This year was pretty difficult here at Studio Davina. If you have been following me for a while, you may have noticed that I seemed to fall off the radar a bit. In June, I lost one of my closest friends, and my housemate to a heart attack. After 12 years of sharing a roof, we had become a family of three, and over the past six months, I’ve been working on cleaning, healing, and getting used to the “new normal.” I’m ready to say goodbye to 2019. Frankly, 2019, you were not a great year!

So now, on Christmas day, I’m finally getting back to my favorite hobby, Travel! So while my house is quiet before family and friends arrive, I’m taking a few moments to contemplate my plans for 2020.

Setting Travel Goals

Next up, setting up some goals. I find that if I don’t make a few plans at the beginning of the year, I get too involved with business to take the time. In addition, I like to give myself time to save up the funds necessary to make my plans happen. Having clear established goals makes budgeting easier.

Once I’ve given it a good think and made some goals, I grab my travel journal to write them down. In honor of a new year and a fresh new start, I’m beginning a new travel journal. I like to use a sketch book so that I have paper sturdy enough to handle paint, tape, ink and the weight of collage.

Making a Vision Board

When I’m planning a substantial trip, like the cruise I’ll be taking with my mum this spring, I create a vision board – but leaving space so it will also serve as the introduction page for the rest of the trip. As I book things like the flights to and from San Diego, and the cruise itself, I’ll add the information to this page. These images were cut out of a Holland America line cruise catalog and taped into my travel journal with double-sided tape.

Raising Travel Funds

This is actually the most difficult part of traveling. Being self employed means that it’s fairly easy to schedule the time, but hard to save due to my variable income. So I use a combination of methods that includes having fundraising projects, saving change and cash pulled from my weekly allowance, and diverting income directly into savings. Watching my little travel savings account growing makes me so very happy!

This mother/daughter cruise will be my biggest trip of 2020, so I plan on making the most of the experience and enjoying the companionship of my mum while we have the chance. My biggest life lesson of 2019 is to cherish the people who love the most and spend as much time as you can with them. So I’m looking forward to enjoying the adventure and making many good memories on this upcoming trip.