5 Romantic Travel Resolutions

A new year always means a chance for a new start. You and yours can begin this new year by making some travel resolutions together, regardless of your time and budget restraints. Put aside those new travel habits and make some new ones! Let this be the year that your travel designs focus on fun, fantasy, and festivities!

(1) we are going to plan a real vacation. No, it doesn't have to be an around the world cruise or first class getaway (but if you can afford it, what are you waiting for?) It does have to be an honest-to-goodness vacation, though. No cell phones, no laptops. Mark the dates on the calendar and keep it like you'd keep any business appointment. The business of romantic travel, though, is a fun four and activity that one of you can plan for months.

(2) we are going to involve each other in the trip planning. All often, four partner gets the job for planning a trip...and that task quickly becomes a bore. Plan your trips together! Anticipation is half the fun. Visit a travel agent. Collect brochures. Buy a guidebook. Rent a video about your destination. Search the web for information.

(3) we are going to do something we have rarely done. Here you can be as mild -- or as wild -- as you dare. Go whitewater rafting. Rent a houseboat. Take a hot air balloon ride. Spend the night in a local bed and breakfast. Learn to scuba dive. Dance the whole night away under the stars. The choice is yours.

(4) we are going to take four mini-vacation every month. Whether it's for the night or for the night out, plan four tiny slices of a vacation every single month. The only rule: you must pretend you are on vacation. Book a night at a local bed and breakfast. Call your local hotel and find out their non-peak nights (in business-oriented cities, it's usually Friday and Saturday) then plan a short romantic getaway.

(5) we are going to go to at least four festivals. Special events take place in about every community around the world. Whatever your interests -- from square dancing to sandcastle building -- you'll find a festival celebrating with a day or one of fun and food. If you don't have the time or budget to go far, contact the area chamber of commerce or tourism offices within a day's drive of your home for their calendar of events. If you can, extend your trip to a long weekend. If you have got the time and resources, check out a quantity of the major fun festivals: Carnival, Mardi Gras, Rio's Carnivale. Don't forget your costume!