Today my little corner of the blogosphere turns one year old.
I really can’t believe it either!
In a couple days I’m going to talk about how travel blogging has enriched me as a person and all those intangible goodies it’s brought me. Today though, I wanted to take some time to talk about Twenty-Something Travel itself, how it’s changed and evolved and where it’s going.
Here’s the first thing I posted, back on July 23rd 2009. It’s a short little piece I titled the Twenty-Something Travel Manifesto. It’s simple and brief but it perfectly sums up the main argument I’ve been pushing on anyone who will listen: that you shouldn’t wait to get out and see the world.
Since I sent that out into empty space this little blog has gone from zero to having almost 600 RSS subscribers, almost 3000 twitter followers and hundreds of visitors a day. When I compare this to where I was six months ago I’m stunned.
I’ve been able to make a small chunk of money, and to make some design upgrades. I’ve learned SO much about web design, html and statistics. While numbers are fun to follow, I hope it’s not too cliché to say that the most important thing is people. I love coming back to see the comments on my post, connecting with people over twitter, email and Facebook.
Basically, it means a lot to me that people are listening while I continue to argue my point. In no order here are a few of my favorite pieces I’ve turned out over the past year:
- Go Now: Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Travel – One of the very first articles I wrote and still the most popular.
- It’s All a Crapshoot Really – I always get nervous when I write something highly personal, but it’s comforting to know others feel the same way.
- Do The Thing that Scares You – Something I’m constantly reminding myself to do.
- We’re All Travelers Here – A bit of a rant about the great equalizer of travel, and how I can’t stand snobs.
- Learning to Love Being Alone – I won’t always be a solo traveler, but I will always believe the lessons I learned here.
So, where do we go from here?
Well for starters around the world! Finally. I’ve been mostly stationary for the past year so I’m really excited to make the transition to traveling and blogging full time. While this won’t change the spirit of this blog, it’s definitely going to have positive effects on the tone and content.
I’m also excited for this transition because it means leaving my day job, which hopefully means more time to spend on the blog. I have tons of ideas and things I want to do to improve this space and expand, I just haven’t had the time and energy to make them happen. Hopefully by the time my two-year blogiversary rolls around
I never want to lose sight though; of the reason I started this blog in the first place. My most important mission was not to make money, or even document my own travels, but to encourage other twenty-somethings (and everyone really) that long-term travel is a viable and desirable option. I still maintain that your twenties are some of the best years of your life for getting out and seeing the world. Starting in a couple months my argument becomes more than just theoretical, and for that I’m psyched.
So thanks everyone for listening to my narcissistic rants every week. I’m always open to feedback and constructive criticism so feel free to lay it on me. And stay tuned as the adventure continues!
