If you’re like me “travel” is always included in your annual decree. Travel, along with ways to better my health, better my outlook, and usually something a little pretentious like “finish my novel.” The list is always long, somewhat ambitious, and comes with doodles, but rarely with a plan of action.  If you’re like me, making resolutions is easy. Keeping them …

This year, I have a plan. And better yet, it allows me to check one off the list, off the bat: travel.  Here are some great adventures to help both you and I fulfill our year’s resolutions and make 2012 a year to remember.

Marked by the extraordinary ancient civilizations who left their footprints on the landscape, their spirit is alive in the heart of Peru’s modern-day people.  This spirit, this energy, thrives throughout Peru, from its remote Amazon to the echoing edge of Colca Canyon.  The Andean mountains cut through the countryside.  Their snow-capped peaks and glacial lakes present superb trekking, including the famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.  Peru’s Amazon Basin is one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots; it may be the very best place in the world to encounter the Amazon’s rare and legendary animals in their native environment.  Peru welcomes the traveler, the ecologist, the anthropologist, the thrill-seekers — it is a country that fascinates people from all walks of life and appeals to our sense of curiosity and adventure.  In other words, I’m a fan.

Already explored Peru?
I’m sure you would agree that a return trip to one of Peru unexpected regions – like a trip to the Northern Kingdoms, a trek to the hidden Choquequirao ruins, or the Candelaria Festival in Puno – is well worth a 2012 Resolution.

 This is the year to put Peru on your list, click here.

Argentina Glacier Adventure 8-day
From Buenos Aires head south, lace your boots, and take to the mountains to begin your Patagonia trekking adventure. Spend 4 full days exploring the mountains of the glaciated Fitz Roy Range, ending at a back country lodge and a hike on Perito Moreno Glacier.

Cordillera Blanca Backcountry Trek 14-day
The glacier covered peaks of Peru’s Cordillera Blanca soar into the blue skies of northern Peru. This tour takes you to the highest tropical range on earth, more than 50 summits over 18,000 feet with Huascaran at 22,204 feet.

Galapagos Multisport 9-day
Explore the Galapagos Gladiator-style. Hiking, kayaking, biking, snorkeling…and the most eye-popping wildlife in the world — sea lions, dolphins, turtles and bountiful birdlife swoop around you while you paddle and play.

Group Service Project in Peru 10-day
Group service project in the Cachiccata community combined with visit of Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. Participants, side-by-side with the family members, will work on cleaning, repairing, and restoring homes, planting native trees, and visiting school and supporting a healthy breakfast project.

Cotopaxi, Ecuador Group Service Project 5-day
This Cotopaxi group service project supports conservation initiatives in the Cotopaxi National Park and on private reserves within the Condor Biosphere while enjoying the multisport activities of horseback riding, hiking, and a canopy tour in the Ecuador highlands. A trip that offers excitement and provides an opportunity to help with conservation efforts.

Costa Rica, Turtles and Rainforest 8-day
A unique experience where families join scientists and researchers in their turtle breeding programs. Educating and exciting for the young and old alike. Lodging is relatively remote and does not have electricity.

Machu Picchu by Train 7-day
This easy paced week-long journey is perfect for anyone with a sense of curiosity and adventure. Highlights include Machu Picchu, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Sacsayhuaman, Pisac and Ollantaytambo.

Guatemala Easter Festival 9-day
Take advantage of the Spring Break holiday and discover with your family the energy of a local Latin America celebration over the Easter holiday. This trip is designed coincide with Semana Santa and filled with spirituality, artistry and tradition.
 

Taste of Argentina 9-day
Argentina is widely known for its traditional cuisine and flavorful wines — and this Argentina trip lets you find out exactly why it’s so celebrated! Combine these culinary delights with culture-rich villages and some of northern Argentina’s spectacular landscapes.

Peru Cuisine 8-day
Visit Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and the citadel of Machu Picchu, tasting both the traditional and Novoandina dishes of Peru along the way. This is a relaxed, cultural focused trip with an emphasis on the flavors and gastronomy of Peru.

Belize Explorer 8-day
Conquer Claustrophobia: Venture into the ancient Maya underworld and into the Actun Tunichil Muknal – the Cave of the Stone Sepulcher. Hike among the cave’s hanging stalactites and towering stalagmites. The final destination is the spectacular primary chamber where ancient kings and priests made blood sacrifices to appease the Maya gods. Trip also includes Tikal and a Caribbean retreat to Ambergris Caye.

Peruvian Amazon Trip
Conquer Arachnophobia: Take an eco-conscious adventure into remote rainforest to explore some of our world’s most intriguing flora and fauna in one of the world’s top biodiversity hot-spots.  Spiders? Yes.  But don’t forget about tapirs, jaguars, monkeys, giant otters and countless bird species. Enjoy the best Peruvian Amazon lodges in the most pristine jungle settings.

Ausangate Trek 11-day
Conquer Acrophobia: At 20,900 feet, Mount Ausangate is the highest peak in the Cusco region. Considered by local trekkers to be one of the most stunning and remote treks in Peru, this journey makes a complete circuit around the majestic mountain.
 

Submission Deadline:
Jan. 31, 2012

Our annual Share Your Travels. Win a Trip contest is in full swing. Send us stories, pictures and video from your travels and you could be off on another trip. And this time, we’re picking up the bill.  I’ll get right to the good stuff … the prizes.

Travel Video Sweepstakes
Win a Galapagos escape for two at Floreana, Isabela and Aventura Lodges

View details on the Travel Video Sweepstakes.

Best Trip Journal
Win a Peru trip for two on the luxury Amazon yacht
MV Aria and to the coast’s
Mancora Beach

View details on the Best Trip Journal contest.

Winning Journal

Winner of last season’s Best Journal, Kristen Kidder shares her travels in Peru.  Kristen’s journal won her a trip for two to Patagonia.  Kristen writes:

Although we’ve been married for nearly three months, the giddiness of our wedding day returns the moment my husband, Cory, and I pass through security at New Jersey’s Newark International Airport. After nearly a year of planning, we are officially on our honeymoon!

Read journal.

Another past winner of our Best Trip Journal contest, traveler Wayne Ng won an Antarctica expedition cruise on board the ship, Antarctic Dream. Wayne share his prized voyage with us.

If great travels are measured by how deeply they embed themselves into your consciousness, then the Antarctic isn’t merely great, but is a wide path to your soul.

Read journal.

This deal applies to Historic Cities of the Sea, June 14, 2012 departure on board the 114-passenger, luxury vessel, Corinthian II.  Discount varies by cabin type.

View details.

This Buy-One, Get-One deal applies to the Jan. 28, 2012 departure – Antarctica Expedition with Southbound Flight – on board the 78-passenger ship, Antarctic Dream.

View details.

Trip Planner, Sullivan, shares pictures from her 2010 South America adventure that took her and two friends from the Sacred Valley and southern deserts of Peru, to the beaches of Chile, Buenos Aires and the mountain ranges of Patagonia.

View album.