They say 90% of all blogs cease to exist within the first 12 months.
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Today Drink Tea and Travel Turns 1 year old!
I guess this blog has officially been added to the group of “the elite 10%” (which is still thousands of blogs, but that’s not the point). The point is, let’s cut the cake, blow out the candles and celebrate!
- 365 days. 160 posts. 200 comments.
- 110,000 pageviews, and
- 60,000 unique users from 182 countries around the world
THANK YOU! To each and every one of you for reading the blog, staying in touch, liking the articles, sharing your thoughts, and inspiring me to to keep going.
I’ve been running this blog part-time for the last year, balancing it with a full-time job and, often, an intense travel schedule. It hasn’t been a walk in the park.
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It’s been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, of mistakes made and lessons learned. But the amazing thing about the last year of Drink Tea and Travel is that it has made a huge impact on my life in more ways than I could have possibly imagined.
It Changed My Perspective on the Norm
Drink Tea and Travel helped me connect with a community of Digital Nomads, called Travel Blog Success, an incredibly diverse and inspiring group of people who all manage to travel the world, living the life of their dreams and make a living doing it (you can catch up on some of their stories in my Work and Travel Abroad Series). They have taught me the ropes of blogging, helping me with questions and advice along the way, but even more so, they inspired me to yearn for a life outside the norm, to look for happiness in new places, new countries, and unique experiences on the road.
P.S. If you are a travel blogger, who is not yet a part of the Travel Blog Success Community, I strongly encourage you to check it out here. (Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link. If you sign up using this link, I will receive a small cut of your registration fee at no additional cost to you. )
It Made me a Better Writer
It was all fine and well when my mom gushed over my Tumblr posts, or when my uncle told me that I should write a book, but it never really meant much. Friends and family are supposed to pep you up, aren’t they? I knew I could write and I enjoyed it, but I also desperately wanted to become better. Drink Tea and Travel was exactly the motivation I needed to improve. So I read books, took courses, and learned from others.
I still have a long way to go, but the feedback from some of you and from other travel writers makes me feel like I’m on the right track to becoming a better writer and a better story teller.
It Made me a Better Photographer
Photography has been my passion ever since my first SLR 15 years ago. I knew the basics and practiced the principles but it wasn’t until I started Drink Tea and Travel that I finally had a reason to improve.
Over the last year, I learned so much! From camera settings, to shooting techniques and post production editing. I even roped Max into it, passing on my knowledge and igniting his interest in photography. In the last 6 months we’ve been learning together, shooting together and pushing each other to improve with every single shot. I think we’ve done pretty well. We are even talking about one day going pro!
It Made me a Better Traveler
I never expected that traveling as a blogger could actually change my travel style. But it did. “Do it for the blog!” – Max would say. Be it approaching a local to scope out the best spots in town, opting to take a route less traveled in search for a better story, or jumping off an 80ft tarzan swing. These days I find myself being more attentive, more curious, more adventurous, and at times even more daring.
Being a part of the travel blogging community and following others’ travel tales opened up my eyes to lots of new destinations and experiences. It helped me see the joy in traveling slow, in going off the beaten path, and exploring in your own backyard.
Drink Tea and Travel was always meant to inspire YOU to travel more, but the reality is, it could just as well be inspiring ME more!
When I started Drink Tea and Travel, I set out some audacious goals, hoping to take the world of travel blogging by storm. Now I know better. I have learned that travel blogging is a marathon and not a sprint and that hard work and dedication do eventually pay off.
I may not have hit all of my traffic goals, I haven’t broken any records or landed a spot on any rankings. But I know that one day I will. There is still so much I want to do with my little piece of the internet, so much I want to share, and so much I hope to accomplish.
The truth is, the best is still ahead and this is just the beginning. (Seriously!)
Happy Birthday, Drink Tea and Travel! Here’s to another amazing year!
PS. I hope you come along on the journey
