How very quickly a year passes. It seems like I was writing a similar post only a few days ago. In there, my main focus was on writing more and developing my travel ideas cohesively so that they would blend with this blog perfectly.
I am happy to say that I did write more this year than before although my output could have been much better. This is for two reasons actually. I travelled extensively this year and covered five countries and three autonomous regions over a span of almost 10 weeks. This gave me limited bandwidth from which I could actively write on the site. The second reason was that this site was hacked in late October. All my data and pictures were wiped from the database. If you see any discrepancies in the site it is because I am still trying to put back the site to its original layout.
2015 was a year of travel highs for me and I would like to focus on them first. Here are the five biggest highs –
1) I got my first ever FAM trip from Goa Tourism and took part in white water rafting for the first time.
2) I travelled back to every corner of the world to seek new places – Southeast Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa. It was incredible!
3) My main aim with this blog is to tell you to travel longer and encourage slow travel so that you actually see places rather whizz past them. With a week in Singapore (that locals warned me was too much!) and over six weeks in the UK and Ireland, I think I made a strong case for myself this year.
4) I always think people matter more than places. It was great for me to catch up with friends in the UK and Singapore and meet even more travellers on my journeys.
5) I’m fascinated with far-flung islands for some reason. I am glad I could get to Pulau Ubin, Ile Sainte Marie, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man this year.
Motto for 2016 – Build and consolidate!I have decided to take it slow in 2016. I want to focus on this blog and clear my debts before heading off again. I have a strategy in place but once again, execution will be key. Here is what you can expect from this blog in the year ahead.
• A complete revamp of the site and more security features. I realise I need to secure my site and make it look attractive and add loads more content.
• There will be one long-form content article at least once a month that will be the highlight of that month.
• I will focus on connecting with other travel bloggers and brands on social media as my content count goes up so expect loads of interesting stuff in that space.
• I am committing to writing one piece on the site every Tuesday. Based on news trends, I will also cover news stories that I think my readers will want to know about.
• I am going to brush up on my technical skills with more focus on video blogging, image optimisation and search engine optimisation. Merely being a good writer will get this blog nowhere.
• I want to create an e-book that I can offer my email subscribers as a thank-you gift. I already have an idea for this. I don’t want to do something generic but something very specific. This project will entail writing about the different attractions in Paris’ arrondisements and them compiling them into an e-book for readers. Depending on demand, I will work towards creating more e-books as well.
• Lastly, if all goes well, I will also begin opening up about my long-term travel goals and involving you to participate with me in my plans.
I am really hoping that 2016 is the year that this blog will break out from being just a side project to a major travel resource for you and other readers.
May you have a great 2016!Like I said last year, onwards and ahead!
To all you readers, you are fabulous. Happy New Year to you and I sincerely hope that 2016 is filled with amazing travel stories for you.
