if you wait around for someone else to be ready all the time, you’re going to miss out on an awful lot of adventures. That’s why we love solo travel.
Read: Why 2020 is the year to try solo travel
8) Have an Adventure Every Single Month
Bold? Ambitious? Slightly unrealistic? Yes, yes, and it depends on how you look at it. Obviously, I’m not expecting you to take two weeks off every month, fly to far-flung continents, and totally bankrupt yourself within 73 days. If you’re tactical though, go away for long weekends, go on #microadventures and resist some of the frivolous purchases you’ve made in previous years… maybe, just maybe, you can do it.
Read: Reasons Why Weekend Adventures Are a Much Better Use of Your Annual Leave
9) Go for a Really Long Walk
Multi-day trekking. Hut-to-hutters. Iconic trails. Whether you do it here in the UK or go abroad for it, there’s almost countless opportunities in the world for big, massive, walks in nature. The West Highland Way, the South Downs Way, the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Via Dinarica, the Tour de Monte Rosa – we could go on. Make 2019 the year you go for an epic hike.
10) Go Somewhere Unexpected
True adventurers head into the unknown right? Make 2019 the year you visit a place that’s never really been on your radar. Thought about Montenegro? Probably not. What about Bosnia and Herzegovina or Albania? These Balkan countries are sitting on landscapes like you wouldn’t believe, from epic mountain ranges to deep deep canyons and Europe’s last wild rivers. Get there before everyone else does.
Read: 5 Balkan Countries That Should Be on Your Radar
Do something different and make the most of 2019, explore our unique adventures holidays with only the best local guides and hosts.