How a Trip to Ireland is the Perfect New Years Resolution

Hiking along Dingle’s beautiful Ventry Beach.

This is one of the most popular New Years Resolutions of all time – and also, unfortunately, one that often starts with great intentions before sliding back into previous habits. However, it’s easier to achieve this New Years Resolution by making an end goal to strive towards. Many people trying to get more exercise in the New Year often resolve to sign up for a race which is a good goal, but not everyone’s cup of tea.

A better way to motivate and reward yourself for exercising in the new year is to sign up for an active holiday. Think about it. You could simply sign up for Strava and try to walk or run or bike a few times a week, maybe try to run a 5k in a few months. OR, you could sign up hiking or biking trip this summer. This time when you sign up for Strava, you can proudly clock up those miles as you get in shape for your upcoming holiday! And don’t worry – you won’t just be walking. On your Irish holiday, you’ll learn about Irish mythology and history, taste the delicious cuisine, visit adorable villages, check out ancient archaeology!

Obviously, pick a trip to match your activity level. Beginning hikers may want to join our NEW Wicklow Way hiking trip.

Combine yoga and cycling in Ireland.

Resolving to be healthier might comprise of keeping better eating habits, making lifestyle changes or losing weight. As above, all of these factors are much more easily accomplished with a goal in mind.

After increasing your weekly exercise levels, you still may want to modify your eating habits to eat better and more balanced meals, get more sleep, reduce your stress levels with yoga or similar techniques, as well as make other lifestyle changes that will help to improve your fitness and overall health. Pick up yoga and other wellness exercises and then reward yourself with a biking and yoga holiday on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way! Now that’s a reward!

Take a chance and learn a new skill, like kayaking in Ireland!

This is another popular one. Some people have a specific skill in mind, but many people simply want to try something new and keep learning. If active skills are your thing, you might like to learn to kayak. For this reason we have our Hiking & Kayaking Escape in northwestern Ireland. Or try your hand at biking on our gentle Connemara & the Aran Islands trip which combines another popular New Years Resolution (learn a new language) – the Aran Islands are one of the last bastions of Irish Gaelic.

As you’ll spend a few nights island retreat, rub shoulders and learn a few new words! (Hint: Hello is dia duit and thanks is go raibh maith agat, pronounced ‘go mila ma-get’). Sometimes it’s the little things that count. Learn about woodworking on a hiking trip in Dingle or cheese on an island-hopping trip in Cork.

Summit Ireland’s highest mountain, Carrantuohil!

This can be achieved in many ways, and is probably one of the most fun New Years Resolutions! Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean it’s easy to keep as life tends to get in the way. So this year, visit someplace new and unexpected, try your hand at picking up new skills or revisit old ones. Meet new people, make new friends, visit new places.

An easy and fun way to make this happen is to join a group trip where you’ll travel with a small group of like-minded individuals (8 max) through the beautiful countryside of the Emerald Isle. By leaving the preparations up to us, you’ll be able to focus solely on relaxing and having a great time, instead of worrying how to get to your hotel, find a great restaurant, or pick the best hike to visit the island’s great outdoor wonders. Make the most of this year’s vacation time!

A family adventure biking along part of the Wild Atlantic Way!

It’s easy to say you want to privilege family time, but it’s not always easy to make that happen as we tend to fall back into old habits even with the best intentions. Sometimes the best way to make the most of family time is to think big – book a family holiday where you leave the logistics and reservations up to us.

By booking in advance, you and your family will have an exciting adventure to look forward to! And in the meantime, you can get out and prepare for your active holiday as a family – shore up those biking skills, log more hiking and walking time, or even try kayaking! Hopefully you’ll find new hobbies to take up as a family when you return home.

Hiking Ireland’s wilds in Kerry’s lesser-known high points!

Okay, this one is obvious to see why a holiday to Ireland will fulfill this resolution. But it might not be so obvious to see why this resolution is hard to keep. Unfortunately, many people resolve to travel more and visit exciting and exotic places but then external factors make that hard to do. Perhaps finances get in the way (saving for that rainy day!), maybe family obligations hold you back, or you simply can’t take time away from work. Or perhaps it’s simpler than that, and organising a trip – especially an active holiday – just seems daunting.

Holidays are proven to reduce work stress and increase productivity. It’s good to spend time with your family outside of your normal life, and by joining a scheduled trip or requesting a tailor-made trip, you won’t have to stress about the preparations. And you’ll get to visit a new country, broaden your horizons and explore the world! And hey, we only live once, right! What have you got to lose?!