The 2026 Travel Ideas Jar
A simple little tradition that turns wishful thinking into real plans
If you’ve been around here for a minute, you know I love two things: helping people find joy in travel and turning everyday moments into something worth remembering. So let me introduce one of my favorite end of year traditions. It’s easy, heartfelt, and honestly a little magical. It’s the 2026 Travel Ideas Jar.
Think of it as a place where dreams get to stretch their legs before life talks you out of them. All you need is a jar, a stack of paper, and a few minutes of honesty about what you really want next year to look like.
Why it works
A travel ideas jar feels small, but it opens the door to conversations we rarely stop long enough to have. What do we want to explore as a family. What do we want to experience now that the kids are older or out of the house. What feels exciting. What feels healing. What feels like the version of us we want to grow into.
You write it down, fold it up, toss it in the jar, and suddenly it becomes real. Maybe it’s a winter trip to Europe next December. Maybe it’s Alaska for a big birthday. Maybe it’s a beach week where nobody has to meal plan or pretend to like sand in their swimsuit. Maybe it’s something completely wild like Japan, because life is short and you deserve a thrill.
Where the magic happens
The best part is reading everything together. You sit around the table with the people you love, open the slips one by one, laugh at the ridiculous ones, hold your breath at the meaningful ones, and let yourself imagine a year that looks a little different from the last.
It is a moment of connection. A reminder that experiences bring people closer in a way wrapped gifts never quite can. You get to see your family’s personalities show up in the best possible way. The dreamers, the planners, the ones who write down “just somewhere warm.”
Why now is the perfect time
This season is full of reflection. Maybe the house feels quieter. Maybe this year stretched you. Maybe you just want more moments that make you feel alive. A travel ideas jar is a gentle way to say yes to that.
It doesn’t mean booking anything today. It doesn’t mean deciding on flights or budgets or dates. It just means giving your heart permission to want something for next year.
And if you open a slip that makes you smile the second you read it, that’s your sign. Hold onto it. Let it simmer. I’ll be right here whenever you’re ready to start dreaming out loud!
Get your jar ready
Grab a jar. Grab your people. Grab the spark that makes you say I could really use this. Then start writing.
Here’s to a year of memories that feel good in your bones.
Here’s to 2026!
