My Travel Vision Board for the New Year
- Dorina Dub
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
At the beginning of every year, I usually feel the urge to plan. To open maps, compare flights, save destinations. To decide where I’m going next.
But this year, before choosing places, I wanted to pause and think about something else: How I actually want to travel
This travel vision board isn’t about ticking off countries or chasing new experiences just for the sake of movement. It’s about setting intentions for the way my travels fit into my life, slower, more present, and more meaningful.
Why a Travel Vision Board Matters to Me
Travel has always been one of the most important parts of my life, but over time I noticed how easily it can turn into something rushed. Packed itineraries. Constant movement. The feeling that every day needs to be “worth it.”
Creating a travel vision board helps me step back from that mindset. Instead of planning trips around destinations, I plan them around feelings: curiosity, calm, freedom, and connection.
It reminds me that travel isn’t about how much I see, it’s about how deeply I experience the places I visit.
How I Want to Travel This Year
This year, I want my travels to feel lighter and less structured.
I want mornings without strict plans and afternoons that unfold naturally. I want to walk more and rush less. To sit in cafés without checking the time. To arrive in a city and let it reveal itself slowly, instead of trying to conquer it in a weekend.
Whenever possible, I want to choose journeys that allow me to notice the in-between moments, train rides, changing landscapes, quiet transitions. Travel shouldn’t feel like jumping from one highlight to another. It should feel like a continuous experience.
The Places I’m Drawn To
Rather than specific destinations, I’m drawn to certain kinds of places this year.
Smaller cities that don’t overwhelm you. Coastal towns outside of peak season, when the atmosphere feels more honest. Places I’ve already been to, places where returning feels comforting instead of repetitive.
I want to travel to places that invite repetition: the same street, the same café, the same walk at different times of day. There’s something grounding about familiarity when you’re far from home.
Travel Habits I’m Choosing to Keep — and Let Go
Over time, travel teaches you what truly matters to you.
This year, I’m keeping flexibility, light packing, and space for spontaneity. I’m keeping the habit of choosing one meaningful experience over several rushed ones. I’m keeping time for doing nothing.
What I’m leaving behind is the pressure to constantly document everything. The feeling that every trip needs to be impressive or productive. Some moments are meant to be lived quietly, without being shared.
What My Travel Vision Board Looks Like
My travel vision board isn’t filled with famous landmarks. It’s filled with atmosphere.
Soft morning light through a window. Rainy streets reflecting city lights. A cup of coffee on a small table in an unfamiliar place. Shoes by the door after a long day of walking.
These images remind me that the most memorable parts of traveling are often the simplest ones, the moments between plans, the pauses, the stillness.
This year, I’m not planning travel as an escape.I’m planning it as a way to be more present.
My travel vision board isn’t a promise to go everywhere. It’s a reminder to travel with intention, curiosity, and patience wherever the year takes me.
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