December is a great time to reflect on what you have achieved over the past year. However, it is also an excellent time to look ahead and decide on what you’d like to achieve in 2018. New Year’s Resolutions, of course, are a good way to set some goals for yourself. Perhaps you’d like to be more active? Or take on a big challenge? Or perhaps you just want to do something you’ve never done before, and explore a new culture? I (Lisanne) have some pretty big plans for 2018, and many of us at Macs Adventure are also already planning adventures for next year. Not sure where to begin with your own adventure plans for 2018? I’ve outlined some of my personal favourites below to get you started!

Exploring my current home country is definitely on my resolutions list for 2018

My Resolutions

1. Be Active – discover my own country

The Macs Adventure HQ is in Glasgow, UK, which means that we have great access to some of the Scotland’s most dramatic scenery! I myself have never visited the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, so my New Year’s Resolution is to make it out to the Isles of Lewis and Harris this year.

I suggest: If you're based in the UK, then for starters, the famous West Highland Way (one of the classic long-distance walks) should be on every walker’s wish-list. Or, how about visiting tropical Cornwall and do a stretch of the South West Coast Path? Wherever you are, there are plenty of ways to be active in your own backyard.

2. A Big Challenge

I am keen to take my love for the mountains to a next level. In Scotland, the highest hills are called Munros, and among mountain enthusiasts there is a challenge to ‘bag’ (climb) all 382 of them. I have currently bagged close to 40 of these hills, so my big challenge is to have done 100 of them by December 2018.

My first solo Munro climb in 2017. I'm aiming to summit 100 by the end of 2018![/caption]

I suggest: Perhaps you'd like to take on a big challenge this year? If so, an adventure through the Alps is just what you are looking for! Take on the Tour du Mont Blanc – a Macs Adventure staff favourite, which winds itself through France, Switzerland, and Italy. Have you already done the TMB and are you looking for your next Alpine adventure? Check out the GR5, an equally impressive long-distance trail through Switzerland.

3. Do something you’ve never done before

Although I'm a keen hill-walker, I am used to walking… instead of actually climbing! Although I’ve climbed indoors many times before, I am not actually someone who goes climbing outside on the great mountain faces. My resolution for this year is thus to learn how to climb outside – I am travelling to California in June, so I am hoping to go climbing in the world famous Yosemite National Park!

Stay on a "floating hotel" on a bike and boat adventure.

I suggest: Ever gone on a holiday that combines cruising a river with being active and cycling? Then it is time to try a Bike & Boat adventure this year! It’s a great way to explore a country as you cycle along countless canals, knowing that at night you return to your hotel-on-a-boat. Explore the Tulip fields of Holland or go on a cycling adventure along the Danube.

4. Explore a new culture

One of my own New Year’s Resolutions is to explore a new culture in 2018, and Morocco is on top of my list of where to go. Not only is it easy to get to from the UK, it is also served well by international flights. The wildly varied landscape and beautiful cities are bound to make for an interesting trip. Not to mention that Morocco also boasts the impressive High Atlas Mountain range, home to Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa!

Visiting somewhere with the vibrancy of Morocco is a great way to experience a new culture.

I suggest: Visiting both Marrakech and the High Atlas.

5. Follow history – the Camino Frances

This year, I plan to help my mother achieve her goal of walking the Camino de Santiago with her siblings, by helping her organise the trip. This ancient pilgrimage route has lasted through the ages, and along the way you’ll find yourself passing through some of Northern Spain’s most interesting cities. Léon, Pamplona, and of course Santiago itself are dotted with historical sites.

The "Pilgrim's passport" is a record of your Camino de Santiago, one of life's unforgettable journeys.

I suggest: Have you already done the Camino de Santiago? Why not try its Italian cousin, the Via Francigena, and finish your walking adventure amidst Roman and Catholic sites in Rome? Need to some help to make your own goals in 2018 a reality? Our team are always happy to offer advice on the ideal itinerary so please do get in touch via info@macsadventure.com, or give us a phone call!