I’m a huge fan of “new beginnings”. I love a Monday for this, the first of the month for this reason, and most of all January first for this. I love setting goals, I love starting fresh and I love accomplishing things. So, in 2026, I’m setting so many goals, aligning my intentions and manifesting a year of abundance; an abundance that I can share. I can’t wait to see the world, see the kids see the world and experience it all with the people who mean the most to me.

Travel Goals for 2026

100 Days of Travel

We’ve hit this magical benchmark for a handful of years now and I want to just keep this number going for the rest of my life, if I’m being honest. I already have most of that number covered in the 2026 calendar so far. But not all of it, and things do change. I love this little life of adventure we get to live.

800 Hiking Miles

Yep. 800 miles. It’s a little over 66 miles per month. Some months that feels like it would be hard to do, but others feel like that would be easy peasy. I do count local greenways in this mileage as well. But I think it would be a really cool number to hit in 2026.

Visit a U.S. National Park I Haven’t Visited Before

We don’t have a super set plan for this at the moment, but we have tossed around a couple of options while we’re camping nearby a handful I haven’t visited. Time will tell!

Visit My 39th & 40th Countries

I haven’t been to a country I’ve never been to before since visiting Costa Rica in 2019, so I’m so excited for this! I have my 39th country completely planned. I’m visiting Argentina with my dad in February. We have a very loose idea to visit Chile while we’re right there (we’ll be in Patagonia), which would be so cool to get to check off this goal of mine alongside my dad. Especially as it’ll be his first time out of North America!

Do 24 New Hiking Trails – Truthfully, I’d Love to Do 36

It’s easy to do a lot of really cool trails again and again, especially when there are places we just genuinely love. But I also love and need new and exciting things. Doing 24 new trails in a year always feels attainable because it’s an average of 2 per month. My more ambitious goal is 36 – not only my “number” of the year but also an average of three new trails per month. That could be pretty dang cool!

Visit A New State Park in Missouri, Arkansas and Utah

These are the states we spend the most time in, but I always am itching to see something new. We have definitely learned that sometimes state parks are absolutely incredible and can be just as impressive (or more impressive) than national parks. So, while we’re in these states, I’d love to try to find something new to do.

Go 36 New Places in 2026

This can be cities, countries, provinces, state parks, national parks… Just destinations that are brand new to me. I’m turning 36 in 2026, and what better way to celebrate than doing something fun with that number? I already have a few new things in the books, and I can’t wait to see quite literally where the year takes me.

Take a Solo Trip

I don’t think it’ll be as massive as last years, but even a 4 or 5 day weekend somewhere solo would be really cool. I found a freedom in it that I haven’t in a long time. Part of me would like to try to do New Mexico, but we’ll see what happens. I will say, though, that this feels a little less high priority this year because I have a couple kid-free trips planned already.

Personal Goals for 2026

Spend Intentional, One-on-One Time with Each of My Kids Each Month

I’ve been spending time with my kids individually, both to foster those one-on-one relationships and because they’re so much better behaved when you separate them – the sibling arguing has arrived… Haha. But mostly, it’s the one-on-one time with them.

Have a Monthly Date Night With Matt

This is something we’re getting better at. We have averaged more than once per month in 2025 and I want to be sure we do that again. We need that uninterrupted time and thrive so much more when we make it a priority and I want that to be a priority.

Take at Least 36 Solo Nights This Year

I wanted to do weekly solo nights, but a lot of the time, that doesn’t always work out, especially when we travel a lot. So, I want to be sure that I at least get 36 of them in. They’re so good for my mental health and are the time to let myself be more than a friend, a wife, and a mother.

Continue My Health Journey with Yoga, Hiking and Exercise

This year, I think I did the best I’ve ever done and I only want to improve. I absolutely have ebbs and flows throughout each year, but this was my most consistent year and I’m hoping 2026 just brings even more consistency.

1,000 Hours Outside with the Kids – For Real!

I’ve had the goal to do this for the last two years, but honestly one or both of my kids have been really, really young. While last spring was a little easier to let my kids run, play and explore outside, this last fall was even easier because my kids were 3 and 4.5. So, I know that next year will be even easier.

Meet My Wild Mamahood Goals

I have a handful of my own wild mamahood goals in addition to the 1,000 hours outside. I want to pick berries again this year. I want to plant things with them this year. I want to spend a ton of time in wild waters, like the creek. I want to touch mud more, be barefoot more, so many little things that are actually not just little things. I also want to continue reading more information on benefits of nature, learn more ways to get my kids interested in nature, and to do more nature-based crafts and activities – or just activities outside.

Take a National Park Family Photo

I’ve been lucky enough to have some really amazing family photos inside national parks thanks for Matt’s amazing photography talents and a trusty tripod! Starting with our pregnancy pics in Canyonlands in 2020, we’ve since done them in Arches in 2022, Sequoia in 2023, Arches in 2024 and Badlands in 2025. I’m excited to see which park and spot we do them in for 2026!

Blogging Goals in 2026

Publish 70 Blog Posts in 2026

I want to push myself to publish 5-6 posts per month. I should have more time to write and do this than I have in the last few years. I have a lot of ideas and a lot of content to share from so many destinations already, but I am excited to see what 2026 brings as we travel a lot. I already have 87 days of travel on the calendar for 2026. So, I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to keep up with this writing schedule in 2026.

Continue Writing Fearlessly and Authentically

I think each year I get a little more fearless and a little more authentic. I want to create useful travel content, but I also want to talk about how traveling has literally changed my life. How being in nature is shaping so many aspects of my life. I just love writing, I always have and I am enjoying it more and more with each passing year.

Continue My Monthly Roundup While Also Changing it Up Again

I love writing these. I get to share things from each month more concisely, and I always hope that I get to tell a little story or share a destination or something else that don’t fit incredibly well into another post. But I also enjoy changing them up a bit each year. I don’t know for sure what they’ll look like in 2026, but I’m hoping to add some more inspiration to them, maybe? I’d also like to use them to maybe build a little more community.

Instagram Growth for a Purpose

I have this goal of Instagram growth because I’m really wanting to start hosting trips and I think doing it through a specific platform would be really cool, but they require you to have 15k followers and I’m relatively close to that… ish. So, I’m wanting to do more work to post consistently, and bring that back to being a community too. So, shamelessly, if you’re not, feel free to follow me on Instagram as well!

I’m so excited to see where 2026 takes me: literally, in my relationships, mentally and physically. I love this time of year and I can’t wait to hear what you guys have planned and in store for 2026.