Traveling Forward, Not Just Onward

Closing out the year with intention

I’m not usually big on reflection and tradition, especially surrounding the new year, however, as 2025 winds down, I find myself taking stock of how I moved through the world these past twelve months.

Not just where I went, but how I went.

📍 What did my travel year look like?
This year felt full. Not necessarily louder or farther than others, but fuller in a different way. Fewer frantic hops, more moments that lingered. Longer trips where I moved past jetlag and was able to settle into local life. More pauses. More conversations that didn’t end when the plane landed.

📍 How was it different from previous years?
In earlier years, I leaned hard into quantity. More stamps, more countries, more motion. That version of travel taught me a lot (and I don’t regret it for a second) but this year felt like I finally made a post-Covid era pivot. I did my first travel conference, met people whose ideas really resonated with me, and realized how rare (and valuable) it is to cross paths with folks you actually want to know after the trip is over.

There was less chasing, more noticing.

Vilnius, Lithuania, dressed for the new year. A reminder that reflection doesn’t need silence, just stillnes

📍 What do I want to do differently in 2026?
I want deeper connections. On the road, yes, but also at home, wherever “home” ends up being next. Travel doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Being gone a lot puts an obligation on us to show up more intentionally when we’re not.

That means fewer drive-by friendships and more follow-through. I think many of us would agree that 2025 was a bit of a hot mess in much of the world, and in times like these meaningful connections matter more than ever. I want more meals shared. More return visits. More “let’s actually make that happen.”

New Year’s Eve in Rio. Wearing white is a tradition meant to invite peace, luck, and renewal into the coming year. Standing there, surrounded by strangers all hoping for the same thing, it’s impossible not to reflect.

And finally, a quiet goodbye to the old year.

The sun setting on the old year in Gabon. No fireworks. No countdown. Just perspective.

I don’t know exactly what 2026 will look like yet. I’d be lying if I said I had it all figured out. I know major change is coming, and I have some ideas about what that could look like, but I also know that some of the greatest things to ever happen in my life have happened when I didn’t plan and opened myself up to opportunities.

What will 2026 bring? Fewer miles or more? Slower or faster? But I do know this: I want the places I go, and the people I share them with, to matter a little more.

Here’s to traveling with intention.
Here’s to carrying what worked forward.
And here’s to leaving the rest behind.