I totally, completely, utterly failed on my 2016 travel resolutions:

• Go on a road trip along the west coast of the U.S. The closest I got was driving three hours from Seattle to Portland to get a new visa then straight back to Seattle. Fail.
• Turkey Mmm…there never seemed to be a good time to be in Turkey this year.
• Australia I don’t think I even looked at tickets after writing that post.

Looking back, I did end up going to quite a few places in 2016, just none that were really on the radar and for some reason it felt like I had travel mishaps every step of the way with messed up flights, dates, accommodation and having to spend money to fix things. Really, I think I messed up something or ran into a problem every single trip I took which made me question why some people actually pay me to write about travel… I also ended up working an awful lot on all of my trips even when trying to plan things in advance and get ahead on deadlines. That’s the thing no one ever anticipates about freelancing – since you can work whenever, wherever, you often do.

Go on a volunteer yoga retreat in India – It’s not set in stone yet, but it looks like I will be heading to northern India in March with the non profit Yogamour (you can read more about the organization here and here) on a seva yoga retreat to help with their volunteer work in Jaipur. I traveled through India for a month over five years ago so it will be particularly interesting visiting some of the same sites and seeing how my perceptions have changed. (There are still spaces available – you can go too! Learn more about the Yogamour yoga retreat here.)

Go to Italy for a wedding – This is completely impractical, expensive and, well, very expensive. Though it’s not the best time for me to be traveling around the world for a wedding, I still may just do it. What do you say – yay or nay?

Explore more right outside of Chiang Mai – Whether you still live in the same place you were born or are living in another country, if you’re in one place for an extended amount of time you tend to get settled (or stuck) into a routine and not explore your own backyard as much as you could be. There are hundreds of small destinations and resorts within a couple hours of Chiang Mai perfect for weekend getaways and I have not been taking advantage of them. That changes in 2017.

Visit a new (to me) Thai destination – In addition to exploring the Chiang Mai province more, I want to go to at least one other place in Thailand I’ve never been before. Whether that’s an island I haven’t made it to yet, or one of the country’s impressive national parks like in Kanchanburi or Loei I want to do a mini Thailand trip to somewhere that’s not on the usual travel circuit. What unique places have you been to in Thailand that you enjoyed?

Go on a road trip along the West coast of the U.S. – This is the big one for 2017, because I want it to include time spent in the States with a new special someone. I’ve been dreaming of a quintessential American road trip for the past several years and haven’t made it happen, but this summer I’ll be heading back to the States with someone who’s never been to the country so a road trip is essential.

What are your travel plans for 2017?