The new year is in full force, which means most people have already given up on those resolutions they created in their head when they were counting down. This year, more than ever, it’s imperative to keep up with them, because if the Mayans have anything to do with it, 2012 could be our last year on earth.

So instead of seeing resolutions as hinderances on life that force us all to give up and give away more than we’d like, use your resolutions as a means of giving something back to yourself. This year, why not focus your resolutions on taking that dream vacation or round-the world journey you’ve always dreamed of, something to give yourself light at the end of the tunnel.

The most common resolutions can actually be great ways to save up, here’s how. 

Lose weight

Photo courtesy of Amanda M.

This is the resolution that plagues women from 17-70 all over the world. So ladies, instead of signing ourselves up for expensive diet programs or buying heaps of low-calorie cook books, why don’t we all just do it the old fashion way and eat less.

Minimize portions at home and maybe instead of buying an appetizer and main meal in restaurants, just choose one of the two. All the money saved on buying less food, can go towards accommodation.

To add to the common weight loss campaign, people will resolute to start hitting the gym in January. The problem is that they’ll grow tired of this come February, which is a huge waste of money considering how much gym memberships cost and that they usually require a contract. Apart from the people who actually do visit gyms religiously, this year may be a good one to save that money towards travel and find other means of working out.

If a person finds the motivation to maintain a weekly work out plan come new year, he or she should be able to do this anywhere. How about working out in the great outdoors. Grass works just like a treadmill and lakes are the original pools.

In regards to travel, getting and staying in shape is unbelievably helpful. First of all, it makes the type of travel he or she can participate in limitless. Hello Mt. Everest! Second, it gives people who are saving up and can’t afford certain things a healthy hobby. Finally, being in shape makes people confident in all sectors of life.

Some may be putting off that trip to the Caribbean, because they can’t stand the sight of themselves in a bathing suit. If that’s what’s stopping you, then finally tackle it this year. Who knows, maybe you’ll find the courage to go nude on the beaches of France!

Quit smoking/drinking

Photo courtesy of Debbie Gonzalez.

These two things are probably the biggest waste of money anyone could ever take on in life. Based on money alone, these are two things we should all probably give up or do less of in 2012.

Consider this, a pack of cigarettes costs anywhere between $7 and $20 depending on brand and where in the world they’re being sold. People who smoke a pack a week could save between $364 and $1,040 a year. That’s roundtrip airfare money. People who smoke a pack a day are looking at saving $2,548 and $7,280 a year. That is an entire trip paid for.

Alcohol on the other hand, as a traveler and lover of all things food and wine, I can’t possibly advise everyone to completely give it up. (This of course does not apply to people with substance abuse problems. Honestly, all our lives are better without booze at the end of the day.)

But people should consider cutting down their alcohol intake substantially when saving for a trip abroad. A night out is extremely costly these days. Drinkers are looking at spending anywhere from $30-$100 just on booze at a bar. Maybe consider hosting dinner parties at home instead of going out for drinks. People could also go out just one night a weekend instead of two.

The final and most reasonable option is to just cut down your drinking whenever you do. Drinking too much is unnecessary and actually quite embarrassing a lot of times. Instead of getting sloshed, get tipsy. Bring out only enough money to get you to the happy point, then just enjoy the night.

Of course, your personal health is a much greater reason to give these two things up. In general it’s much harder for unhealthy people to travel, which is something to be mindful of if you’re interested in spending some or a lot of time abroad.

Take on a new hobby

Photography is a brilliant hobby to use while traveling. Photo courtesy of Emily Kendall.

When saving up, this is a huge must to fill the void of time you used going out to dinner, shopping or to the movies. A lot of people end up just watching loads of films and TV shows. (Don’t worry, I’m one of them.) But this time can also be used to do things you could never find the time to do before.

Let’s focus on travel-related hobbies since that’s the whole point anyway. You could try and learn a new language, start planning a trip or maybe even start a travel blog. These all take up time, are useful and are actually beneficial to someone interested in seeing the world.

Plus, they don’t have to cost money. Youtube is a great source for people interested in learning a language, almost all travel blogs and websites are free and very helpful in planning a trip and sites like WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger allow anyone to create their own blog at zero cost.

Improve relationships

Don't be like these owls. Photo courtesy of Bahman Farzad.

The most rewarding thing in life is our relationships with others and lucky for all human beings, this reward is absolutely free. If you’ve lost touch with a family member, take time to get to know them better. It won’t cost a dime.

If you’ve lost focus on a lover. Put the effort into getting it back. Not to go into details, but the things you can do with a spouse or significant other are the most blissful in the world. Of course, I’m referring to deep conversations and long walks on the beach…

The point is that the number one most important thing in our lives as human beings is the relationships we have with fellow human beings. This means friends, family, lovers and more. Yet it’s something a lot of us don’t put enough time or effort into and the best thing about it, is that it requires only two people.

So when you’re saving up for a trip and start moaning about what to do this weekend, how about just spending an entire day with someone special to you doing nothing but watching films in bed, walking around town and getting to know each other a little bit better.

Don’t see your resolutions this year as giving up, but saving up and getting ready for something really special.

The reward: maybe a few days in Fiji. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon.

Banner photo by Julia Eve Hays.

Of course our final fact has to be about Rugby, a game that’s won the hearts of so many Kiwi actaully arrived in New Zealand by South Island in Nelson.

It all started when New Zealander Charles John Monro studied abroad at Christ College, Finchley, England. He played rugby at the school, learned the rules, then returned home to Nelson and shared the sport with New Zealand, making him the “father of New Zealand rugby”.

[Monro] introduced the rules  to the Nelson Football Club in January 1870. He suggested a match be played against Nelson College, whose headmaster, Rev. F.C. Simmons, was himself a former student of Rugby School, as were his two predecessor principals. This led to the historic match four months later.-The Prow

So the first official rugby game ever to take place in New Zealand was on May 14, 1870 between Nelson College and Nelson Football Club.

Boy did it start a frenzy. Today, the All Blacks, New Zealand’s rugby team, is one of the most well-known symbols of the country. Their famed Haka, which is a Maori battle ritual, instills fear in the opposition and gives chills to sports fans worldwide.

Photo of the Nelson College Rugby team in 1876 courtesy of The Prow.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island. 

While there are a few islands owned by New Zealand below the South Island, the actual southernmost point of the South Island is Slope Point. It’s a good milestone to visit, but don’t expect much company in the form of people.

Located just south of Waikawa, Slope Point itself is not accessible by road but is a 20 minute walk along a track. The AA signpost at Slope Point shows the distance to the Equator and the South Pole. The surrounding area is predominantly sheep farming country with spectacularly steep drops down to the sea below. The views are truly amazing over the rocky coastline and surrounding cliffs.-Visit New Zealand

Slope Point is about a four-hour drive from Queenstown.

Banner photo courtesy of Visit New Zealand.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island. 

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for the final day of our countdown.

The title of this campaign actually contains one of our facts.

What actually is a Sound?

In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land.-Wikipedia

Two sounds we’ll be visiting on our trip are the Marlborough Sounds and Milford Sound.

Banner photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island. 

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for day 2 of our countdown.

Thanks to Interislander and Jucy Cruize for sponsoring my ten day South Island adventure. As always, all opinions are my own.

Franz Josef Glacier is one of the most impressive sights to see on the South Island. People can actually climb, hike or visit the glacier by helicopter. There are alot of intersting facts about Franz Josef Glacier, here is one of them.

From its origins high in the Southern Alps, the Franz Josef Glacier descends deep into the lush rainforest of Westland’s National Park, from a height of 2700m above sea level to only 240m in as little as 11 km, making it the worlds steepest and fastest flowing commercially guided glacier.-Franz Josef Glacier Guides

Seeing a glacier isn’t a normal item on the agenda of most holidays abroad, which is why Franz Josef is such a special attraction on the South Island.

Banner photo courtesy of Glen Fern.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island. 

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for day 3 of our countdown.

This fun fact actually comes from fellow travel bloggers Jade and James at Our Oyster. In a recent post, they wrote about Baldwin Street, the steepest residential street in the world, which is in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Baldwin street rises from a shocking 30 meters above sea level to 100 meters above sea level, rising at a gradient of about 1 : 5.-Jade Johnston

A fun little fact and a great stop on any road trip of the South Island.

Banner photo of Baldwin Street courtesy of Mahen “The Guru”.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island. 

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for day 4 of our countdown.

Nelson is the sunniest town in New Zealand. The usual winner of this hot title, the South Island town topped the charts again in 2011. According to Rotorua Daily Post, Nelson received 2,487 sun hours in 2011.

Banner photo of Tahunanui Beach in Nelson courtesy of New Zealand Pictures.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island. 

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for day 5 of our countdown.

Everyone knows about the Northern lights, but did you know there are actually Southern Lights too?

It’s possible to see the Southern Lights, also called Aurora Australis, from New Zealand’s most southern points, including Stewart Island. Rakiura, which is what the Maori’s named this island, translates to “The Land of Glowing Skies”, because of this natural phenomenon, as well as the beautiful sunsets that can be seen from the island.

Read more about Aurora Australis.

Banner photo by Paul Moss, featured on Wikipedia, was taken from Bluff on New Zealand’s South Island.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for day 6 of our countdown.

Researchers recently announced that the Blue Lake in Nelson Lakes National Park may have the world’s clearest water.

Research by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research shows that the visibility in Blue Lake in the Nelson Lakes National Park is up to 80 metres. The water is considered almost as “optically clear” as distilled water.-Sydney Morning Herald

Named Rangimairewhenua by the Maoris, the lake’s recluse could have something to do with its clearness. According to Stuff.co.nz, it only receives more than 700 trampers a year. The lake is a harder one to reach, a side trip to the multi-day Travers Sabine Circuit.

Photo courtesy of The Age.

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for day 7 of our countdown.

At 3,574 meters/12, 316 feet, Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Part of the famous Southern Alps, Mount Cook is located in the Canterbury region on the South Island.

Since New Zealand is known for its great walks, Mount Cook is definitely an epic one to conquer. People interested in visiting the Mountain will find different routes to explore at various fitness and expertise levels. A good place to start is Mount Cook Village, located a few miles from the bottom of the mountain. Find out about walks, climbs and more on New Zealand’s Department of Conservation website.

Banner photo courtesy of Now Public.

This is part of Heels and Wheels’ countdown to the South Island. Come back tomorrow to find more interesting facts about New Zealand’s South Island. 

Come back tomorrow to find out another South Island fact for day 8 of our countdown.