My One Year Blogiversary! What an Adventure!

 

This was previously written from my old blog and have migrated some older posts, including this one about my one-year blogiversary. 

I am sitting here working on my blogiversary post and still find it hard to believe it’s been a year since I started this crazy experience of blogging. I didn’t know how to get started or even how much it cost, but I jumped in with both feet and here I am a year later. There were a lot of things that I learned along the way that I had wished I had known earlier, but we learn, grow, and move forward. The one thing I didn’t know or take into consideration, was the amount of time it takes to actually work on posts, sharing posts via social media, and responding to email, Tweets, Facebook posts, etc. However, as many have said to me throughout the year, it is a labor of love and I have enjoyed it very much.

With that said, I really want this blogiversary post to be about my fellow bloggers who have inspired me through their comments on my blog posts, sharing my tweets on Twitter, and their messages on my Facebook wall.  They have encouraged me to keep going, and have made me laugh when I was struggling to keep going. So THANK YOU to all of you.  As much as I would like to thank all of you personally, I have picked the following bloggers who I would like to publicly thank, and pay homage to their work which I have enjoyed throughout my first year. Below you will find each blogger’s site, as well as a little bio about them and their blogs. If you are not following them already, I would highly suggest you check them out. This list is in no particular order.

WHAT DOESN’T SUCK

One of the craziest blogs I enjoy is What Doesn’t Suck (if the name isn’t enough, lol). It is written by Jeff and Anne, half American, half French,  who bring you the best of travel, tech, gadgets, lifestyle, and fun stories on a daily basis without the bull*@&$! In their words “We love filming ourselves to give you funny yet informative (sometimes) videos so make sure you follow our channel!”  They currently live in Dubai, where they continue to explore the crazy city, try some crazy activities, escape as often as they can and continue to publish the best no-nonsense travel tips, articles, video reviews, and more. Combined they’ve traveled to 75+ countries and lived in places like Chile, the USA, Norway, France, India, Holland, South Africa, and Thailand. They continually entertain and keep me motivated to keep going toward being able to travel and live the life of travel.

WANDERLUST BUG

Another fun blog I enjoy reading is the Wanderlust Bug written by Liberty who states she is definitely dealing with an incurable case of wanderlust. I have to say I feel your pain Liberty. 🙂 I hope to be able to check off some of the places she has visited. Here are just a few of the places she has visited since 2011: Cambodia, China, America, Tahiti, Croatia, Spain, France, Holland, South Africa, Italy, Puerto Rico, Dominica, Austria, Czech Republic, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Fiji, Indonesia, Turkey, Iceland, Sweden, Germany, Mauritius, Belgium, Denmark,  Finland, Norway, and Vietnam. The list goes on and on. One day Liberty, one day. 🙂  Iceland is on the top of my list recently, so I really enjoyed her post How to Spend 3 Days in Reykjavick. Thanks for all the wonderful posts and for letting me live through your travels until I visit myself.

TRAVEL WITH MARILYN

Another blog that I have enjoyed is Travel with Marilyn written by no other than Marilyn. Here is a little information about her and her blog in her words.  My background is in print, but when I realized the future is blogging, social media, and online magazines, I was anxious to join the world of social influencers. Until I retired (I was a writer/editor for the U.S. Postal Service), I was a part-time travel writer for decades. I used my vacation time and traveled all over America with my husband and three children. I always said when I retired I would travel internationally and I do — a lot!  I want to encourage everyone to do as much as they can while working at another profession; to constantly build their readership and gain experience.  There is truly nothing more rewarding than being passionate about your profession. And traveling and writing are my passions! I have to say, her last line mirrors my feelings exactly. She has some amazing pictures but I really like her post The Beauty of Alaska and Tracy Arm Fjord. Thank you so much Marilyn for helping keep me excited and focused.

TRAVEL GUMBO

This is really one of the blogs I really want to share on my post, Travel Gumbo as drfumblefiner has really been a constant resource of support and info. I actually do several posts on his site and enjoy it very much. Here is a little about him in his words.

I love to travel!  I love everything about it!  The research, the planning….culminated by the actual experience!  It’s all great!!  I’m a physician who works full-time in a busy hospital practice, but traveling is a big part of my life.  I love to share what I’ve learned and love to learn from others as well; there’s no better place to do so than online.  My best source of travel information is from my fellow travelers.

I’ve visited dozens of countries on six continents, and can usually find something I like about a destination.  Some of my favorite places include Hawaii, Sri Lanka, and the Rocky Mountains. I’ve been working on a travel blog for a few years now, which you can visit at www.drfumblefinger.com.   Today most of my blogging energy is devoted to a website that is aimed at creating a large community of travelers, of which I’m especially proud, www.travelgumbo.com.  TravelGumbo is “By Travelers, For Travelers’.  We welcome you to be part of it.  Samantha, who is an inspired traveler and blogger, is also part of this travel community.

Most people ask me where my nickname originated.  It was given to me by my favorite author and dear personal friend, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, a brilliant man whom I greatly admired and miss.  If you want to learn more about this nickname, please go to this link.  Suffice it to say that I wear Arthur’s nickname with great pride and affection. One of my special travel memories in a way. The photo above is of yours truly and my friend, Arthur C. Clarke, at Arthur’s home in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

TEACAKE TRAVELS

One of my first online friends was Alice was Teacake Travels. As she states on her site, she is a British chick travelling around the world for as long as she can get away with it. Willingly throwing herself into anything outside of her comfort zone, she’s rocking girl solo travel one stride at a time! I enjoy all her crazy adventures. As much fun as her blog is, one of the posts that I wanted to share was a post called Self Defense Techniques You Need To Learn Right Now For Travel. Very informational and informative. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you are a female solo traveler. Thanks for all the fun stories and adventures.

GOATS ON THE ROAD

This blog is named Goats on the Road. It is run by Nick and Dariece who are the Canadian videographers and writers behind this wonderful travel blog. They’ve been travelling to off-track destinations since 2008, and their passion for culture and adventure has driven them to find numerous ways to make money on the road so they can continue their life of full-time exploration. Their blog and other online businesses now earn them a better living than their jobs in Canada ever did! They constantly have great posts that I have enjoyed and have inspired me to keep going. One of the more recent ones I really liked was 30 Ways That Travel Changes in your 30’s. We are WAY past our 30’s and I think some of the things they talked about only intensify the older you get. We are trying to travel slower, although it’s really hard because I want to see everything, lol  Eventually we will have to slow down, but I want to live life on our terms and be free of the restraints of a 9-5 job no matter what age. They help remind me that it is indeed possible. After all, their motto is “Turning travel into a Lifestyle.” Thanks for the inspiration guys, and keep having fun traveling.

ANN CAVITT FISHER

The Ann Cavitt Fisher Blog is unique in that she shares travel stories, her photography, recipes, as well as a shopping section that is devoted to books and videos. She is a sixth-generation Texan but grew up in Mississippi and New Orleans, she lived in both Seattle and Manhattan, and finally moved back to Texas in the 1990s. Here is a little bit about her blog in her words. This website will be a forum for many things. I want to talk about life, in all of its rich, wonderful, and terrifying forms. I want to share my travels, my thoughts, and my cooking. I want to discuss books and movies. I want to talk about the nature of reality and the meaning of life and to celebrate being alive. She looks like she is enjoying life in the picture above of her at Castolon, in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Look forward to following her this summer as she plans to head to Poland. Safe travels Ann. Check out some of her recipes. They look amazing  🙂

ADVENTURES OF LIL NICKI

The road less traveled is the theme of Nicole’s blog titled The Adventures of Lil Nicki.  As she says on her blog, she is always on some sort of adventure (mainly of the misadventure variety). But mainly her blog is about her experiences of going the road less traveled. She writes a lot about the unusual destinations she’s been to and will go to in the future. However, her focus will be Alaska travel as that is her home and she absolutely loves it there. I hope to get there one day soon and maybe get a chance to meet her. You never know 🙂  One of her posts that I really enjoyed was about her trip to Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls. It looks amazing and I really hope to get to see them one day. My bucket list continues to grow, lol. Thanks, Nicole for sharing your crazy adventures. Keep it up!

A LUXURY TRAVEL BLOG

Named as one of the best travel influencer blogs by Wired, A Luxury Travel Blog is one the most popular travel blogs in the world.  It is written by a gentleman named Dr. Paul Johnson and is like no other travel blog. It focuses on the finer aspects of travel and serves as a gateway for the discerning traveler, providing information on the most luxurious hotels and resorts, the finest restaurants, and news from within the luxury travel industry, to name just a few.  Writing about luxury travel,  have to say his post titled The top 5 Champagne bars in London, was very fitting. 🙂  I love champagne and definitely want to check some of these out the next time I am in London. Paul has worked in the travel industry for more than 25 years and has traveled extensively, from his home in Kendal, Cumbria (UK) to places all over the world.  Check out this award-winning blog and sign up for his newsletters as he often does free giveaways. Hopefully, I will win one day. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy his wonderful posts.

As I move into my 2^nd year of blogging, I have to say that I am excited to see what the year will bring. I know it will be a lot of continued work, but I love it. I also look forward to continuing to read the blogs of all those showcased.  I think I will end this blogiversary post by saying one last time THANK YOU, fellow bloggers, I appreciate you!  Here is to another year and where it will take me (as I enjoy a virtual glass of champagne, lol). Happy travels to all of you.