Do you believe in the power of manifestation? For the past several years, I’ve done Gabby Bernstein’s 21-day Manifesting Challenge, and I’m doing it again this year. The Manifesting Challenge always starts on January 1st, and it’s a great way for me to focus on what my desires are for the year.
Over the years, I’ve created my fair share of vision boards. In Day 2 of the Manifesting Challenge, Gabby suggests creating a vision book… either one that you can carry around with you, or a digital one. It just so happened that I had already created my 2026 travel vision board on Canva. I did the same for 2025, and I sized my travel vision board to fit as wallpaper on my laptop. That way, I saw it often, which Gabby recommends doing… revisiting and even adding to your vision book as the year progresses, and checking off items when they come to fruition.
Whether you typically engage in active manifesting, I love the idea of creating a vision board. I find it very helpful to look at photos of where I want to go, words that inspire me, and quotes that motivate me. So let’s get into my 2026 travel vision board. Also, if you want to use this template as a jumping off point for your own vision board creation, use this Canva link.
My 2026 Travel Vision Board
I’ll start with the words on my vision board. For the past few years, I’ve selected a word of the year. I credit my friend, life and leadership coach Angie Robinson, for sharing online her word of year and the power of setting that word to guide the intentions and goals for that year. This year, I’m taking this a step further to create a One Little Word album, combined with a monthly workshop by Ali Edwards, to further embody this word into all aspects of my life.
As I pondered what my word for 2026 would be, these three words came to mind: cultivate, create, and connect. I ultimately chose CULTIVATE because CREATE and CONNECT support my desire to cultivate. What does it mean to cultivate oneself? For me, it means to strive for personal growth my improving my confidence and skills, to devote more time to self-reflection, and to focus my limited resources very purposefully in areas that align with my desires to expand my creativity and to connect more deeply in my relationships and with the world. So, that is how these 3 words came to be on my vision board.
The remainder of the vision board is fairly straightforward. I love this quote by Confucius, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” When I travel, I want to travel wholeheartedly and be present for myself, for anyone I’m traveling with, and for anyone I interact with.
Let’s move on to my dream destinations for 2026!
Los Angeles, California
I’ve been to LA many times over the years, the last visit being September 2024 for our group Adventures by Disney trip (read the trip recap here). My brother lives in LA, and he came up with the great idea for me and my parents, all Purdue University graduates, to visit him in LA and for the four of us to go to Purdue men’s basketball games versus USC and UCLA, which are just a few days apart. So that’s our plan, and I am really looking forward to experiencing LA and the Purdue games with my family.
New York, New York
I love New York City, having lived there for 15 years. I still have several close friends who live in and near the city. This spring, I plan to visit New York for a few reasons. One, I love the city in the spring. Two, I want to visit my friends, since it’s been nearly a year since my last visit. And three, my friend Josh Fiedler is producing a play that had a very successful run in London’s West End and is now going to open on Broadway. The play is “Giant” starring John Lithgow as Roald Dahl. It won several Olivier Awards (the UK equivalent of the Tony Awards), and I’m so excited to see the show and to celebrate Josh’s accomplishments.
Disney Treasure Cruise
My next planned trip is to sail on the Disney Treasure for the first time! I’ll be going in May with my cousins, and we are really excited to experience the ship together. It’s a 7-night cruise out of Port Canaveral, and the itinerary is Western Caribbean, which I haven’t sailed before. So it will be my first time in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Falmouth, Jamaica. We’ve been planning which excursions we want to book and what we want to do at Disney’s Castaway Cay, one of my favorite locations on this earth! It’s going to be a great trip.
France and Our Group Seine River Cruise
In September, I’ll be traveling to Paris for our group trip, a 7-night Seine River cruise. This trip is still open for booking… learn more about the group trip here and get a free quote.
It’s been over 20 years since my first visit to Paris, and I fell in love with the city. I’m so excited to return and experience the city again, to discover new places, and to cruise with our group. It will be my first river cruise and also my first time exploring other parts of France. I’m particularly looking forward to visiting Normandy and Giverny, home to Claude Monet, one of my favorite artists. After the cruise, I’ll head to Disneyland Paris for a few days… another first for me! I’ll stay at the Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel. It’s going to be such a magical trip!
United Kingdom
The UK has been on my travel wish list for quite a long time. This year, I am determined to make this dream a reality! I’m still figuring out when exactly to go, and where all I want to go. Ideally, I’d love to visit at a minimum London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, with some other travels. The Cotswolds keeps popping up in my social media feeds (thanks, algorithm!), and it’s really been calling to me. I also really love the TV show “Ted Lasso”, so a visit to Richmond to see some of those filming locations is a must-do for me.
What’s on your 2026 travel vision board?
Where do you want to travel to this year? If you aren’t sure yet, or you have a list of so many places you want to go but it’s not realistic because of schedule / work commitments / finances, I suggest reflecting on what you want to manifest this year. What do you desire most? How would one or more of those trips help you achieve your desires?
Share your 2026 travel vision board in the Me and the Magic community!
