Annual Wanderlust Ritual

One of my favorite new year rituals is to plan out my adventures for the year in my Wanderlust calendar.

I haven't been a fan of New Year's resolutions for a long time. Frankly, I've found them to be completely boring or a source of frustration looking at the same goals we're told to chase...all to wake up in mid-January slumping back into the same day-to-day and forgetting about the lofty goals for the year.

Wanderlust isn't about status quo, my friends. It's about the free-spirit in all of us and tapping into it.

This is my 3rd year in a row doing my annual Wanderlust ritual, and it was all inspired by finding this incredible calendar, filled with inspiring images of trekking this beautiful planet.

I saw it for the first time in 2017 and fell in love. At that time in my life, I was 9 months into being fully nomadic and I was kicking off 2018 in Boulder, CO, a city I wanted to live in for the past decade of my life. I had 6 weeks there, and I wanted to make the most of it. So I made a cup of tea, turned on some EDM, and starting to plot out every single thing I wanted to do in Boulder for those 6 weeks, from snowboarding in the Rockies to eating my way up and down Pearl Street to hiking the Flatirons.

Those 6 weeks were some of the most fulfilling I had in my nomadic travels to date, because I had a solid game plan of what I wanted to do in that mini-chapter of my life. That set the stage...I was hooked. This calendar became my best wanderlust sidekick and has guided me through my travels ever since.

For 3 years in a row now, I use it to plot out my travels for the year. I get dreamy, look at my list of countries, and plot out a minimum of 4 months living abroad, with time in-between for spontaneous trips.

Need an inspiring calendar for your travels? Get your Wanderlust calendar here.

This year is quite unique, because I am taking a one-way ticket to New Zealand and then letting my heart take me where it wants.

New Zealand will be the first destination of my around the world journey. My intention is to then jet off to explore Southeast Asia, then South America, and Europe, with no clear itinerary and no clear plans to return.

My globe trekking will start spiritual home of New Zealand 🇳🇿 . I lived there in 2006 and it has been far too long since I've returned. It stole a piece of my heart, and I literally felt like I was leaving my home when I made my way back to the States. So, carpe diem, this is the year to make my return, and I can't wait to explore it during the summer months. A whole new world opens up there during that time, allowing for multi-day treks and exploring volcanic lakes.

This annual ritual is how I start off every year and I have this calendar at my side every day.

It's one thing to dream of wanderlust, it's another to live into it. Start your own wanderlust ritual and take action on that bucket list!

Want to find your wander? Join my community on Instagram: @GirlWithWanderlustOfficial

Know someone who has a mad dose of wanderlust? Share this story with them. [TheChamp-Sharing]