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Yeah, we’d like to spend the coming year traveling the globe, but reality bites and neither our boss nor our bank account allow for the kind of jet set lifestyle we envision. Nevertheless, this doable checklist of iconic quickie getaways should keep you enthralled in 2016.

Also: The hottest cocktail trends for 2016.

January: Rock the boat at Holy Ship! in Miami, FL

This maritime EDMfestival sets sail from Port Miami in early January for a long weekend of live music and island hopping. The 2016 version of this fifth annual floating rave features Kaskade, Dillon Francis, Flosstradamus and more as 4,000 music fans enjoy seaside beats and island hopping. No worries if you’ve already “missed the boat,” a second one departs in February.

Chinese New Year | Credit: San Francisco Travel Association/Corbett Lee

Chinese New Year | Credit: San FranciscoTravel Association/Corbett Lee

February: Kick off the Chinese New Year in San Francisco, CA

It’s the Year of the Monkey and regardless of whether or not your possess monkey traits—curious, clever, intellectual and confident—you’ll want to to get yourself to the City by the Bay as bobbing dragon heads, exploding firecrackers and martial artists wind their way through the streets of Chinatown in this annual tradition that has been happening since the Gold Rush.

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March: Go green Windy City style on St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, IL
No need to book a pricey ticket to the Emerald Isle to have a beer and salute St. Paddy. Instead, get yourself to the City of Big Shoulders where the “Chi-rish” gather by the thousands and huddle along the gorgeous Chicago River to watch it turn a sparkly green before turning their attention to the noisy parade. Afterwards, drunkards fill every taproom in town—Irish or not.

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April: Marvel at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC

Are you hot for Hilary? Taken with Trump? Smitten for Sanders? Regardless of political preference, all eyes in the U.S.—and world for that matter—will be pointed toward our nation’s capital as Americans head to the polls this fall. But instead of spending chilly November in D.C., hit it up in spring when the National Cherry Blossom Festival blankets the city in pretty colors.

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May: See citywide Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Los Angeles, CA

The city in America with the highest number of residents of Mexican heritage needs no excuse to celebrate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, but Angelenos will be damned if they’re not going to spend that day guzzling margaritas, noshing on tacos and celebrating the victory on Olvera Street in El Pueblo de Los Angeles.

Related: Have you earned your American travel stars and stripes? Take this quiz to find out.

June: Celebrate the Tony Awards with Alexander Hamilton in New York, NY

There’s nothing like seeing a Broadway show. There’s also nothing like being in the audience the day after a musical sweeps the Tony Awards. Our bet this year is on Hamilton, the smash hip-hop musical retelling of Founding Father and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Hint: If the Big Apple is out of reach, Hamilton begins an open run in September in Chicago.

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July: Salute the birth ofour nation in Oakland, CA
Last we checked, firework displays were free and though there are many to choose from, we happen to like the multi-cult celebration that happens in Jack London Square in downtown Oakland, an area which has been spiffed up nicely in recent decades. The festive day includes activities for both children and adults plus circus entertainers, live music and more.

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August: Commemorate the National Parks System 100th with Old Faithful inWyoming

The U.S. National Parks System which includes icons of the natural world like the Badlands in South Dakota, Arches National Park in Utah and the Redwoods in California, turns 100 on August 25 and what better way to celebrate than to hit up either a park or national monument. The oldest of the bunch is Yellowstone so consider now your time to see Old Faithful in action.

Photo: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Photo: Courtesy of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

September: Raise a beer stein at Oktoberfest in Cincinnati, OH

The Queen City isn’t quite the marquis visitor’s paradise we’d like it to be and yet this hilly metropolis does boast Oktoberfest Zincinnati, the largest and oldest festival of its kind in the United States and will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2016 with a half million beer-guzzlers, German food galore, live entertainment and—naturally—a sea of lederhosen.

October: Rock out at Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, TX
Who says South By Southwest gets to have all the fun? In a city that is perpetually in festival mode, this autumn music fest is no slouch and its 2015 lineup boasted the likes of Foo Fighters, Drake, Florence + the Machine, the Weeknd and even Billy Idol. We can’t say what’s in store for 2016 yet, but we can tell you the television program from which it derived turns40 in 2016.

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November: Run the “Strip at Night” in Las Vegas, NV

If your idea of seeing the World Famous Las Vegas Strip is through the tinted windows of a stretch limo, may we kindly suggest you grab your running gear and consider this nighttime marathon which is one of only two times annually (the other is New Year’s Eve) Las Vegas Blvd is shut down to traffic? The desert gets chilly at night, but the scenery sure is exhilarating.

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December: Salute Pearl Harbor on its 75th anniversary in Honolulu, HI
It was a day that would go on to live in infamy, when hundreds of Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor, killing more than 2,400 people. It happened on December 7, 1941 in the Aloha State (which didn’t actually achieve statehood until 1959) and its 75th anniversary will no doubt be a solemn occasion to pay respects (and nothing wrong with spending December in Hawaii).

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Tagged: California, Florida, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Midwest, New York, Uncategorized

Note: Orbitz compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site.

Jason Heidemann

Jason Heidemann

Jason is a Lead Content Specialist for Expedia Group, and manages content initiatives across numerous Expedia-owned brands. His work has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Time Out, the Huffington Post, Chicago Magazine, Passport and many others.

One thought on “12 travel resolutions you can actually achieve in 2016”

  1. I would love to to be able to do all of these trips this year! I have done a couple of them, and hope to check of a few more on the list. Seeing the cherry blossoms in DC is one of the most beautiful events to see during the year.

    In order to help people travel more and achieve these goals, here are 10 ways they can save money for traveling http://www.stampedtravel.com/10-ways-to-save-money-for-traveling/.

    I think there is at least one thing on that list that will help people stick to all 12 of these travel goals!

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