January 06, 2015

Travel & Personal Goals for 2015

As the Christmas food coma finally wears off and the halls of our house undergo an "undecking" of holiday paraphernalia, it's time to outline our plans for 2015.  We've already announced our big trip of the year - Greece, Paris, and Germany in the spring - but we have a few other goals to settle, both personal and in terms of travel.

For the sole benefit of threatening ourselves with public accountability (we'll see how effective that turns out to be!), here are our tentative goals for the year:

1.  Return to Europe
Obviously, this is already on the books.  This trip will add one more country to our list (Greece!) and at least three new cities/locations.  I would love to plan a second 7 or 8-day trip for the fall, but doing so may conflict with our second goal...

2.  Financial Peace
It's time to start saving.  A LOT.  Since we're currently still "DINKs" (dual income, no kids), we need to seize the opportunity to put aside as much money as possible for future expenditures such as a house, more travels, and increased living expenses when our DINKing days are over.  It's time to focus on where our money is going and how we can become more efficient with our spending.  The biggest culprit lies in our eating habits.  It's just too convenient to eat out for lunch, or order a pizza when you're too tired to cook dinner.  Unfortunately, convenience comes at a price.  Eliminating excessive dining-out will probably save us a surprising amount of money in a year's time.  It's time to take complete ownership over our finances!

3.  Health & Wellness
In 2013, I quit smoking.  In 2014, I cut back my caffeinated beverage consumption from 24 to only 8 ounces per day.  In 2015, I'd like to get back into shape.  Although I may look like an athlete, gone are the days where I could run a mile or perform my karate katas for an hour non-stop.  I can hardly walk up a set of stairs without heavy breathing.  Embarrassing!  After all the "get into shape" new years resolutioners give up on their gym memberships, I'll move in with my own resolution.  There are three gyms within 5 minutes of my new job and a park within walking distance.  Our eight days of nonstop walking in Italy last summer almost killed my feet and my endurance.  I want to be in better shape for this next trip!

4.  Breaking the Social Media Addiction
Undoubtedly, this will be the hardest goal for me.  My morning routine has developed into checking e-mail, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in between my numerous alarms.  Throughout the day, I'm constantly checking my personal accounts and the accounts for the blog, too.  This compulsion can't be healthy, and I need to find a balance between maintaining my blog's social media accounts and losing myself in the interwebs.

5.  Develop a Bucket List for Virginia
Virginia is the best state in the union (although I'm not biased in the least!).  I've spent the majority of my life in this state, explored many historical sites in her borders, experienced a plethora of events and festivals, and enjoyed her ever-changing scenery.  However, we've barely scratched the surface.  It's time to develop a concrete bucket list and start seeing more of what this beautiful state has to offer!

What are your 2015 goals?  If you've written about them, please share a link in the comments below!  And if you have any suggestions or tips for my stated goals, do share!


  1. Great list. Thanks for reminding me that I should get back to looking more closely into my neighbourhood, too. Cause it has so much to offer. And in the whirlwind of planning the more distant travels, I seem to forget what's just round the corner.
    We're trying to save, too. And it's possible even if you have kids :) But we already have a house, so that doesn't count. Nevertheless, each month we set ourselves a savings goal (depending on the month and expected expenditures). A goal that is quite high yet achievable if we try. We not always achieve it, that's true (unexpecetd expenses...), but at least we try ;)
    Good luck with achieving all your goals!

  2. These are great goals. :) I know how hard it is to cook when it's so easy to just grab food from somewhere. This is a huge struggle for us while on the road, because we eat out like every meal practically and I can feel myself getting more and more healthy. Good luck with the savings goals!
    I used to have my nose in social media all the time too, but I've stopped for the past few months and it's been doing a lot for my mental health, but not really helping my blog stats lol. But it's a fair trade off. :)

  3. I really like your goals! It can be so tough to start saving when everywhere around you, everyone is saying "buy this, buy this" or people showing off their shiny new things... but saving is so important. Good for you! I took a bit of a social media break this week and it really felt good! It feels kind of just really awful to be THAT connected all the time.

  4. I'm with you on number 4!!! I'm out of breath walking up stairs too! It's so sad!

  5. Great goals! I'm curious what your Europe trip is going to be.. I'll have to scour your blog for more details :) Your second goal is awesome too. I noticed in one of your latest posts that you saved 40% last month- amazing!! And I share your last two goals. I'm working on getting back into running and yoga this spring, and although I haven't specifically set a goal around social media, I know that going to sleep and waking up to my phone is not the healthiest! haha. Good luck!

