A year of travels

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As 2018 comes to a bittersweet close, I am sat here thinking about what to write for my obligatory ‘year in review’ editorial. Should I walk through memories of this year’s travels? Should I reflect on how my blog has grown? Should I write something from the heart about how time is short and life is complicated? Or, should I simply sum up my year in a single word?

The truth is, this year flew by and I spent most of my year just going through the motions and being in survival mode. I suppressed my nagging thoughts and demanded that I be in control over my own emotions. I didn’t take much time for family or friends, and technology and social media seemed to always be on my brain. And while there was much change in some areas of my life, there was little change in others.

Toward the end of the year I focused on doing more of what made me happy. I created the content I wanted to even though Instagram told me no one wanted to see it. I started listening to podcasts about women at work. I started having serious conversations with myself on what I wanted in life and how to get there. It’s been a long year, but I’ve learned a lot.

Livin’ the good life full of goodbyes

This year I traveled to three countries: England, Ireland, and Iceland. As most of you know, my goal every year is to visit at least two countries. It was surreal to experience both Ireland and Iceland (I have been to England several times). I dubbed 2018 the year of the ‘I’ countries.

In 2019, one of my goals is to end each day with three words. So I thought I’d try that out below for the two new countries I visited.

Ireland

Gin. Comfort. Cold.

Iceland

Difficult. Growth. Beautiful.

My favorite memories

Something I started doing more toward the end of this year was creating content that was more from the heart. I dedicated a section on my blog to ‘think pieces’, in which I discussed controversial topics in conjunction with travel, or just wrote general reflection pieces on my travels.

That being said, some of my most favorite pieces have been think pieces. It’s been a great connector for my audience too, with so many of you reaching out and relating to what I wrote and finding it beautiful. Here were some of my favorites from this year:

To all the cities I have loved

Iceland changed the way I think about traveling

I should have booked a $400 ticket to Paris

How the perfect job left me uninspired

Other highlights

  • I worked with Lonely Planet (still surreal, btw).
  • I worked with a startup company in Australia called Milanote.
  • I worked with The Hoxton (a seriously dreamy hotel brand).
  • I worked with The Barn Berlin, several times.
  • I was named one of the Top Milennial Travel Bloggers in 2018.
  • My blog turned 2-years-old and I celebrated.
  • I re-designed my blog for the first time and got amazing feedback.

2019 and beyond

I am not 100% sure what’s next for me. But, I refuse to live in survival mode the whole year. This year will include a lot of conscious decision making, a lot of growth, hopefully more travel, creativity, less worry, and new friends and more family.

Travel

As of right now, I do not have any travel plans, which is actually quite insane/scary for me. Usually I always book a ticket after my birthday on the 28th of December. This year I didn’t do so. I am going to wait and see where life takes me the first 3-6 months next year. It’s definitely devastating to me that traveling just isn’t in the cards right now. But again, I am learning to not let what I present on social media define me.

I hope everyone had a great year and is fully ready to take hold of 2019! Over the next few days I will be re-designing this site and rebranding ever so slightly. That being said, thank you to everyone who has been reading for nearly 3 years now! I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes this year:

How to stop time: kiss

How to travel in time: read

How to escape time: music

How to feel time: write

How to release time: breathe

Matt Haig

Here’s to an amazing 2019.

20 comments

    1. Thank you so much Lyndi! It was a last minute touch. I definitely want to film something new this year haha. Happy New Year!

      Reply

  2. Iceland looked like such an amazing trip, I found all the posts and pictures dreamy 🙂 Also, more feedback on your new site design… I love it haha! 2018 will be a hard one to beat. Happy new year xx

    Reply

  3. YOur blog grew so much last year and congratulatiosn on all the amazing work opportunities! Much deserved success and hope this year will be fabulous for you too. I pretty much scaled back my online presence last year because I decided to live more in the moment. The blog suffered but I felt more fulfilled with life.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Shireen! I really appreciate all the support you’ve given me over the years. And I did notice that you scaled back! I thought about you every once in a while haha. You really are such a talented blogger. But I totally get wanting to live more in the moment. Whatever makes you the happiest. I hope you have a great year this year!

      Reply

  5. Happy New Year, Emily. I love your new blog design and all the changes. It looks simply amazing, hun! Also, it sounds like 2018 were quite a year for you. Wishing only the best in 2019! Also, if any comfort, I am stepping in 2019 with no travel plans whatsoever, as well. It’s so weird since I always have at least one trip planned, haha. Let’s see where the year will take us! x

    Reply

    1. Ohmygosh!! You’re going to love it! Let me know if you need any tips or places to check out, though most of them are on my blog. :p

      Have fun!

      Reply

  7. Hello Emily,
    I just discovered your blog via Leta blog and I am so happy to have found you. If you have changed the graphic of your blog, well done, is so appealing<3 secondly, I love the section of your blog and I will stay around for a bit!

    wish you a great start of 2019!

    Cate ღ 35mm in Style

    Reply

  9. Happy New Year, Emily! I’ve enjoyed another year of reading your blog (“to all the cities I have loved” was a favorite of mine), and it’s exciting to see all of the opportunities it brought this year. I think it takes boldness to not let yourself live in survival mode…I’m hoping 2019 is what you need + want it to be!

    Kathryn • simplykk.com

    Reply
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