Completely happy 2023, everybody! It is already midway via March one way or the other, and the yr is already feeling extra “regular” than any yr since 2019 has. (Granted, issues won’t ever actually be the way in which they have been pre-Rona.)
My yr obtained off to a roaring begin with a visit out to the Pacific Northwest – in actual fact, I celebrated New Yr’s within the Hoh Rainforest in Washington State! And as I am hitting publish on this, I simply completed up a 2-week journey in Morocco.
2023 is shaping as much as be a reasonably epic yr travel-wise, and I hope it can even be an incredible yr content material and business-wise, too.
Let’s get to this replace!
January and February: The months in journey
- International locations visited: 3 – USA, Spain, and Morocco
- States visited: 4 – Washington state, Oregon, Arizona, New York
- Flight taken (incl. connections): 10
- Days spent on the street: 20
Journey highlights
Mountain climbing within the Hoh Rainforest – I began the New Yr off with a go to to a new-to-me nationwide park, spending the morning of January 1, 2023 mountaineering and gawping at moss-draped bushes within the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic Nationwide Park. This park (and particularly this part of it) is completely enchanting! I already wrote about it right here: Visiting the Hoh Rainforest in Winter: Every part You Have to Know.
Chilling on the Oregon coast – After the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, my pal and I drove all the way down to the northern Oregon coast, the place we rented a beach-front residence within the city of Cannon Seaside. Cannon Seaside is sleepy within the winter months, and we break up our time between exploring seashores and state parks and simply enjoyable in our cozy digs.
Adventurous weekend in Scottsdale – In mid-January, Elliot and I flew to Scottsdale, Arizona for an action-packed {couples} journey. We went mountaineering, horseback using (for me), mountain biking (for Elliot), and even on a UTV journey. We additionally ate numerous nice meals and stayed at some enjoyable properties. I all the time love spending time in Scottsdale, and suppose it is an incredible vacation spot for a {couples} journey!
Exploring Madrid – After being at residence for many of February, I left in the direction of the tip of the month and flew throughout the Pond for the primary time this yr. I spent 3 days exploring the highlights of Madrid – which, truthfully, largely concerned meals! Together with a meals tour and lunch on the oldest restaurant on this planet, I additionally toured the Prado Museum and the royal palace, and spent a while wandering Madrid’s parks and well-known squares.
Returning to Morocco – And on February 27, I flew to Casablanca to satisfy up with my pal Ashley and be part of a 2-week tour with Intrepid Journey. This wasn’t fairly the Morocco journey we have been presupposed to take collectively again in 2020 (I used to be presupposed to be internet hosting that one with my readers!), however it was nonetheless nice to lastly get again there. (And, spoiler alert: we had the BEST TIME.)
Journey lowlights
Apart from some wet, chilly climate in Arizona that I could not have modified anyway, I do not actually have any complaints concerning the first two months of the yr! Here is hoping the remainder of 2023 is simply nearly as good.
Non-travel highlights
Turning into an auntie once more! – In between journeys in January, my sister had her second child! A bit of boy named Maxwell. I began a convention of taking new child pictures with Max’s brother Will in 2020, so I used to be completely happy to be residence to take pictures of Max, too.
January and February on the weblog(s)
Site visitors all the time begins to rise after the vacations, and it was no exception this yr. (Although it is all the time a bummer than February is such a brief month!)
A Harmful Enterprise visitors: 163,049 distinctive guests and 221,887 pageviews in January, and 145,078 distinctive guests and 197,159 pageviews in February
Hottest put up: An Epic 10-Day Iceland Ring Highway Itinerary for the Finest Iceland Highway Journey – I lastly obtained round to penning this behemoth of a put up, utilizing my massive Iceland street journey from final summer time as inspiration (plus 3 earlier journeys to Iceland). I feel it is the right Ring Highway itinerary!
Different posts revealed:
On my Cleveland area of interest web site, alternatively, visitors begins to dip after the vacations. It did not dip fairly as far this yr as in earlier years, although, in order that’s excellent news!
Cleveland Traveler visitors: 50,763 distinctive guests and 66,114 pageviews in January; and 42,982 distinctive guests and 55,683 pageviews in February
If you wish to see what I have been as much as on Cleveland Traveler recently, go to the location right here.
January and February on social media
Certainly one of my objectives for 2023 is to cease stressing a lot over sticking to a posting schedule on social media. I spent an excessive amount of time in 2022 obsessing over posting to TikTok persistently (particularly on @clevelandtraveler), which is foolish since I make $0 from that channel. This yr, my purpose is to put up when I’ve one thing to share, and never fear about it a lot in any other case.
It should take a while to regulate, however already I’ve discovered myself with extra time to give attention to writing and different issues which can be extra essential to my enterprise!
Hottest put up on Instagram (@dangerousbiz): This Reel from the Hoh Rainforest was the clear winner – and it is no shock to me!
Hottest put up on Instagram (@clevelandtraveler): On this account, my Reel hyping up Cleveland (utilizing the identical template as my Hoh Rainforest one) simply retains going, spurred largely by individuals who solely need to remark about how terrible the town is. 🙃
January and February enterprise replace
Bear in mind, I report my earnings once they hit my checking account, that means these promoting earnings are from October and November, and the affiliate earnings are largely from December/January journey.
My revenue is often a bit down in January due to much less visitors and customarily much less individuals taking journeys proper after the vacations. And February? Effectively, February solely has 28 days, in order that all the time messes with incomes potential, too! Plus, I am switching round some affiliate applications proper now, which I feel will seemingly depart a niche in affiliate earnings for a number of months.
A Harmful Enterprise January revenue report:
- Promoting: $8,221.87
- Associates: $4,859.87
- Course/product gross sales: $216.18
- Journey campaigns: $3000
- Different: $114.15
A Harmful Enterprise February revenue report:
- Promoting: $7,739.02
- Associates: $2,875.25
- Course/product gross sales: $255.71
- Journey campaigns: $4,155.12
- Different: $1,104.63
(Be aware that that is my revenue earlier than deductions/bills and taxes.)
On Cleveland Traveler, the pre-holiday advert cash began rolling in in February, making it one in all my higher months!
Cleveland Traveler January revenue report:
- Promoting: $2,208.44
- Social media: $217.06
Cleveland Traveler February revenue report:
- Promoting: $4,587.41
- Social media: $188.91
(Be aware: A Harmful Enterprise was began in 2010, and has been monetized for greater than 10 years; Cleveland Traveler was began in 2019, and has been monetized for 3 years.)
Enterprise highs
A profitable IMM – On the finish of January, I went to New York Metropolis for the annual Worldwide Media Market (IMM), a networking occasion I attempt to attend yearly. It was a fast journey – simply 3 nights – however a profitable occasion! I am already beginning to plan issues for later within the yr.
Enterprise lows
I am not going to begin the yr off complaining about something business-wise, particularly after a really profitable and fulfilling 2022!
Upcoming journey plans
March: Portugal – I am in Portugal as I publish this, spending a number of days in Lisbon enjoyable/recovering from my Morocco journey, after which heading all the way down to Lagos within the Algarve for a number of extra days earlier than lastly heading residence.
Could: Prague and Norway – Elliot and I are heading to a pal’s marriage ceremony in Prague on the finish of Could, and have determined to go to the Lofoten Islands in Norway afterwards. I’ve all the time needed to go to this a part of Norway, and I feel Elliot will like it, too!
June: TBD in Europe – I am going to do this annoying factor that bloggers/influencers typically do and mainly run away to Europe this summer time! After Elliot heads residence from Norway, I’ve no plans for a pair weeks. However some potential concepts embrace exploring extra of Scandinavia, and maybe a Slovenia street journey! Keep tuned.
Since my weblog content material is commonly delayed, you’ll want to comply with alongside on Instagram if you wish to see any of those journeys in real-time!
