On May 1st, 2018 DrinkTeaTravel.com turned 4 years old. There was no reminder about it in our calendars, no big celebration, and no obligatory blogaversary post. To be honest, the date had completely slipped our mind.
*This post may contain affiliate links, as a result, we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) on any bookings/purchases you make through the links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Read our full disclosure
We have been so busy living our lives, running our businesses, and making the most of the lifestyle this blog has allowed us to build for ourselves, that we completely forgot to stop and acknowledge how much our lives have changed in the last 4 years.
Traveling Soon? Here is a list of our favourite travel providers and accessories to help get you ready for your upcoming trip!
So today, we wanted to take the time to look back on the last 4 years and to share just how far we have come
The Beginning
4 years ago our lives couldn’t have been more different from what they are today. At the time, we were living in Australia, working typical 9-5 jobs, and dreaming of a lifestyle of travel. We would use every day off, every spare weekend as a chance to travel, but even our hefty 4-week vacation was not enough to satisfy our deep desire to explore the world.
When we traveled, we traveled on a budget, staying in cheapest accommodation we could find, taking long bus rides to save on transport, and eating at the cheap street food stalls.
Our financial situation was depressing. We were in debt (close to $50,000 worth of debt to be exact), and stuck in a lifestyle we did not particularly love.
When we started DrinkTeaTravel.com it was merely a creative outlet and a hobby for Oksana. Of course, we hoped that one day we’d be able to make a little bit of money from the blog, but…
…We had no idea how big of an impact this little piece of the internet would have on our lives.
Today
Today, we live a nomadic lifestyle. We have no home, no mortgage, and very few possessions. Our lifestyle today allows us to work from anywhere in the world and over the last 3 years, we have taken full advantage of that!
In the last 12 months alone, our travels have taken us to over 15 countries on 5 continents. We summited the highest peak in Africa, dove with hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos, discovered ancient Inca ruins in Peru, tracked mountain gorillas in the Congo, stargazed in the Gobi desert, and ate a whole lot of delicious Pho in Vietnam.
We have been debt free for almost 3 years and we no longer need to travel on a budget. Today we can afford to stay in comfortable hotels, take direct flights, and spend a premium on healthy organic meals.
This website has evolved with us and has since gone from a little hobby to a full-blown business with a roster of writers, editors, and designers that help us keep up with all the moving pieces in the world of travel blogging.
In addition to the blog, we now own and run a number of other businesses that collectively bring in between $6,000-$9,000 monthly. We own 3 investment properties and have recently invested in a small hotel on a beach in Costa Rica.
Our travels have been nothing short of amazing and even though we have now been to a lot of places,
…we are still loving our lifestyle and have no intention of settling down any time soon (not even in Costa Rica)!
The Butterfly Effect
Let’s be clear. All of this didn’t happen because of luck. It happened as a result of 4 years (and counting) of hard work, but it all started with one small idea – this blog.
DrinkTeaTravel.com helped us develop so many useful skills that set us up for this type of lifestyle. Thanks to this blog, we had to learn how to build websites, we worked on improving our photography, our writing, and our social media skills. We even taught ourselves how to shoot and produce videos! All of these skills now play a big role in helping us generate our income, to diversify our income streams.
This blog and our travels inspired us to completely change our views on the world and to embark on a more eco-conscious lifestyle. Over the last year, we became advocates of sustainable living and are now on a mission to inspire others to live more consciously and travel more sustainably at home and abroad.
It’s crazy to think that our new found passion for sustainability is what inspired us to invest in our newest project – an eco-hotel in Costa Rica. It’s taken up the last 5 months of our lives and kept us away from the road and in Costa Rica, but it’s incredible how much we have learned over this short time period and how many lessons from our travels we have been able to implement at our new hotel. It’s such an exciting endeavor!
We can’t wait to open our doors to travelers from all over the world and to help educate them about sustainability.
We hope to inspire them, the same way that we were once inspired to adopt a more eco-conscious lifestyle not just on the road but at home as well.
What’s Next:
Renovations at our lodge are coming to an end and we are excited to leave the hotel in the capable hands of our managers and to finally hit the road again!
This summer, we are heading to Europe, from there, back to Africa and then.. well the opportunities are endless.
We still have a lot to learn about sustainable travel and we are particularly keen to focus our travels on destinations that are doing a SUPERB job in the responsible travel sector.
We promise to continue to inspire you to travel, to help you find unique travel destinations and experiences and to fill your emails and newsfeeds with wonderful stories from all over the world.
Thanks for your continued support and encouragement!
Keep Drinking Tea and Traveling on, friends!
Congratulations! On your four years and on your website. 🙂 i just found this blog. Your home page videos are completely awesome. I’m sure you have heard that many times, but I’ve never seen anything like them. Being able to travel while earning money is really one of the best things in the world. Enjoy the next 4 years 🙂
Congratulations!
I just bumped into this website and found interesting! You guys have achieved what you planned for, I too trying hard to make a living out of my blog. Thanks a ton for inspiring !!!