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Happy Blogiversary to Me, x4!

It’s February 15, so you know what that means? Yes, it’s the day after Valentine’s Day (or “Single Awareness Day,” as some like to call it). Did you have a nice Valentine’s Day? I spent mine…working! No, February 15 is the day that this little blog of mine turns 4!

I remember it like it was yesterday. February 15, 2010. There I was, a mere 5 days away from departing on my first major solo trip, where I would spend 3 months in Asia. I took what had previously been a small personal blog (dating all the way back to my time studying in Thailand in 2006), bought a domain, moved the content over, registered a Twitter handle (and went with @Adventurousness because every other “adventure” thing I could think of was already taken) and just took a leap of faith.

Aaron at Moon Hill
That’s me at the top of “Moon Hill” near Yangshuo, China

Back in those early days of my 2010 trip, this blog read a bit more like a journal. I posted daily about the things that were happening to me. Nobody really read it aside from my family and close friends. But I didn’t care. I kept going.

When I got back, I decided to get serious and give Twitter a try. I started following people. I interacted. And I joined weekly Twitter chats, like #TNI or #TTOT. My following began to grow and people began to notice my stuff!

By 2011, I was quite serious about blogging. I went to my first TBEX conference in Vancouver (first of three so far) and I knew I was hooked! My writing and photography skills improved by leaps and bounds.

2011 was also the year that my life turned into a marathon of travel. Between work and play I was on the road almost full time, always returning to my home base of New York City for brief periods in between. That continued through summer 2013, though things have finally (thankfully) slowed down.

So, what happened in the last year? Well…

The Year in Blogging

Church of the Redeemer, Ani
One of several structures named the Church of the Redeemer at Ani, an enigmatic ancient Armenian capital.

Together, we discussed the ethics of travel, I shared the secrets of Merino Wool as the ideal clothing for traveling, told you about how to get into Bhutan, took you glacier trekking in Alaska and hiking in Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, discovered Toronto’s Green Side, took you canoeing in Algonquin Park, planned a spontaneous trip, wrote a letter to Singapore, took you on a road trip through Iraq’s gorgeous Hamilton Road, introduced you to Tana Toraja’s strange death rituals and their famous sacrificial funerals, introduced you to the endangered, yet spectacular Turkish city of Hasankeyf and shared the amazing artwork of NYC’s 5Pointz Graffiti Mecca, which has unfortunately met its demise.

The Year in Travel

Parking Sign
A motorcycle parking lot in Surabaya, Indonesia

I began year 3 in my blogging journey in Florida, where I had the great fortune to escape the winter blues (that I’m now faced with) with some nice, warm, sunny weather! Before leaving, I couldn’t help but stop in Orlando’s Universal Islands of Adventures for a visit to Harry Potter World (and yes, it was amazing). I went on to Las Vegas, road tripped in Utah, finally made it to Montreal, returned to Toronto for this year’s TBEX, ended up in Poughkeepsie, Albany and Saratoga Springs (all in New York State), San Francisco (twice), Portland and ran off to Asia for a while on a truly spontaneous adventure!

There I visited Taipei, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Frankfurt.

What’s Coming Up?

I dare say some changes are afoot around here! By this time next year you’ll see a lot of “new.” I’m not ready to make any announcements yet, but changes will be coming to both my blog and life over the coming life.

Thanks to You

Finally, I want to end with a word of thanks. Thank you for reading, following, commenting and engaging. For without you, I’d be writing for absolutely nobody, and what’s the fun in that?

Stay classy out there! I’ve met so many amazing people thanks to the work I’ve put into this site that I can’t wait to see what’s coming next!

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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

10 replies on “Happy Blogiversary to Me, x4!”

Wow 4 years already! Congrats. That is a long time & yet at the same time not that long. I’ll be there in a few months. Cheers to many more years of sharing your life with us!

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