JANUARY 2019: Month in Review

Happy 2019, my dear adventurers!

It’s a new year, which means new resolutions – what are your goals for this year?
One of my biggest blogging goals for 2019 is to post a Month in Review and talk about what’s new in my life and travels. Hopefully it’ll be a nice chance to open up, connect, and keep track of my goals and successes for the month. Plus I can always come back and re-read this when I’m 85 and bored. ;)

Anyway, let’s grab some coffee, get comfortable, and talk about January!

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LIFE

2019 started off on a high note for me when I had a mini planning session with my best friend- we drank champagne, busted out our new planners, and brainstormed our goals for 2019. This year I switched from the Passion Planner to the Panda Planner because I wanted to test out something new, and it’s been going great so far! I would have normally ran away at the thought of using an undated planner (I like organization!), but I’m loving this planner because I can skip days that I know I’ll be unproductive on. I also love the little box where I can set my intention for the day, which is something that I’d like to work on this year.

 

What I’m Reading

Since it’s the beginning of the year, it’s only fair to read Lonely Planet’s Best of 2019 ;)

This book was a surprise Christmas present from one of my friends, and with such perfect timing! It turns out that a lot of places I plan to visit this year, like Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and China, were featured in the book, along with useful facts, an itinerary, and a list of unmissable experiences.

Did you know there’s an eco-friendly yurt camp in Kyrgyzstan? Or that Shenzen is China’s version of Silicon Valley? I also loved that they mentioned the Maldives in their “Best Value Vacations” section because it’s one of the things that I was most surprised when I visited the country last year. If you budget right and plan ahead, you could get by on around $60/day including accommodations, food, and activities! In fact, I’m working on a few blog posts about the Maldives right now, and one is how to travel to the Maldives on a budget.

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TRAVEL

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you’d probably know that my mom is the All Inclusive fan in our family. Every year in the middle of January, without fail, we book a vacation that’s somewhere warm, relaxing, and with a beach. This year’s trip was supposed to be to Belize, but unfortunately our dog got needed surgery and we had to throw that plan in the trash… 

… So we opted for a staycation instead! That’s right: we spent an unforgettable jam-packed week of sitting at home, sunbathing enjoying the non-stop rain outside, and watching shows about sunnier countries. 

Aside from the sarcasm, we actually had a nice and quiet week at home! We finally got down to business and finished planning our trip to Iceland in February. Apparently there are like 10,500 different tours that cover the Golden Circle, Southern Iceland, Glaciers In The Middle of Nowhere, and so on, that it was hard to sift through and pick the most interesting ones! But we did it, and our itinerary is coming soon to a blog *cough* near you ;)

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BLOGGING

January was an awesome month for blogging! As part of my bigger 2019 planning, I sat down at the beginning of the year to brainstorm new content and map out all of the posts that I wanted to publish. I’m still in the process of finishing up the whole year, but at least I have a solid plan for the next few months!

What I Wrote

I popped out 6 blog posts this month that ranged from a lucky temple in Japan, to a floating hotel boat, to some useful tips for traveling in the Maldives – you can check them out below!

2018 YEAR IN REVIEW: HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

 MY 2019 GOALS & WHAT I LEARNED IN 2018 

 HOW TO GET LUCKY IN JAPAN: TRAVEL TO THE DARUMA TEMPLE IN TAKASAKI 

A STAY AT THE DUNAJSKÝ PIVOVAR BOTEL: BRATISLAVA’S MOST UNIQUE HOTEL

17 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING TO THE MALDIVES: WHAT TO DO (AND NOT TO DO!)

MAAFUSHI ISLAND TRAVEL GUIDE: WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO STAY, AND MORE!

 

Posts In Progress

So many ideas, so little time! As part of my resolutions, I’ve branched out and started to do a few collaborations and guest posts on other blogs, and I can’t wait to tell you more next month. There are even a few Valentines Day-themed collabs in the works!

For my own blog, I’ve been furiously tapping away on my keyboard to finish a few ideas that I’ve had for a while. I’m almost done with my Maldives blog post series and plan to have a huge honest review of my stay at an all-inclusive resort, a guide to picking out the best overwater bungalow, and a guide to traveling in the Maldives for cheap.

I also want to add to my Nepal series, since one of the most popular posts on this blog is the Nepal Travel Tips: 28 Things To Know Before Traveling to Nepal. I’m writing up a travel guide to the other cities we visited (Pokhara) and maybe even a What to Pack for Nepal post. We’ll see. :)

Finally, I have a few posts about Jeju Island, Russia, and Georgia floating around.

Since it’s a huge country that has thousands of blog posts, I’m going to go off the beaten path and do a quick and simple 5 Unique Things to Do in Russia post (want to go back to the USSR or get smacked by a sauna broom? Come back next month!)

After getting positive comments on the Borjomi Travel Guide, I’m also working on a Weeklong Itinerary through Georgia and a guide to Tbilisi and Batumi. If you haven’t been to Georgia, go and book your ticket now — it’s still unspoiled by tourism and has so much to offer!

And as for Jeju Island… It was one of my favorite destinations last year and I hope I can do it justice by writing a guide to getting around Jeju without a car.

If I don’t freeze my butt off in Iceland, expect to see some of these posts next month! :)

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That’s it for January, guys! What are some of your goals for 2019? Which countries are you dreaming about visiting (or plan to visit!)? Let me know in the comments below and see you next month. I wanted to end on a positive note and share a cute poem that I found on Facebook:

Roses are red
violets are blue
This is my year
And it’s yours too