New Year, New Blog: Curing a Case of Wanderlust

This post may contain affilitate links. This means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Any opinions expressed are my own.

In 2020, we learned what it was like to stay home.  A lot.  Generally there was no other choice, right?  Especially for those of us who belong to an at-risk population (or love someone who is).  I’m actually a raging introvert, but consecutive months of isolation have not been entirely positive for my normally super-rosy disposition.  So what’s the best way to take charge of mental health and fight back against the overwhelming feeling of stir-crazy?  Start a blog! 

Ok, maybe it’s not “the best” option. But I hate running too much to take up marathon training, so here we are...

I’m afraid my 2020 was similar to that of most travel-lovers in 2020.  Cancelled trips to Seattle, Chicago, and San Antonio.  A trip in late April, never even booked, to Europe.  I love wildlife tourism, but the idea of a birding trip was simply absurd.  Even my 2021 booking was delayed until 2022.  My family has not been directly impacted by the pandemic thus far, and for that I am extremely grateful.  But it was a year undeniably filled with disappointment and isolation.

Is “Travel Masochism” a Thing?

I spent the first several months of shutdown planning future travels.  No, I am not joking about this.  I have developed extensive itineraries for southeast Asia and Europe, identified a cruise I’d actually like to try, and added more birding adventures to my wishlist.  

Positive outcome: So many awesome plans! Negative outcome: Now more than ever, it feels as if there just isn’t enough time to travel everywhere I’d like to go.  

Around May, I discovered travel podcasts.  I’ve spent much of my telework time, and my running time, listening to podcasts. Podcasts that annoyed me and got quickly deleted, yes. But also podcasts that gave me hope of travel being a part of my future.  In case you’re wondering, Amateur Traveler is my favorite.  And it’s responsible for my actually wanting to try a cruise, so I’m not entirely convinced this is a positive thing.       

The result of shutdown, for me, was at least 6 months of wanderlust-related obsession.  Of course, travel was (and is) unsafe and, to many destinations, impossible.  I guess it’s never great for anyone’s mental health to obsess about anything.  Choosing to obsess over travel while not being able to travel?  Not the greatest life choice.

Construction Zone

Well, something about this situation needed to change. What could I do to shake myself from this depressing case of wanderlust? Clearly, I needed a new distraction. My brilliant plan: write about travel, in my very own blog.

Sounds easy enough, right? It’s just, ya know, writing some stuff. I can write! Well, for the sake of argument, let’s just presume I can write. I’m not making claims about quality. And WordPress is supposedly easy-peasy. So heck yeah, a blog is a great choice!

Let’s do this!

But regardless of the number of blog entries you’ll find about “Easy Steps to Create a Blog”, it really isn’t as simple as just a few steps!  Sure, those guides to the process are a huge help, especially for the major steps and some useful design/plugin tips.  And once you know what services you need, of course signing up for accounts can be a breeze.  

But what do those guides not cover?  Learning how to use the most essential plugins.  And becoming familiar with “Gutenberg blocks” and “SEO”.  And most especially, figuring out a wordpress template for the first time.

Look, I have a hard time picking a dinner option from a restaurant menu.  Even when it’s a restaurant I go to every month, yes.  I’m seriously indecisive.  I’m easily distracted. (Psst: see the blog title!)  How can I be responsible for choosing every color on a site?  Every font of each page/post type?

And what is a “widget”, anyway???!  

So, a mere three months later, I’m finally activating my new blog!

Sharing the Journey

I’m excited to share my favorite travel memories with you.  I do hope to get more blog entries posted very soon!  My content will focus on travel, yes, from food-focused city travels to wildlife-oriented group tours.  

Of course, my favorite adventures are the birding tours.  Because, well, I am a birder. I assure you, those wildlife travels will be highlighted here eventually.  And sometimes I’ll even share pretty decent (or, ya know, not-at-all decent) photos of birds and other critters I’ve seen along the way.

I appreciate your patience as I start this “new adventure”.  Please look around a bit – find out where I’ve been and who I am.  You can even send me a message if you like!  I’d be happy to hear from you.  Honestly, just having a single reader would feel gratifying for this new blogger.  

Thanks for stopping by and making it this far! I hope you return as I add new entries and additional content to this site.  I welcome your company as I continue on this journey.