This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. My new year’s resolution is in tatters less than 12 hours after the clock struck midnight. This blog is being written to you over the Hudson Bay in Northern Canada as I make my way across the Atlantic on my first assignment of 2007 (UA with miles going into Mileage Plus).

It is a two-week trip to San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Midwest. I am filming for CNN Business Traveller about LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) and the Quest show.

I have made many new year’s resolutions, including the same old one about stopping smoking. This time I am trying a different tack -- Alan Carr’s book “Easy Way to Stop Smoking” and I am keeping an open mind that it will be that easy!

I also decided to try and travel less in 2007. But then a few weeks ago the chance to make this trip came along and I agreed. Why? The brutal truth is I enjoy it. I realised this when I boarded today’s plane, got a cheery welcome from the crew (most of whom I have flown with before) and settled back. Yes, OK, it being New Year’s Day they did upgrade me – well, there have to be some perks for flying more than a quarter of a million miles on the same airline last year!

And many of us are doing these trips early on in the year when the fares are lower and we can rack up a good number of miles towards renewing our elite status. I hate it the way the clock goes back to zero at midnight on NYE. Now we have to schlep our way around the world again, to try and get Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Sapphire or whatever elite tier you are aiming at.

So instead of resolving to cut back on the travel, which frankly is not a very practical thing to do in my job, I want to at least attempt to enjoy it more. Make the most of it. Take some of my own medicine – after all I am always telling other people they should make the most of their time on the road – it’s now a case of: “Physician, heal thyself!“

There are numerous ways I can do this. I can pick up a guidebook and just go and visit whatever is on the page I open it at. I can resolve to go for a walk once a day in the city and pop my head into a café, a bar or an interesting shop.

I can start a new collection. I have collected spoons for years. You know the kind; the horrible, cheap, tacky spoons that you can always buy at airports, but maybe I should move to snow globes instead, or mugs, or… well what do you collect on the road? Matchbooks?

And I can start sending postcards – loads of them. I should print out labels ready to send even if there is only the usual: “Weather’s nice, wish you were here” (as opposed to: “Weather’s here, wish you were nice…”), my Mum would love to get one. Incidentally, she is in New Delhi on a trip of her own – 76-years old, and she still manages to do more travel than most!

In fact – why don’t you start by sending me an e-mail postcard. Either on the blog or the website and we can enjoy each other’s stories. The usual email address quest@cnn.com

Oh yes, one final resolution – I won’t forget to write… hopefully a bit more often than last year but, a new year’s beg, forgive me if I don’t.

Richard