I have a lovely plan for 2012. Funny, how 2012 almost seems so old already, so yesterday’s news…but the fact is, that the majority of the year is still to come. This, as Miz Martha would espouse, is a GOOD thing.

One of the fab benefits of being a travel writer, which is not, as you may have guessed, the paltry payments for articles. No, one of the best things about travel writing is the free swag. Need I remind you of that whole frugal Mennonite aspect of my personality? And please be reminded that we have come to agree that frugal sounds much nicer than cheap.

Besides, it’s not just cheap. I have no problem paying for a great meal or an amazing experience but that doesn’t stop me from always being on the lookout for a really great free chair during the Spring Cleanup (seriously, people throw out the best stuff!)

All this to say, Tourism Vancouver provides travel writers with a free Tourism Vancouver Experience Pass. This means I get to go try out pretty much every touristy thing the city has on offer, like the museums, Science World, Aquarium, etc. etc.

I have carried these passes around for the past several years. At the end of each year I toss it in the recycling bin with only a few of the experiences checked off.

Which brings me to my announcement. You just knew there had to be a freakin’ announcement right? But by now you know too, that I am a firm believer in the motivating effects of public declarations.

The announcement is this…by the end of 2012, I will have gone to every single thing on this pass and I will have written about it here on my Traveling Light blog. There are 39 Vancouver-area experiences. (I am not including the eight out-of-town experiences, though I’ll certainly try).

I’m looking forward to it all. I’m going to be a tourist in my own city.