Internationalize Your New Year’s Resolutions

Notebook on wooden table surrounded by a pen, pinecones, classes, and a plant. The notebook says "This year I will" and is followed by a numbered list.

The beginning of the year is often viewed as a fresh start, and with that fresh start come the annual New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions are already pretty difficult to keep, but one fun way to tackle them could be to breathe some international ideas into your plans. Here, we look at some common resolutions, and some things you can do internationalize them.


Travel more

If you’re planning to travel to another country this year, you’ve probably looked up all sorts of apps to make your travel planning easier. Once you’ve picked out what you need for hotels, transportation, and maps, try some of the apps mentioned in this Guardian piece.

If you’re interested in visiting a museum, doing a bike tour, or taking a dinner cruise, Musement offers users the ability to not only find these activities, but the ability to book tickets right from the app as well. If you want to travel off the beaten path and find out what the locals like to do, Localeur relies on input from “local tastemakers” around the world to share what they think are the places that visitors should check out in order to truly experience the best of their cities. 

Learn a new language

Maybe you want to brush up on a language you already know, learn phrases to help you get around on vacation, or begin learning a new language. If you don’t have time to enroll in a class after work, why not try an app? Duolingo is probably the most well known, with 27 languages available to choose from, like Spanish, French, Japanese, and Swahili. The developers are currently working on adding Arabic, Hindi, Yiddish, Indonesian, and Haitian Creole to their library as well.

Plenty of other apps exist, too, such as Mondly, which has 32 languages taught through lesson plans that may remind you of a classroom-style learning experience; Busuu, which offers the chance to connect and practice with native speakers; and the Rosetta Stone travel app, which offers words and phrases that a traveler may need while abroad.

Run a marathon

Getting fit is often at the top of a person’s list of resolutions. Whether you’re a veteran marathoner or just getting on your feet, traveling to another country can offer new experiences that bridge an interest in travel, learning about another culture, and staying active. For example, Huffington Post recently put together a list of fifteen of the world’s most epic places to run, with races in Chile, Norway, Ethiopia, Japan, and South Africa. Once you know where you’re going, try an app like RunGo to plan your paths and track your routes.

Cook more

If you’re not planning to travel, and aren’t sure of your language skills, one of the easiest ways to explore another culture is right in your own kitchen. Whether you’re exploring your own heritage, or simply interested in hosting a dinner party with friends, learning a new dish or two offers the chance to dive into the history of that dish, its place in another country’s history and culture, and a chance to appreciate what other countries have to offer. Dive into Cuban food with Paladares by Anya von Bremzen, or Robyn Eckhardt’s cookbook on Turkish cuisine, Istanbul and Beyond. Naomi Duguid’s Taste of Persia was named a Best Cookbook of the Year on eight different lists in 2017.


Is there an app you love for traveling or language-learning, or a cookbook you swear by? What have you done in the past to internationalize your resolutions? What do you plan to do this year? Let us know over on our Facebook page.