We are 3 weeks into January and even though I’ve been looking forward to and contemplating writing this post since December, I’m only ready and wanting to write this 2024 goals review blog post now. At the beginning of 2024 when I wrote the 2024 Goals post, I said this year would continue in the spirit of Green with the addition of Abundance. For some reason my brain feels a little hazy in looking back and seeing how that panned out. Perhaps it’s because it’s midnight as I’m typing. (Those teas really come in handy, by the way – thank you to those who’ve donated!)
I don’t think I’ve fully processed this last year. That’s probably why it feels fuzzy. A lot seemed to happen – some of it really fantastic and other bits not so great. I suppose we say that every year though, no?
2024 was the year my feet finally touched down in both South America and Africa. I cannot wait to explore even more of these massive, diverse, and fascinating continents. It gave me so much joy to feel that old travel excitement you get when visiting a totally unfamiliar place. Until this past year, that’s been missing. While in Colombia, I stayed with a friend with whom I had never before hung out 1-on-1. Luckily we hit it off and had a ton of fun exploring Bogotá. In Marrakech, Morocco I discarded the Internet suggestions and bewildered looks from fellow travellers who learned I was staying in the city for a week. I also smiled at strangers, asked for directions in the medina, and took my time in 1 city instead of rushing around the country. It was reaffirming to trust my gut and experience the world my way.
A big priority in 2024 was spending time with family. It’s a part of why I chose not to travel in the van over the warmer months. This past year was also really awesome for fitness and movement in terms of structure, socializing, and consistency. I even ran while on the road several times which I (surprisingly) thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve got to give some credit to the running club I joined a couple of years ago. Their enthusiasm is just so infectious!
Last January I also made the conscious decision to root in place a little more – a very very odd feeling for this travelling soul. It may sound weird to some because it’s the “normal” thing to do, but I even allowed myself to nest a little. It was a welcome change for a brain that’s always planning the next move. Deciding to decorate and acquire items like furniture (including my first ever TV – who am I?!), clothes, and (always) more books was quite odd. It simultaneously felt like having feet stuck in the mud and taking in a breath of excitement. Maybe it’s the gemini in me.
This past year I visited Ireland 3 times, the most since living there. The last trip in the fall was awful. It’s the first time in over a decade that it no longer felt like home. I remember the first few times that I returned to Ireland after living there for a year. I’d get anxious on the plane, nervous sweaty palms and all as the Poolbeg Towers came into view, worried that each return trip wouldn’t live up to the wonderful experiences and memories I cherish so much. After 12 years of return visits, I’ve been lucky that the dreaded disappointment has only materialized this once. However, I have faith that these things come and go. It’s been an odd separation from a place I hold dearly but perhaps this is the ebb and flow of life. Later in 2025 I’ll be back for work, so we’ll see what that brings.
On the blogging/work front, a lot happened in 2024. To start, season 1 of the podcast was recorded. From the planning to the interviewing, I loved every minute of it! Truthfully, editing the podcast (/my desire to do this perfectly, which is silly, I know) felt quite daunting. I hid from it for several months, convincing myself that it was too much to learn and too scary to take on. In December I finally got over myself and kicked the editing into high gear over the Christmas break. I’ve hit a few technical snags, but barring that, keep your eyes and ears open for the release! In addition to the podcast, I cleaned up several systems on the affiliate marketing, writing, photo organization, and newsletter side of things. While they’re not super sexy tasks, they’ve been extremely satisfying to tackle. Travel with TMc also hit record traffic this year (what a rush that was!) before plunging below even last year’s numbers (what a low that’s been). Everything that’s been happening with Google Search updates and the onslaught of AI in search engines has had me wondering if I need to change careers or if it’s okay to keep pushing forward. Only hindsight will reveal that one!
Alright, it is now way past my bedtime. Without further ado, dear reader, here is a little recap on my 2024 goals. Thank you for being here and sharing this space on the Internet with me!
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Personal Goals
- Read 24 Books – In 2024 I finished 13 books. I just didn’t feel like reading – however I did buy a ton of books on my travels around the world! That’s called a building year, no? Here are the titles from 2024.
(January) Return: Why We Go Back to Where We Come From by Kamal Al-Solaylee
(January) Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
(January) Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley
(January) The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge (phenomenal book – my 2nd time reading it)
(February) What Happened to You by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey
(February) The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (now in my top 5 favourite fiction books)
(April) All About Love by bell hooks
(April) The Bookseller at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw
(June) Breath by James Nestor (phenomenal book!)
(July) The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn
(July) To Speak for the Trees by Diana Beresford-Kroeger
(August) The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende
(September) What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings by John Lorinc
(September) A Pocket Guide to the Wild Atlantic Way *not yet completed
The Vagina Bible *not yet completed
Perennial Seller *not yet completed
NPR’s Podcast Start Up Guide *not yet completed
- Health – Check and check on staying active!
Travel Goals
- Poland – Well….this didn’t fall through this year. Despite having travel dates in the book this trip was cancelled last minute again. It’ll happen one day!
- Newfoundland – Ditto to Poland. These two locations keep slipping away!
- Travel for a 10km Race – Partway through the year I started to focus a lot more on other fitness classes. Running took a backseat so so did this goal. I did, however, find some really cool 10km races to check out in the future. In case you’re interested, they are: The Run Internacional which goes between the US and Mexico, the Midnight Sun Run in Norway (self-explanatory), the Not Since Moses Run on Nova Scotia’s ocean floor, and the Spar Budapest Marathon that passes several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Funnily enough, I met a fellow traveller at the hostel in Morocco who was also planning to sign up for the Midnight Sun Run. What are the chances of that?!
- Travel for Music – Since university I’ve been travelling to catch gigs – first around Ontario, Canada and then in recent years to other countries. In 2024 I followed the music around the world once again. My first trip of the year was a return to Ireland to catch 2 concerts: The Staves and Darren Kiely. You might think I’m nuts to go to Ireland for 2 concerts (or maybe you’re a Swiftie so you’ve done this yourself), however my flights cost me less than a tank of gas, so why wouldn’t I? While in Copenhagen checking out the eclectic Christiania, I also stumbled upon a free festival at Nomadland. Since then I’ve had the headliner, URO, on my Spotify playlist nonstop. This is an awesome playlist if you want to check out his music and similar tunes.
- Visit 6 New Countries – A bucket list goal of mine is to visit every country and territory in the world. To date, I’ve been to 33 countries, having lived on 4 continents along the way. Slower travel is more my jam than rushing to cross items off a list, so I anticipate this will be a lifelong quest. In 2024 I visited 4 new countries. Almost all of these were spontaneous trips and each were a delight to experience. In March I moved the office to Colombia and visited a friend in Bogotá for March Break – AND I only paid $250 Canadian for the last-minute ticket, which was about 1/10th of the cash price. For my birthday weekend I went to Copenhagen, Denmark and ended up going on a troll-filled treasure hunt. Then, in October I worked with the phenomenal MP TOURS to photograph their brand new Portugal itinerary. From Portugal I was supposed to hop over to Poland with my mom, however plans changed. Since I was already going to be overseas, I checked the departure airport’s destination list to see where I could fly that I hadn’t yet visited. Spotting Marrakech, I excitedly changed tracks. I spent a week in Morocco and had such a smile-worthy time. I met many wonderful people and can’t wait to return to explore more of this beautiful country.
- Visit 2 New Continents – Goal achieved! With visiting Colombia (South America) and Morocco (Africa), I touched down in 2 new continents in 2024. This also means that I’ve now been to every continent except for Antarctica! Wiiiiiild.
- Ship the Van to Ireland – In the mid-year goals review for 2024 I shared that this goal wouldn’t happen. Timing wise and financially it didn’t make sense. It’s still a goal of mine to do this at some point in life.
Professional Goals
- Write 3 Blog Posts per Month – In 2024, I published 17 blog posts, just shy of half my original goal. The first half of the year saw a flurry of writing. Then while on the road, other parts of the business and life took the wheel. That being said, I wrote about quite a variety of places and travel topics! In the fall, I partnered up with GigSky to help new eSIM users figure out how to use them and to announce their brand new partnership with Visa. Earlier in the year, I wrote an update on vanlife and why I took a step back from it in 2024. There were 2 pieces on Copenhagen: everything you need to plan a first visit, as well as a piece on how to save money in this pricey destination. In the summer I worked with Niagara Parks to let you know about the 4 new evening activities in Niagara Falls, Canada and everything you need to know to spend 1 day in Niagara Falls. There was also the media release for the brand new Air Canada motorcoach service from the Waterloo Region Airport to Toronto Pearson and a round-up of how to spend a fun afternoon in Toronto. In the springtime I worked with a very cool organization called Grand Trails to share a new way to explore Brant County in Ontario: cycling! The last piece, other than the 2024 goals pieces, was really fun to research and write. In October of 2024 I found myself in the birthplace of Halloween: Ireland. While my original (first and second) plans didn’t work out, it was a happy coincidence that my trip coincided with Samhain, the original Halloween. I partnered up with Discover Cars and checked out the Púca Festival in County Meath for a very unique and cool experience. If you’ve found any of the content here on Travel with TMc helpful or entertaining, don’t forget to share it!
- Send 1 Newsletter per Month – In 2024 there were 7 Travel with TMc emails – a mix of newsletters, promotions, and updates. Going forward this will become more of a quarterly newsletter as it just makes more sense. Subscribe below for the insider travel scoop!
- Marketing – As it stands today, January 21st, there are 3,609 of us hanging out on the Travel with TMc Instagram page, which is 604 more than last year. That’s pretty awesome! If that’s you, thank you for sharing the space.
- Provide More. Provide Better. Service Before Self. – It was such a treat to welcome new points and miles students last year. I had the privilege of working with families, working professionals, retirees, couples, and more. It’s so exciting for me to see the joy (and relief) on people’s faces when they realize the value that using points and miles will add to their life – not to mention all of the money that they’ll save. A few client wins from 2024 that stand out are a business woman saving $1,000 on her flight just by learning to make one small change. A young family of 5 booking their 2nd international trip to visit family with points, saving around $3,000. Another family of 5 using their newfound credit card savvy to save thousands on an epic around-the-world adventure. A retired couple took a dream trip to Italy and a few more retirees started learning how to maximize their points earning potential for future trips. I also had the pleasure and privilege of working with several tourism partners last year.
- Start a Podcast – Yahoooo!! 11 episodes recorded, 8 episodes edited, and they’re just about ready to drop on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and everywhere else you get your podcasts! Travelling Through Life: A Podcast on the Go is coming your way soon! Also, what do you think of the podcast’s new branding? It’s not 100% set in stone yet but here’s a sneak peek for those of you reading this 2024 goals review!
- Start YouTube Channel – See “podcast”!
Did You Write a 2024 Goals Review of Your Own?
Reflecting and look back on the year is one of my favourite traditions. Did you make your own 2024 goals review? As always, thank you so much for being here and reading the content on Travel with TMc.
