If you’re one of the many people who include travelling more with their new year’s resolution, and you’re hitting your goals, then good on you! But if not, don’t fret too much since you can be assured that you’re not alone. In fact, did you know that only 8% of people actually achieve their new year’s resolutions?
But don’t lose hope just yet. In this blog, we’ll review our top tips to help you stick to your travel resolutions, including planning ahead and maximising budgets with the ease and flexibility of car hire services. Whether you’re looking to travel across Australia or tick off your local destinations, renting a car to hit your travel goals comes with convenience, affordability and flexibility.
Why Choose to Travel in the First Place?
Travelling, especially for leisure, not only gives us new experiences but can have plenty of benefits to our physical and mental health, well-being and creativity, and personal growth. Travelling can:
Reduce Stress and Anxiety Levels
According to research, even just one short, 3-day vacation has a significantly positive and immediate effect on “perceived stress, recovery, strain and well-being.” And even better, these positive effects linger for up to 30 days or more, even after you’ve returned from your trip.
Gain Exposure to New Cultures and Perspectives
Every time you make a new acquaintance, whether from your own city, the next or halfway across the globe, it’s no one-way street. They’re meeting you as much as you are them. Both of you get a chance to introduce your own cultures and values and gain a new perspective from someone from a different background.
Improve Physical Fitness and Lower the Risk of Heart Disease
An interesting study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that females who engage in travel activities at least twice per year are at a significantly lower risk of having a heart attack or developing coronary heart disease when compared to those who travel less frequently.
Boost your Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills
According to Adam Galinsky, a Columbia Business School professor, exposure to new or foreign experiences can increase both depth of thought and cognitive flexibility. With that, cognitive flexibility plays a vital role in overall creativity when defined as the capacity of someone to come up with new ideas and viewpoints in succession.
These are only but a few benefits to adding travel plans to your new year’s resolutions. The other ones are pretty obvious, including the fact that travelling is always fun and exciting!
Back to the Drawing Board
Now that we’ve reinforced your desire to travel and put things back in focus let’s move on to some tips on how to sustain your new year’s resolutions and how our car hire service can help you hit those travel goals.
Plan Ahead
While going out on a whim can be loads of fun, it’s not sustainable for most people, especially those travelling with children or seniors. Like most things, nothing beats a solid plan. You can start by deciding how often, how far and for how long you want to travel this year. The number need not be something grand; the plan works best for realistic goals—once or twice a year, and seeing it through beats planning for ten and hitting zero.
Once you’ve decided on the when and where, you now have—most probably—enough time to break down your goal into smaller steps and achievable milestones; it’ll also be a good idea to write down your goals and progress to get a visual representation of where you are.
These small goals include setting aside a certain amount of cash per week, getting a new travel bag, informing your place of work of your travel dates, booking your accommodation and securing your transportation.
Budget Wisely
In line with setting aside X amount of cash for the trip, first, you need to determine how much you need for the trip and how much you’re willing to spend. It would also help to cut down on some luxuries and unnecessary expenses while saving up—eyes on the prize!
Take the time to compare prices online. Whether for hotel rooms or car rental services, due diligence will genuinely pay off. You’ll also discover that booking in advance for your car rental can give you better rates than booking the day before. Plus, browse through their website for car hire deals and specials to get the most out of your budget.
Stay Flexible
Memorable experiences are not limited to crossing waters. Adding local destinations to your itinerary, especially when they’re along the way, will truly add to your adventures. Australia has a diverse list of places you can visit while on a self-drive rental car. Note on the self-drive: opting for a car hire service instead of public transport can give you the freedom to explore and enjoy at your own pace.
Jump on Opportunities
Our personal fears, anxiety, and overthinking often keep us from enjoying a good holiday. All these thoughts of things that could go wrong, what if this or that doesn’t fall into place and other what ifs can be mitigated with the right plan in place. Be more impulsive without straying far from the plan, such as jumping on car rental discounts, hotel discounts and other special offers. This mindset also applies to the places to visit or things to do. If it’s not breaking the budget, why not stop by some seaside café or spend a few hours at a museum or a park; after all, with a rental car, you’re the boss of your time.
Car Hire: The Ultimate Travel Hack
Now that we’ve highlighted the importance of planning and the pivotal role transportation can play in making or breaking the perfect holiday with your friends and family, we’re here to remind you that Alpha Car Hire offers a wide range of rental cars across Australia.
Get started on your travel timeline and book your car with us today. We offer flexible payment options on our late-model cars, unlimited daily kilometres, attentive customer support and exciting deals and discounts! Don’t push your travel resolutions for next year. Get in touch with us today, and let’s go!