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It’s hard to believe, but here I am with four years of blogging under my belt. Like all the years before, this one has come with all sorts of excitement and setbacks. There were moments where I felt like I was walking on air, and moments where I felt like giving up.
There’s no denying that this has been my most important year of blogging so far. During the past twelve months, I pushed myself more than I ever have in so many ways. It’s crazy to think about where this blog began: me waking up at 5am before work to tinker away with the website. I hadn’t even been to Europe yet!
Also, 2021 will always be known as the year I left my full time tax job to be a travel blogger. This in and of itself came with all sorts of loaded emotions, freedoms, and struggles. Let me just say this: blogging full time does not automatically mean your page views and income immediately go up.
So, with that, let’s get into the biggest highlights, changes, and challenges that my fourth year of travel blogging brought.
Recap of My Fourth Full Year of Blogging
Committed to Blogging Full Time
Let’s get the biggest change out of the way first.
Full time blogging is by far the biggest leap I took in 2021, or really ever. After eight years of working in taxes, I decided to do something crazy, and left my job. It was a risk, but a calculated one that I’d thought about and planned for years.
It was a tough adjustment, as I’d very much come to associate my tax job with my identity. I wasted a lot of time being bogged down with imposter syndrome and worrying about what others thought of me. Mostly, I hardcore judged myself, constantly questioning whether I was simply a complete idiot.
Feelings of inadequacy aside, I kept showing up. Sometimes it was later or more sporadic than I’d hoped for, but here I still sit, preparing for another year. Honestly, I feel like a much stronger, secure person than I did at the beginning of 2021. I think taking this leap has been good for me.
Had My Highest Traffic Ever
In March of 2021 I received 90,000 page views, and literally couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought to myself, maybe I’m actually doing something right with this whole blogging thing.
That happened to be my peak month of the year, and I didn’t see those numbers again, but still… wow. Those were heights I did not know I could reach. It’s definitely a goal of mine to try to see those numbers again in 2022, and maybe even reach 100,000.
That said, it’s important to note that sometimes in 2021 I felt too caught up in the numbers, which made the actual writing less fun. My overall goal for 2022 is to really focus on writing as much as possible, and to stop obsessing over the end result.
Before I move on, though, I do want to take a moment to appreciate the progress I made, since I often fixate too much on not having enough. Per Google Analytics, I had 814,038 total page views in 2021 vs. 209,295 in 2020. Those numbers hardly seem real, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud.
Finally, I really do try to avoid being snarky on here. But, what can I say…I’m human. Which is why I’ve been irritated during certain times in my personal life when a few folks have questioned my blog’s continuity and my persistence. To those individuals, I’d just like to say, why would I stop now?
I Traveled Alone
To some people, solo travel is no big deal, but to me it is huge and scary. I had so many feelings and fears going into it.
I didn’t want my husband, who I love so much, to think I didn’t want to be around him or to feel neglected. Additionally, I was afraid of hearing negative feedback, being so susceptible to the thoughts of others and afraid of being talked out of going. I really didn’t want to be judged for traveling without my husband.
And then there were the obvious fears one has as a woman going anywhere alone. But still, I went. To three destinations actually. First, I went somewhere I know quite well: St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Next, I added on a solo trip to mine and Aaron’s trip to Greece, parting ways with him at the end to go to Malta and Barcelona for ten days.
Sometimes it was hard, sometimes it was amazing. Sometimes I felt proud of myself for going it alone, and sometimes I really wished I could share my experiences with Aaron by my side. I know he would have loved Barcelona, so I hope we can return together sometime.
At the end of the day, though, my relationship is secure, and Aaron wants me to travel when I can. Just like I want him to go out and play golf all summer, and go to whatever beer event calls his name.
I also learned that navigating travel all alone can be quite hard at times, but that I could do it. And I just might do it again…
Invested Heavily in IT Services
The more my blog grows, the more I need the help of others to keep things running smoothly. IT is certainly not my strength, and that became apparent when Google made some algorithm changes this summer.
These changes implemented new criteria for site performance, called Core Web Vitals. You could either pass, fail, or need improvement. I was one who needed improvement, and I let it sit that way for a long time.
However, after an August update, I noticed some of my ranking posts were starting to slip. Seasonality could also have been a factor, but the change seemed a bit more sudden than that. I realized I needed to take the Core Web Vitals more seriously, so finally I paid that money to have a trusted IT person help me out.
It ended up being a much-needed investment, and I decided to continue paying this person a monthly retainer. It’s been very lovely having someone to turn to whenever a technical issue pops up. That way, I can focus on the more fun aspects of blogging, like writing and photography.
Joined the Mediavine Ad Network
I saved the juicy stuff (ahem, money) until the end. I began 2021 on the Monumetric ad network, which honestly was going pretty well. I finally had a monthly income stream, and was making around $600/month from ads alone.
I was content to stay with Monumetric while I worked my way up to Mediavine, which many consider to be one of the biggest milestones in blogging.
To my surprise, I ended up getting the necessary 50,000 sessions to apply to Mediavine in January! I applied right away, and my Mediavine ads were officially implemented in March. And boy did I see a difference. In the first month alone, my ad income essentially quadrupled from the switch.
Total Made From Ads: $20,763
Figured Out How to Make Affiliate Income
In late 2019, I began experimenting with adding Amazon affiliate links to my website. I was able to make a tiny bit of money, and made it my mission to further grow my affiliate income in 2020.
I proceeded with caution at first, as for some reason I initially felt guilty for trying to make money off my content. I got over myself though, and finally added a few hotel links to one of my posts. It took a few months, but a couple of hotel bookings started to roll in. Then the pandemic hit, all but one booking got cancelled, and everything basically stopped.
Things didn’t stay down for long though, especially after joining Airbnb’s affiliate program in June of 2020. Airbnb was a perfect fit for my site, since I used the platform every year in destinations like St. John in the US Virgin Islands.
I began getting Airbnb bookings from my site almost right away, with a peak of over 100 monthly bookings in March 2021. I thought to myself, maybe my travel blogging income won’t be much lower than my tax income after all. That very same month, Airbnb abruptly ended their affiliate program. You could say I was devastated.
Somehow, I shook it off, joined VRBO’s affiliate program, and was able to replace a lot (but not all) of my links. I also added affiliate links for some of the tours I was already recommending. Things began to look up again, although it may come as no surprise that I am not near the avid Airbnb user that I used to be.
Total Made From Affiliates: $13,832
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That does it for the recap of my fourth official year of blogging, or the year my blog stopped being a secret. To be honest, I sometimes wish it still was, but deep down I know it’s better this way. I no longer have to hide this huge part of myself.
Also, if you’re still reading, thank you for following my journey! It’s something I never would have guessed I’d be doing if you asked my college self, who was too busy switching majors left and right.
With that, I am ready to get back to posting all about travel. There is so much work to be done, but I’m here for it!
Are you a blogger? What is your biggest goal for 2022?
