My blog turns 5 years today. Hooray!

Oh, wow. Five years of blogging. When did that happen?

Well, today apparently.

Today, five years ago, I wrote my first blog post and a lot has happened since. I’ve been to 33 new countries, visited 19 on my own, I’ve become a business owner, a mom and a professional blogger.

I’ve been busy. And I’m so proud and thankful for what I’ve accomplished – especially the mom part.

This year I’m not doing a “things I’ve learned in my five years of blogging” type of post. I did that last year and you can read it right here. Instead, I’ll share with you where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. AND, I’ll let you in on my travel plans for spring 2019, which I’m super excited about!

More blogiversary posts

• BLOGIVERSARY 1 
• BLOGIVERSARY 2, 
• BLOGIVERSARY 3
• BLOGIVERSARY 4

BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL BLOGGER

2018 was the year that I became a professional blogger.

But what does that mean anyway?

I’ve always seen a pro blogger as someone who makes their living blogging. They monetize their blog through ads, products or some other paid offering – blogging is their full-time job. Well, I haven’t made it quite there, and honestly I’m not sure I want to. Instead I see myself as someone who makes part of my living through blogging because I am a part-time traveler.

Professionally, I’ve always been a copywriter first and then a blogger. I love copywriting. And I love creating campaigns, writing slogans and engaging people with copy. I thrive in the corporate world.

So, when I got a really great job offer in the fashion industry where I’ve been specializing for the past six years, I accepted. It was just after my maternity leave and I got a sweet deal of 25 hours per week. I’ve found this to be perfect schedule, juggling my career with my blog and family life. I’ve had other copywriting projects on the side this year, but I’ve been cutting way back so it doesn’t affect my blog and family.

I feel balanced right now and that’s a GREAT feeling! As you’ve probably noticed, I started blogging more and I’ve been traveling every to every other month. I really love how my life is right now.

 

SPAIN

This summer, we ventured off to Spain. I’d never been to Spain before, and lately I’ve been focused on visited new countries. So, yes to Spain.

This was also the first trip with Theo so obviously, I was a little on edge. I had no idea how he’d react to flying, the road trip, not following his usual eating and sleeping schedule. You name it, I worried. But Theo, he turned out to be a trooper – a true adventurer. Not only did we not hear a peep on the entire flight, but he also adjusted to the food, the driving and new sleeping patterns.

Mom here was proud (and relieved).

We started our road trip in Malaga. During our week in Southern Spain, we visited Costa del Sol, the picturesque cliffside town of Ronda, Seville and Granada. Looking back, we had a great trip and I LOVED being on the road again. However to be honest, Spain didn’t really push any buttons for me.

I liked Spain, but I didn’t love it. I’ve always known that I’m more into the off-the-beaten path destinations. Like the Balkans, which is my favorite area. In comparison, Spain just seemed a little too touristy to me – it was super charming, beautiful and the food was amazing – but the fact that four other people from my office were also heading to Malaga that same month kind of took the thrill out of it. I believe that all travel is valuable no matter if you pick Malaga or Myanmar. I just prefer locations that are a little more rough around the edges.

On that note, here are my post from Spain:

• 10 essential tips for visiting The Alhambra, Granada (tickets, map, itinerary)
• Magical things to do in Ronda Spain – an easy day trip from Malaga to Ronda
• The 10 most spectacular things to do in Granada Spain – besides the Alhambra
• 10 things to do in Seville, Spain (Star Wars and Game of Thrones locations)

BORNHOLM, DENMARK

Just a few weeks after we returned from Spain, I went to Bornholm with Theo and my mother-in-law. Bornholm is a little island in the Baltic Sea, east of Copenhagen. It’s actually closer to Sweden than Denmark, and for some reason it’s a special place for us Danes.

I spent four days in Bornholm and drove around the island to see the main sights. I’ve been there years ago, so it was nice to come back and see everything again. I’ve mentioned this before, but many of the people visiting Denmark only make it to Copenhagen, and that’s such a shame. Bornholm is so easy to reach from our capital and definitely worth a visit if you’re there in the summer.

My posts from Bornholm:

• 12 insta-worthy reasons to visit Bornholm island, Denmark
• A seaside retreat at Fredensborg Hotel (Bornholm Hotels) Denmark
• 6 best places for local food on Bornholm, Denmark

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

I was beginning to miss the Balkans, so when I found $40 flights to Tuzla on Skyscanner, I was like: what are we waiting for?!

Tuzla is 2,5 hours from Sarajevo, but with a private direct transfer, it’s easy to reach. One of my girlfriends came along with Theo and I, and we had an amazing trip! I’d planned a day trip from Sarajevo to Mostar, Blagaj and Kravice waterfalls, and it couldn’t have turned out better. The weather was amazing and Bosnia really surprised me.

I’ve been to Bosnia once before, but only briefly so I didn’t get a good enough impression. Now, though, I recommend it to everyone I meet. I really think Bosnia stands out, not only because it’s so authentic still. But the nature, food, prices and people are all excellent.

So, five stars to Bosnia!

My posts from Bosnia:

• 12 things to do in Sarajevo, Bosnia – the most underrated capital in the Balkans
• Mostar (Stari Most) – the most popular town in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 7 most beautiful places in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 10 tips for visiting Kravice Waterfalls, Bosnia’s paradise

ALBANIA

For the past three years or so, I’ve had Albania on my mind. I’ve tried to visit several times, but the poor infrastructure and traveling solo with a baby didn’t seem like the best cocktail. Balkan has always been my thing, not really my husband’s, so imagine my surprise when he suggested we go to Albania for our family summer holiday.

Yaaasss!

For me, the biggest draw in Albania was the riviera. Because that’s what sparkled my interest to begin with. Before fellow travel bloggers and Instagrammers started posting pictures of bountry beaches in Albania, I had NO idea about these beaches and how beautiful they are.

So, we flew to Corfu, Greece and took the 30-minute ferry to Albania. Then we drove up the coast and into Macedonia. What a trip… which I’ll tell you all about once I’m done writing about Bosnia 🙂

My posts from Albania:

• 15 magical pictures that will make you want to visit Albania now
• The 10 best beaches in Albania – a guide to the epic Albanian Riviera
• Syri i Kalter: How to visit the mysterious Blue Eye, Albania
• Gjirokaster, Albania: A fairy tale hillside town
• 10 things to do in Berat – Albania’s city of a thousand windows

MACEDONIA

From Albania, we went into Macedonia, which is much more soft around the edges but still not crowded. We started in Lake Ohrid, a beautiful lake that reminded me a bit of Lake Bled in Slovenia. From there, we continued to the capital, Skopje. The plan was to do a day trip in Kosovo, which I’ve also been meaning to visit. But we actually liked Skopje so much that we decided to skip Kosovo – it was that good.

My posts from Macedonia:

• 12 fantastic things to do in Skopje, Macedonia

WHERE I’M GOING NEXT

For some reason, and don’t ask me why, I’ve developed a crush on former USSR countries. In my mind, Soviet has always equaled grey monotone concrete, so this part of the world never seemed appealing to me. I’ve always been more of a warm colourful destination-kind of girl. Like Thailand, The Philippines, Mexico or Guatemala.

But yet, here we are. Totally crushing on the former USSR.

For next year – drumroll, please – I’m looking at Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Uzbekistan. I’ve also got my eye on Israel/Jordan or Sri Lanka/Maldives, but let’s see what happens. If everything goes alright and I can wrap my mind around leaving my baby, I’ll venture on a solo trip probably to Uzbekistan in the spring. But again, let’s see if that’s realistic.

GOALS FOR 2019

Okay, that’s all for now, folks. I’ll leave you with my goals for 2019, which are somewhat similar to last year’s goals. Let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to help.

• Regain my Pinterest traffic (I’ve lost 20,000 monthly visitors these last months :()
• Visit 5 new countries
• See more of North Europe, like Greenland or Faroe Islands
• Do more travel collaborations with companies
• Incorporate more fashion style and personality into my blog