A Look Back at The Voyageer in 2018

Happy New Year! 2018 has been an interesting one, to say the least. Luckily I got the opportunity to continue exploring this world of ours; I have enjoyed sharing my experiences with you here on The Voyageer. Today I would like to take a few moments and look back at this blog’s second year.

This site was founded in January 2017 with the goal of inspiring others to travel. I’ve continued my strategy of writing about destinations near and far in order to inspire you. Find something unique in your own backyard, or check off a bucket list destination—both are great ways to explore the world around you. I don’t know where 2019 will take me, but I’m sure near and far will both hold many things I haven’t seen yet.

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. This site has continued to grow and I am grateful for those who have stopped by, especially my regular readers.

Additionally, I have gotten views from all over the world! I just went back and tallied up how many different countries “hit” my blog in 2018: more than 110! I am honestly blown away. A big Thank You to my US, Mexico and UK readers, making up the top three.

Guest posts

From The Voyageer’s inception, it’s been my goal to open this blog to new voices in addition to my own. I am happy to report that this year I shared 8 posts from 6 different authors!

Robolights: Offbeat Christmas in Palm Springs – Sara
Where to Watch Premier League Soccer in San Diego – Doug
A Weekend Getaway in Wichita, Kansas – Libby
6 Apps You Need for Studying Abroad – Jordan
How to Manage Group Travel – Noelle
3 Touristy things to do in Danville, Illinois – Brennon
Product Review: Patagonia Ascentionist 35L – Doug
One Day in Bamberg, Germany – Doug

A huge thank you to Sara, Doug, Libby, Jordan, Noelle, and Brennon! 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, we published 57 posts this year, averaging just over 1 a week, which is not bad for a part-time endeavor.

Here are my top 10 posts, ranked by number of views. Some of these are from 2017… For a blogger, this is a sign of a healthy site. Take this chance to read a post you may have missed earlier!

1. Mexican Airlines Review: Aeromexico, Volaris, Interjet, VivaAerobus compared
2. 5 Surprising Things about New Year’s Eve in Mexico City
3. Product Review: Calpak Davis
4. Where to Watch Premier League Soccer in San Diego
5. Where to Stay, Eat, and Drink in Guanajuato
6. San Miguel de Allende in One Day 
7. Your First Time Visiting Mexico City
8. Using the CBX to fly our of Tijuana
9. Your First Time Visiting Guanajuato, Mexico
10. Check in to One Bunk Tijuana

Transparency

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

I started The Voyageer with the goal of making money doing what I love (which is travel writing). Blogging is not my full-time career… I changed careers this year and am now selling real estate which has taken up more time that my previous office job. That said, the content creation here at The Voyageer slowed down a bit in 2018.

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 $8.74 earned from affiliate links and $103.00 from booking.com commissions.

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 booking.com links (you can just use the tool in the sidebar) or, you can shop with one of my affiliates including but not limited to:

In conclusion…

I want to thank everyone who has followed along this year. It has been a huge growing year! I promise lots of new adventures, recommendations, and itineraries in 2019.

Thanks for all your support!