Happy 2023, everybody! It’s already midway via March someway, and the 12 months is already feeling extra “normal” than any 12 months since 2019 has. (Granted, issues won’t ever really be the way in which they have been pre-Rona.)
My 12 months obtained off to a roaring begin with a visit out to the Pacific Northwest – in actual fact, I celebrated New Year’s within the Hoh Rainforest in Washington State! And as I’m hitting publish on this, I simply completed up a 2-week journey in Morocco.
2023 is shaping as much as be a fairly epic 12 months travel-wise, and I hope it would even be an ideal 12 months content material and business-wise, too.
Let’s get to this replace!
January and February: The months in journey
- Countries visited: 3 – USA, Spain, and Morocco
- States visited: 4 – Washington state, Oregon, Arizona, New York
- Flight taken (incl. connections): 10
- Days spent on the highway: 20
Travel highlights
Hiking within the Hoh Rainforest – I began the New Year off with a go to to a new-to-me nationwide park, spending the morning of January 1, 2023 climbing and gawping at moss-draped bushes within the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park. This park (and particularly this part of it) is totally enchanting! I already wrote about it right here: Visiting the Hoh Rainforest in Winter: Everything You Need to Know.
Chilling on the Oregon coast – After the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, my good friend 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 Beach. Cannon Beach is sleepy within the winter months, and we cut 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 climbing, horseback driving (for me), mountain biking (for Elliot), and even on a UTV journey. We additionally ate a number of nice meals and stayed at some enjoyable properties. I all the time love spending time in Scottsdale, and suppose it is an ideal 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 12 months. I spent 3 days exploring the highlights of Madrid – which, actually, principally concerned meals! Along with a meals tour and lunch on the oldest restaurant on the 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 good friend Ashley and be part of a 2-week tour with Intrepid Travel. 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 however nice to lastly get again there. (And, spoiler alert: we had the BEST TIME.)
Travel lowlights
Other than some wet, chilly climate in Arizona that I could not have modified anyway, I do not actually have any complaints in regards to the first two months of the 12 months! Here’s hoping the remainder of 2023 is simply nearly as good.
Non-travel highlights
Becoming an auntie once more! – In between journeys in January, my sister had her second child! Slightly boy named Maxwell. I began a practice of taking new child images with Max’s brother Will in 2020, so I used to be comfortable to be residence to take images of Max, too.
January and February on the weblog(s)
Traffic all the time begins to rise after the vacations, and it was no exception this 12 months. (Though it is all the time a bummer than February is such a brief month!)
A Dangerous Business visitors: 163,049 distinctive guests and 221,887 pageviews in January, and 145,078 distinctive guests and 197,159 pageviews in February
Most in style put up: An Epic 10-Day Iceland Ring Road Itinerary for the Best Iceland Road Trip – I lastly obtained round to penning this behemoth of a put up, utilizing my large Iceland highway journey from final summer time as inspiration (plus 3 earlier journeys to Iceland). I believe it is the right Ring Road itinerary!
Other 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 12 months 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’ve been as much as on Cleveland Traveler these days, go to the location right here.
January and February on social media
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 constantly (particularly on @clevelandtraveler), which is foolish since I make $0 from that channel. This 12 months, my aim is to put up when I’ve one thing to share, and never fear about it a lot in any other case.
It’s going to take a while to regulate, however already I’ve discovered myself with extra time to concentrate on writing and different issues which might be extra vital to my enterprise!
Most in style put up on Instagram (@dangerousbiz): This Reel from the Hoh Rainforest was the clear winner – and it is no shock to me!
Most in style 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 principally by individuals who solely wish to remark about how terrible town is. 🙃
January and February enterprise replace
Remember, I report my earnings after they hit my checking account, that means these promoting earnings are from October and November, and the affiliate earnings are principally 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? Well, February solely has 28 days, in order that all the time messes with incomes potential, too! Plus, I’m switching round some affiliate packages proper now, which I believe will seemingly depart a niche in affiliate earnings for a couple of months.
A Dangerous Business January revenue report:
- Advertising: $8,221.87
- Affiliates: $4,859.87
- Course/product gross sales: $216.18
- Travel campaigns: $3000
- Other: $114.15
A Dangerous Business February revenue report:
- Advertising: $7,739.02
- Affiliates: $2,875.25
- Course/product gross sales: $255.71
- Travel campaigns: $4,155.12
- Other: $1,104.63
(Note 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 every of my higher months!
Cleveland Traveler January revenue report:
- Advertising: $2,208.44
- Social media: $217.06
Cleveland Traveler February revenue report:
- Advertising: $4,587.41
- Social media: $188.91
(Note: A Dangerous Business 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.)
Business highs
A profitable IMM – At the tip of January, I went to New York City for the annual International Media Marketplace (IMM), a networking occasion I attempt to attend yearly. It was a fast journey – simply 3 nights – however a profitable occasion! I’m already beginning to plan issues for later within the 12 months.
Business lows
I’m not going to start out the 12 months off complaining about something business-wise, particularly after a really profitable and fulfilling 2022!
Upcoming journey plans
March: Portugal – I’m in Portugal as I publish this, spending a couple of days in Lisbon enjoyable/recovering from my Morocco journey, after which heading all the way down to Lagos within the Algarve for a couple of extra days earlier than lastly heading residence.
May: Prague and Norway – Elliot and I are heading to a good friend’s marriage ceremony in Prague on the finish of May, and have determined to go to the Lofoten Islands in Norway afterwards. I’ve all the time wished to go to this a part of Norway, and I believe Elliot will find it irresistible, too!
June: TBD in Europe – I’m going to try this annoying factor that bloggers/influencers generally do and principally run away to Europe this summer time! After Elliot heads residence from Norway, I’ve no plans for a pair weeks. But some potential concepts embrace exploring extra of Scandinavia, and maybe a Slovenia highway journey! Stay tuned.
Since my weblog content material is commonly delayed, you should definitely observe alongside on Instagram if you wish to see any of those journeys in real-time!