The end of the year always inspires reflection. But it also offers an opportunity to set goals for the future. So as 2010 approaches, we asked several of our favorite travelers and career breakers to share their travel and career goals for the upcoming year.

[singlepic=1623,200,,,right]MARRIED WITH LUGGAGE – BETSY & WARREN TALBOT
Betsy and Warren Talbot will be starting their round-the-world adventures in Fall 2010. Here are some goals they have set before they take off.

• Sell our house. Know anyone looking for a great townhouse in a funky neighborhood?
• Get interviews, guest blog posts, articles, and reviews of our ebook on How We Saved Enough Money to Change Our Lives (and How You Can, Too!). Know anyone who could help?
• A steady stream of side jobs for both of us so we can maintain a small income as we begin our travels in October. Warren is developing WordPress sites for small business, and I am still doing some business consulting for solo entrepreneurs.

Blog: Married with Luggage | Twitter: @betsytalbot

[singlepic=1626,200,,,right]THE PROFESSIONAL HOBO – NORA DUNN
In 2009 I was relatively stationary (for a variety of reasons) and it led to putting full-time hours into my writing. This worked well with the release of my first book: 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, and allowed me to achieve some big career goals. But as a lifestyle, this is not what I intended. I want to write part-time and continue to earn enough money to sustain my location independent full-time travel lifestyle. (Because really – what’s the point of traveling if you’re stuck in a room 60 hours/week working for it?!)

2010 is the year to kick things into second gear; to ease up on effort expended and stop spending time on unnecessary things. This goal will be tangibly achieved when I can comfortably fit my work into 20 hours per week or less and maintain a similar or increased income. Wish me luck!

Blog: The Professional Hobo | Twitter: @hobonora

[singlepic=1628,200,,,right]GO BACKPACKING – DAVID LEE

• Double the daily content on Go Backpacking through an ever-growing network of contributors
• Update the design of Medellin Living and proactively seek new contributors
• Launch my first digital product
• Attend the 2010 Travel Blog Exchange conference in NYC

Blog: Go Backpacking | Blog: Medellin Living | Twitter: @rtwdave

[singlepic=1622,200,,,right]INDIE TRAVEL PODCAST – CRAIG MARTIN
2009 was a very quiet travel year for us; only three countries under our belts as we focused on re-discovering our home, New Zealand. In 2010 however, we have 15-20 countries in view, spanning five continents. The year is literally going to fly by. Over the next year, we have some big goals for Indie Travel Podcast: we’ve launched a new product every year since we started and in 2010 we’re going to push our publishing arm and produce more ebooks and travel guides, both free and paid. 2010 is the first year when Indie Travel Media Ltd is expected to pay for all of our travel and living expenses, so there’s a serious focus on the bottom line as we try to stay fed and clothed while we travel.

Blog: Indie Travel Podcast | subscribe on iTunes | Twitter: @indietravel

[singlepic=1620,200,,,right]BROOKLYN NOMAD – ANDREW HICKEY
My travel goals and career goals typically intertwine due to my career. In addition to being a freelance travel writer, I am also the Social Media Manager for CheapOair (http://blog.cheapoair.com). So with those two careers I have to set goals on succeeding in the workplace and make sure I visit new and interesting destinations in my spare time. A good travel writer should travel right?

I just started working again in a full-time position after nearly two years of freelancing, so the current career goal is to make CheapOair’s blog popular and bring in daily traffic to the site. I do this by writing strong content, hiring and managing good writers that contribute to the blog, make sure we always have some sort of promotion going on or in the works (people like contests) and make proper use of social media sites like twitter and facebook.

When I have free time, which is very rare these days, my travel goals are usually being mapped out. I try to visit at least two new destinations each year. Whether it is planning a big adventure overseas or booking a last-minute long weekend nearby, I am always trying to keep my schedule booked with trips. The travel junkie side of me definitely assists the work side of me and keeps me from going crazy in my new 9-5 world.

Some places I plan to check out for the first time this year include New Orleans, Quebec City, Portland Or., and Glasgow, Scotland. I am actually booked already for a week-long trip to both London and Glasgow, so I am pretty excited to check out both cities and write about them for both my personal blog and the CheapOair blog.

Remember that life is too short to put off that vacation to a particular locale you always wanted to visit. Make sure to put aside some travel time to explore this interesting little planet. There is just so much to see! Remember, we have a very short amount of time here, make the most of it both your career goals and travel goals.

Blog: The Brooklyn Nomad | Twitter: @BrooklynNomad | CheapoAir Blog

[singlepic=1627,200,,,right]VOLUNTEER GLOBAL – SARAH VAN AUKEN

• Travel to, and work and report on, one international volunteer trip this year.
• Recruit at least one person for DC Young Professionals Kiwanis or for Greater DC Cares.
• Post 52 volunteer stories (pictures are a plus!) on Volunteering Global.
• Pay off at least half of one of my student loans.

Blog: Volunteering Global | Twitter: VolunteerGlobal