Take the lessons from a difficult year and grow financially, professionally and spiritually. By Joseph Guinto Photo-illustration by J.R. Arebalo

ur home lives, careers and finances have all been upended by the pandemic and the economic downturn. Those challenges are not likely to go away soon. Still, as this year winds down, we can work toward a new normal — one that can be more professionally rewarding, more financially secure and more spiritually enlightened. Here are six habits to adopt now in hopes of creating a better 2021.

Build up your retirement and emergency funds. Reassess your savings plan, based on what you have, and, importantly, what you have not spent money on during the pandemic. “The current times make people realize that it’s possible to cut significant spending on a lot of things, such as restaurant dine-ins and takeouts and luxury goods,” says Ian Wright, the CEO and Founder of Bequests, a retirement information site. “Funnel the money you’ve been saving into your retirement savings or into building your emergency funds,” Wright says.

TWO: Make a habit of paying down debt. “Consolidate your debts so you’re not paying interest on multiple loans, and make more than the minimum payment whenever possible,” says Zach Reece, the chief operating officer of Colony Roofers in Atlanta. “Then, when emergencies arise, you will be in good standing and have a good credit score to either up your card limits or get loans more easily.”

ONE: Start each day with the hardest stuff. Alex Azoury, the founder and CEO of Home Grounds — a company that helps amateurs brew coffee from home like baristas in the shop — always begins his day tackling the toughest, most unpleasant tasks first and then moves on to tasks he enjoys. “That not only checks those unpleasant tasks off my to-do list in a satisfying way, but it makes me more a person of my word,” Azoury says. “It proves I will show up and do something I have to do, even if I don’t want to.”

TWO: Work is hard, especially now. But make a habit of being as positive as you can as often as possible. “Bitterness, resentment and constant complaining hinder growth,” says Ian Kelly, vice president of operations for NuLeaf Naturals, which makes hemp wellness products. “Choose instead to be solutions oriented, open to feedback, optimistic and supportive of others.”

ONE: Express gratitude each night to a higher power. Whether that’s God or some other type of universal life force or just something that’s beyond your own self, recognize and give thanks for the good that flows from that power. “By directly thanking the source of the good things in our lives, we are more connected with that source and increase that connection,” says Keith Felty, a happiness expert who wrote the book, “America, the Happy.”

TWO: A daily habit of mindful meditation might help to lift, or at least redistribute some  of the mental weight that the pandemic and uncertain economy have had on us all. “For a society wholly dependent on technology, this brief disconnect is a moment of silent comfort,” says David Foley, the founder and CEO of Unify Cosmos, a site offering meditation guides. “Sometimes, the simpler things hold the most importance in life. Sit in a quiet room for 10 or 20 minutes. Let thoughts pass you by, and practice being in the moment.”

As life gets back to normal sometime in 2021, the close family ties many have created over the long lockdown period may come undone. They don’t have to. Experts advise families prioritize hanging onto new traditions like these:

• Cooking together regularly

• Doing puzzles weekly

• Taking a daily walk or bike ride

• Doing the small things constantly like holding hands and hugging

JOSEPH GUINTO, a freelance writer and editor in Washington, D.C., has made a habit of calling his mother more often this year.

What makes a great American road trip? There are just three basic, agonizingly subjective factors.

As for the road and the ride, here are three iconic behind-the-wheel destinations plus an RV primer to inspire a transporting experience on your next rolling odyssey.

Defined broadly, the Pacific Coast Highway is a border-to-border, 1,650-mile bucket lister comprising stretches of U.S. Route 101, California State Route 1 and Interstate 5 from the top of Washington to the bottom of California with front row seaside views a good chunk of the way. Rolling past temperate rainforests of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, giant desert dunes and sea stacks of Oregon, giant redwoods of Northern California and SoCal’s Riviera, with several world-class cities in between, a Pacific Coast run is really several unforgettable road trips built into one.

Somewhere in the middle of it all (if we had to direct you to a single area) is Big Sur. Serpentining for about 90 spectacular miles between San Simeon (Hearst Castle) and Carmel, California’s central coast showpiece is guaranteed to summon waves of joy, awe and palm-sweat all while sitting behind the wheel.

Exploring this American National Scenic Byway in an RV gives you license to rise above the usual Big Sur dash, experience central California’s spectacular edge at your own pace — and make good use of several motorhomefriendly campgrounds hiding along the Big Sur coast without having to pitch a tent or shell out for a pricey hotel.

Explore Sand Dollar Beach. Take a hike into the hills of the neighboring Ventana Wilderness. Lounge on the ocean-facing terrace of Big Sur village’s storied cliffside restaurant, Nepenthe, with an Ambrosiaburger and sweeping coastal panoramas. Then pull into Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and you’re home for the night in a grove of towering redwood trees and California Scrub-Jay alarm clocks.

On a meditative roll through the heartland, South Dakota’s rambunctiously designed southwest corner is an obvious road trip magnet. Rugged, removed and rife with history and legend, the hauntingly beautiful back highways of the Black Hills aren’t just built for Harleys and zippy compacts. Meandering through the land of Custer and “Wild Bill” Hickok in a sturdy RV gives you license to cruise Highway 385 and fabled Iron Mountain Road (aboard compatible smaller models only, if you dare) with its tight pigtail bridges, narrow tunnels and innumerable switchbacks at your own courageous, leisurely pace.

Deadwood. Mount Rushmore. Wind Cave National Park. Crazy Horse Memorial. They’re all in the neighborhood. Along with Custer State Park and its aptly named Wildlife Loop Road where the deer, bighorn sheep and buffalo herds are waiting for their close-ups.

About 100 miles east along I-90 (after a mandatory stop in the small town of Wall, dominated by the must-see retail emporium, Wall Drug) is Badlands National Park — where most of the park’s million annual visitors barely spend enough time to glimpse this place’s wild earthen architecture from behind a windshield. That’s good news for unhurried RVers spending a night or three at Cedar Pass Campground to experience sunrise and sunset in one of the continent’s most haunting geological imprints.

Ready to raise the solitude and odometer a notch? A mere 300 miles up the road along Interstate 85 is North Dakota’s hidden jewel, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, an even further off-the-radar badlands preserve.

Yes, there are mountains in the Lone Star State. Sufficiently big ones, and you’ll have to drive big distances to see them. The payoffs are some of the most secluded and starkly beautiful hills anywhere.

Starting from the upper left corner in El Paso, the “Top of Texas” is less than two hours east in Guadalupe Mountains National Park home to the state’s highest point, 8,749-foot Guadalupe Peak. Amazingly, this lofty expanse of ancient wilderness — geomorphologists call it “an Island in the Desert” — isn’t the most off-the-beaten-path park in the West. That distinction goes to its distant neighbor Big Bend, hiding about 200 miles south, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

RVs run the gamut from bus-sized crowd pleasers to ingeniously compact living spaces on wheels. Which roving residence has your name on it? Here are the three main motorhome classes and some towable options to get you up to speed.

CLASS A: Thinking big? Here’s your RV. These are the behemoths built for comfort and classic comedies like Meet the Fockers, We’re the Millers, and your very own fearless family road epic. Ranging from 20 to 45 feet in length (or more), Class A’s can fit up to 10 passengers and generally come with all the luxury amenities one is expecting for the price. On the compromising side, fuel cost is high, agility is low and some states may require special driving permits.

CLASS B: Why is the smallest-sized RV class oddly plunked in the center alphabetical slot beside its heftier Class A and C brethren?

We’re guessing because this compact camper van-style motorhome—which can typically haul six and sleep four passengers — is designed for those in-between spaces (and more snugfitting campsites) where larger lettered motorhomes dare not tread. Bare necessities include bed, sink, toilet and limited storage space.

CLASS C: Here’s the comfy hybrid-ish middleground between Class A and B that spares you feeling like you’re in a party bus or a phone booth. Built from a standard truck chassis (i.e. not too intimidating to drive or park), Class C campers provide decent space and comfort for up to seven road-trippers.

TOWABLES: Hitching a homey tow-behind rig to an able vehicle can be a cheaper, more flexible option on the road that lets you disengage the R from the V at will. Sizes and styles vary from chic, teensy “teardrop” trailers that a sedan can handle to standard-sized travel trailers, pop-up campers and burly “Fifth Wheels” customized for attachment to a large pickup bed.