Every January brings a familiar ritual: goals written down, intentions set, routines reconsidered. But the resolutions that tend to last longest aren’t always about productivity or discipline — they’re about experience. For travelers thinking beyond checklists this year, here are destinations that feel less like trips — and more like turning points.

Iceland feels like a place the Earth dreamed up just for explorers. One minute you’re soaking in a steaming hot spring surrounded by snow, the next you’re walking across a glacier, sailing through a fjord, or riding an Icelandic horse along a black sand beach.