Credit cards reporter Madison Blancaflor: Three 2020 travel resolutions from a beginner traveler

2019 was a huge year for me. I joined TPG team, took my first points-funded trip and took more overall trips than ever before. But as amazing as 2019 was, I hope 2020 will be filled with twice as much adventure.

As I dive headfirst into making my 2020 New Year's resolutions, I'm also thinking about the travel-specific goals I have for this year. I'm finally getting to a place where I'm old enough and financially stable enough to take more trips and explore more of the world outside of the U.S., and I hope 2020 will be a year I can add more stamps to my passport.

So without further ado, here are a few of my personal 2020 travel resolutions.

More spontaneous trips

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a planner. I carry my Ink + Volt case-bound planner with me everywhere I go, I research vacation options months and months in advance, I book tickets early (or at least plan out what tickets I want and wait for the optimal booking period) and I even plan out my activities and specific outfits for each day I'm gone.

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One of the things my TPG coworkers and our readers have taught me over the past year is that some of the best travel stories and points redemptions happen when you are willing to be spontaneous and book a last-minute flash sale trip or leave your daily itinerary open to possibilities.

In 2020, one of my resolutions is to embrace spontaneity and take advantage of flash sales or other last-minute deals to destinations on my bucket list. For example, we found flights to Puerto Rico for just $31 (or 200 points) one-way back in October 2019. I was so close to booking a flight because I've always wanted to visit Puerto Rico, but I ended up talking myself out of it. This year, I want to take the leap and book the trip.

Take more photos

I have a habit of taking a ton of photos of my surroundings, but not a lot with me in them. While this means I have some stunning shots of mountaintop views and beautiful architecture, I don't have very many photos with me actually in them. This time in my life, where I have the freedom and ability to travel and experience these new places, will be a period I want to be able to look back on years from now.

And when I'm 80 or 90 years old, I'm not going to care about whatever insecurities I had in my 20s that prevented me from asking that stranger to snap a photo or taking that selfie or pushing my traveling companions to take a few group shots of us all together. I'm going to care more about the memories of my travels and the people I met while abroad.

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So in 2020, one of my resolutions is to take more photos while I travel with me actually in them. Candid photos of me laughing, photos of me staring in awe at this fantastical world we live in, photos with the wonderful people I get to meet along the way.

Earn elite status

Up until now, earning elite status on an airline was sort of a pipe dream. I just didn't fly frequently enough to make it happen, and I wasn't savvy enough to know how to maximize the flights I did take to help me bridge the gap. In 2020, I plan on changing that.

Because TPG's parent company's headquarters is in Charlotte (CLT) (which is where I live, currently), I tend to fly American Airlines anytime I go back and forth from New York. Honestly, I fly American pretty much everywhere domestically because CLT is an American hub. Realistically, I'm shooting for Gold elite status with American Airlines since it's what I fly most often.

Personally, I enjoy flying both JetBlue and Delta more than American. But I don't fly either of those airlines often enough (yet) to be able to truly take advantage of elite status. For now, striving for status with American makes the most sense and will provide the most value for my travel habits.

Bottom line

While I have a few more specific goals for 2020 (such as booking business class award redemptions and convincing my mom to apply for a travel credit card), these are the three overarching travel resolutions I've made for myself going into the new year.

What resolutions have you set for yourself in 2020?