I cannot believe I started my blog, By Land and Sea, one year ago this month!  This time last year, I had no clue what I was doing… I was mostly trying a little of this and that, crossing my fingers, and waiting to see what happened!  Well, it’s a year later and in some ways I still feel like I have no clue what I’m doing and am trying a little of this and that, waiting to see what happens!

Although some of these things may seem silly, here’s a list of tidbits I’ve learned in my first year of travel blogging, in no certain order.

• Social media is my friend!
• Speaking of social media, people will follow and unfollow like it’s going out of style.  Get used to it, and only worry about the ones that stick around.
• Nothing happens overnight, including monetization.
• I can blog about things that have happened in the past, it doesn’t need to be real time.
• People love pictures!
• Some things work, some things fail, but keep trying to figure out what works for you.
• Blogging is serious business!  It takes tons of time and effort.
• Although consistency is key, it’s ok to take a break sometimes.
• I am not Fodor’s or Lonely Planet.  Not every post has to be a travel guide.
• There are tons of resources out there, it’s just a matter of finding them.
• It’s better to focus on a few things at a time than to tackle everything at once.
• There are websites out there that will steal your photos and sell them. Boo!
• It’s perfectly acceptable to make updates, changes, and improvements to your site, photos and writing style as you go!
• While not everyone will support you or like your work, there are many wonderful, helpful people out there.  It’s important to find them and stick with them!
• Just like in school, attention grabbing headlines and powerful closing paragraphs are the hardest parts.
• Although I have good intentions of things I’m going to do, life happens.  Scheduling things in advance when possible is a life saver.
• There is always something more to learn!!

Let’s face it, technology moves fast and there is a lot to keep up with.  I feel like in the last year I have learned a ton, but I still know that I have so much to learn.  However, I proudly consider myself a life-long learner, so I’m really ok with knowing there will always be something new out there.  When I first started my blog, it took me seven months to move from the idea of wanting to start a blog to actually doing it.  A lot of that was due to not knowing what to do and “paralysis by analysis”.  I wanted it to be perfect right away, but boy was I off on that expectation!  I can see how far I’ve come with my blog in the last year, and I’m really excited to see how much further it will go in the future as I continue to learn and grow as a travel blogger.

Many thanks to everyone who has subscribed and supported me and my blogging efforts during this first year, and for many more years to come!  I appreciate every like, comment, and share that I receive!  I was also thrilled to be nominated for both a Liebster Award and a Versatile Blogger Award in my first year.  Thank you so much to my nominators for recognizing my efforts with my blog!  I’ll be honest, there were a few times in my first year that I thought about throwing in the towel.  But, all of these things added up and kept me going through the times I lost my blogging mojo.  Thank you!!

Followers can also look for exciting updates to my site in the coming months, some of which have already started, as well as more travel tales!  Have a topic you’d like to hear more about in the next year?  Our travels generally focus on:

• Affordable luxury travel
• Balancing travel with full-time jobs
• Sustainable tourism
• Tips, experiences, inspirations, and more

Comment below and let me know what interests you!   Or, did one of my little tidbits in this post provide you some blogging insight or really speak to you?!  I’d love to hear about that too!  Again, thanks for all the support in my first year.  Looking forward to many more!

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