Twenty-Something Travel is 2 years old today (well, err… actually it was 2 years old Saturday but I was busy hanging out at a swim up pool bar in Mexico, so we can just observe it today)! Can you believe that? Me either.
Usually when I hit a big milestone like this I get all sappy and talk about how this blog has grown more than I ever could have imagined, how it’s given me so many rewards (link) and how grateful I am to you guys for reading. This is all still super super true (especially the last bit- I’m so glad you guys care even a little bit about my ramblings), but instead of taking the soppy route, I thought I’d take a little trip down memory lane and showcase some of my favorite posts and travel highlights that have come out of the last two years:
- The Twenty-Something Travel Manifesto– the first post I wrote way back in July 2009 was really just about me being fed up, restless and wanting other people to know that there ARE options besides the cookie cutter life.
- Iceland in Pictures– Every time I post Iceland pictures people get excited. There is just something about this place. This post on Iceland even got me featured in Lonely Planet Iceland. I get a kick out of it every time I see it in a bookstore.
- It’s All a Crap Shoot Really- This post was actually stemmed from an argument I had with an ex-boyfriend. It’s about how nobody really knows what they’re doing with their lives, and the only way to really get through it is to be true to yourself.
- We’re All Travelers Here– One thing I absolutely can not stand is snobbery or elitism. I didn’t want that to have any place on my blog, so this is my ranty manifesto against it.
- I’m Going on a Spending Diet!Remember that time I decided to save 10K in 9 months? And I actually did it (and then some)? I’m pretty proud of that.
photo credit: MmMmMmMatt - Why Are People so Afraid of Hostels? For some reason these weird hostel misconceptions are still lingering around. Gotta work on that!
- How Much Planning is Too Much Planning? Plus! My Itinerary I love reading people’s travel itineraries online so I decided to share my own for 2010/2011, which I ended up sticking to barely at all.
- Do the Thing that Scares You– Sometimes my writings veer away from travel into more general life advice, and I’m totally cool with that. You SHOULD do things that scare you- it’s healthy!
- Flirting with San Franciso– A year and a half and about a bajillion cities later I still haven’t found a place I like quite as much as here. Sigh.
- Journey Around the Balkans: A Round Up– This trip happened before I started blogging but it’s still one of my favorites! I am dying to get back there.
- Puppy Love Around the World- this post has no larger significance, I just REALLY like dogs.
- Who ARE these Travel Bloggers Anyways? (TBEX 2010)– One of the greatest things about travel blogging has been the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made. TBEX 2010 was my first big conference aaaand it’s where I met my handsome boyfriend.
- How Travel Makes us Smarter, Wiser, and All Around More Awesome– Travel isn’t just some self-indulgent hobby, it’s a form of self-improvement. The more interesting people there are in the world, the better.
- Haters Gonna Hate- My most popular post of all time was really just a rant about Eat Pray Love turned into a rant about travel judgyness (yet again).
- Time to Get Going– And then I left on my Big Trip. Years of planning and blogging and being anxious all came down to this moment. I had some mixed feelings.
- China is What Happens When You’re Making Other Plans– One of the awesomest things blogging has lead me to is my awesome travel blogger boyfriend. This is the post where I finally told the world I had met someone.
- How to Have the Worst Day Ever in Phuket (and How to Turn it Around)– I had a stretch of a few months where it seemed like NOTHING could go my way, culminating in this no good very bad day. Still, a good attitude and a sense of humor are the most important traits to have when traveling and I think we made it work.
- 10 Big Lessons Learned from 6 Months of Travel– I think I learned more about travel in those first 6 months than I ever will again.
- Sometimes I Don’t Love Travel– This post really struck a chord with a lot of travelers. What everyone knows and nobody says is that sometimes constantly traveling really sucks. This was also a major turning point in my Asia trip.
- Is Tourism Good for Cambodia? South East Asia was the place where I first started to really look at tourism with a critical eye and to realize the larger implications our travel has on the people around us.
- Sex and Zen Extreme Ecstacy: The World’s First 3-D Porno– My bravest solo expedition yet- and the source of my most disturbing search traffic.
- How I Accidentally Turned My Blog into A Clean Slate- Sigh. Two years into blogging and I’m still making stupid mistakes. Hopefully this won’t be a problem on my shiny new macbook….
- Is the American Dream Holding You Back? The more I travel, the more I see that Americans have a really skewed work-life balance. A lot of people agreed with me.
Over the past two years I’ve written 421 blogs posts which is umm… a lot. Still, I’m not at all tired of writing about travel, and I’m incredibly thankful to have this outlet and to have people who give a crap about what I have to say. So thank YOU for letting me do this!
