Looking back & looking forward, our 2015 plans

2014 brought many new changes. We began traveling internationally again after over a year of traveling around the United States. We visited 8-10 countries depending on how you count ‘em. We began and sustained what I am calling “phase 3” of this travel blog and I became a certified yoga teacher. It was a fun year full of family, travel and all good things. It really felt like a year. We experienced at least a bit of each of the four seasons (in no particular order) and got to see old friends and familiar places, as well as meet new friends in new places.

In “phase 1” of the blog I puked whatever I was thinking at the moment onto my keyboard, didn’t bother editing it and threw it at the internet. In phase 2 I didn’t write at all, and then summed up over a year and a half into one paragraph. In phase 3 I decided to get serious, and am proud at how I have stuck with it. In the past year, I have written about a post a week; 60 posts, or 5 posts a month to be exact-ish.

Before “phase 3” I was quick to let people know that our blog was “not a real blog.” It was just a way to keep our friends and family updated, like a facebook page. This had the added benefit of meaning that I did not have to be held accountable for the quality of my writing or the regularity of the posts. I mean who proofreads personal letters, jeez!?

This way of thinking had one major flaw, the vast majority of our friends and family stopped reading our blog a couple of years ago, so why was I still keeping it?

Because I like it. Because I like travel blogs and personally rely solely on travel blogs for up to date information, and want to contribute to that wellspring of information. Mostly it is because I am a travel nerd. I am endlessly interested in travel and love connecting with other people who are too.

Admitting publically that I am actually doing this is kinda scary for many reasons. First and foremost I am now responsible for the content that I am spewing out onto the internet. Along those same lines, I need to be even more honest and personal. That may seem like a contradiction, you’d think you would be more honest with loved ones than strangers, but there are times when that is not the case. We try to be positive about all of our experiences and don’t like to write anything that would make the people we love worry about us. However, if the goal is to be a practical resource for the travel community, it is important to let people know about situations where we have felt unsafe, or other less positive aspects about our experiences to help other’s avoid the same situations.

We spent the last year re-working our site into a “real blog” and now I am feeling ready to move on to phase 4. What will phase 4 look like? Some exciting changes including letting go of what I think of as “the narrative” and posting about places in a different order than we visited them, adding packing lists and gear reviews and other helpful, non-location specific tidbits, and continually striving to find a balance between the personal and the informative.

Enough about the blog, what does 2015 (our 5th year of continuous travel) hold in store for us? We are currently in Hawaii, camping on Tom’s Dad’s farm for the holidays, and then will visit two other islands. In mid-January, we will head down South to the Oaxacan coast of Mexico to look for a place to settle for a few months. Does anyone have a lead on a good rental in Puerto Escondido or Mazunte? Or a tip for another town that has good food, a relaxed vibe and people who I can practice teaching yoga to? After Mexico, we are looking at exploring more of Central America.

This last year we spent about half the year in the U.S. and half the year traveling internationally and that felt like a good fit for us. We will continue that tradition and will try to make it back to the Bay Area for our nephew’s 3rd birthday in early June and then will return to our yearly house-sit in San Diego. At least that’s the plan this week.

Comments are always very much appreciated! Do you blog? Why do you blog? Do you have any tips for Southern Mexico or Central America destinations? Any must-see towns, must-eat dishes or must-stay places?