A Look Back at The Voyageer in 2017

Happy New Year! 2017 has had a lot of ups and downs for almost everyone I know. One of the highlights for me this year was launching The Voyageer and finally having an outlet for my travel writing. Some of you know that I have blogged about “home and lifestyle” topics (whatever I felt like; unfocused) for many years.

This new site was founded with the goal of inspiring others to travel. With that in mind, I have written about places both near (the American Southwest) and far (Europe, Mexico). I hope you had the chance to visit new places in 2017 and are planning even more exciting excursions in 2018! I know my head is filled with ideas of places to go and things to write about!

Who is Staci, The Voyageer? Get to know me here. 

Visitors

The best part of travel blogging is connecting with people from all over the world. In the last year I’ve made friends with bloggers from almost every continent!

Additionally, I have gotten views from all over the world too! I just went back and counted up how many different countries “hit” my blog in 2017: more than 70! A big Thank You to my US, UK, and Canada readers, making up the top three.

Special events

I had two big landmarks this year. The first was the April launch of my free downloadable trip planning sheets. I hope they’ve come in handy for those who prefer to plan using pen and paper, the way I do.

The second was the big December giveaway I hosted on Instagram! Local San Diego shop Gold Leaf and Noonday Consultant Alana partnered with me. I was able to reward one of my followers with a travel-themed goody bag just before Christmas.

Guest posts

From The Voyageer’s start in January, it’s been my goal to open this blog to new voices in addition to my own. I am happy to report that I shared 10 posts from 7 different authors!

An Arsenal Fan Visits Emirates Stadium – Doug
Visiting Home: The Philippines – Vera
#FBF: Dublin, Ireland 2010 – Doug
What to Do, See, and Eat in Oklahoma City – Libby
3 Perfect Day Trips from London – Noelle
Your Airport Survival Guide – Angela
5 Ways to Maximize Sightseeing during Work Travel – Doug
How to Visit Tequila Factories in Tequila, Mexico Cheaply by Bus – Rachel
Beautiful and Affordable Guadalajara, Mexico in one Weekend – Rachel
Food Photography: 5 tips to take good food pictures – Gabriela

A huge thank you to Doug, Vera, Libby, Noelle, Angela, Rachel and Gabriela! Don’t forget to get in touch if you’d like your writing to appear here on this site.

My posts

As it turns out, I wrote 66 posts this year! That averages out to 1.25 a week, which is great considering it’s my first year.

Here are my top 10 posts by number of views. Take this chance to read one you may have missed earlier!

1. 48 hours relaxing in Tijuana
2. Using the CBX to fly out of Tijuana
3. Your First Time Visiting Mexico City
4. Free Downloadable Trip Planning Sheets
5. Groovy Hotel: The Pearl in San Diego
6. 5 Best Tips for Experiencing the Superbloom
7. Your First Time Visiting Paris
8. Check in to One Bunk Tijuana
9. Your First Time Visiting London
10. Seven Magic Mountains

Honorable mention: Here are a couple posts that didn’t make the top 10 but I’m very proud of:

1. 25+ San Diego Businesses to support on #smallbizsat 2017 
2. Disneyland (!) Memories and 5 Must-Know Tips

Transparency

Here’s the part where it has the potential to sound like one of those PBS pledge drives.

Yes, I started The Voyageer with the goal of making money doing what I love (which is travel writing). Some bloggers I follow have transparency policies where they share how much they’ve earned blogging. I like the idea so here you go: My grand total is $4.56 earned from affiliate links and $43.00 from TRVL.com commissions.

Please know that I am committed to bringing you high quality travel content regardless of whether or not I generate income. However, running a website takes money and I am trying my best to reach and then surpass my break-even point. If you would like to support me, you can book your hotels through my TRVL site or shop with one of my affiliates including but not limited to:

In conclusion…

I want to thank everyone who has followed along this year and I promise lots of new adventures, recommendations, downloadables, and itineraries in 2018.

Thanks for all your support!