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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New Year, New Travels

Happy New Year! Can you believe 2013 is behind us already? It seems like the year just flew by and I didn't have nearly enough time to get everything accomplished that I hoped for. That's okay though, because a new year means new chances to achieve goals and make new ones. I had a lot of resolutions last year, so I should be happy with the amount of them that I was able to cross off. The last few months have seen me move to working at home "full-time", which means I'll be writing more. Not so much on the blog, but freelancing and other projects I have going. This change is going to help me work on my first two goals this year.



Second book edition
Yes, I said this was going to happen last year, but between my freelance projects, the blog, work and having a personal life, this fell to the wayside. Once I settle into my home-working rhythm, I plan to put a schedule into action that will include heavily working on a new edition of Shereen Travels Cheap, which will have a whole new look and title!


A travel cookbook
I hoped to have this out by Christmas, but I had the same issue with this that I did with my second edition. I did make many of the recipes and took photos, but that's as far as I've gotten. My hope is to put together a selection of foods you can make before you travel to snack on when you fly and road trip and then a whole bunch of easy ones that you can prepare with minimal ingredients you can find at the local farmers' market. Cooking on vacation may not seem fun, but it can save you money and give you time to just chill out in your room and rest up before you head out again.

Go somewhere I've never been before
This was on my list last year, and I ended up going to Vancouver BC quite by accident and only for 8 hours, but I'm still counting it. This year I'll be going back to my childhood stomping grounds of Williamsburg, Virginia, but I'll also be headed to Washington, DC - though I've driven through town, technically, I have not "been" there - and Virginia Beach. I'm not sure what else my year has in store for travels, but I'm sure that won't be it. Where are you traveling in 2014?

I was a little afraid of this pate en croute, but it was really good
Do something that scares me
This was also something on my list last year...though I tend to keep it on my list all the time. It's important to get out of your comfort zone when you travel. In 2013, I slacked on my resolve to learn more French. I guess I did learn more than before, which was pretty much nothing, but not nearly as much as I hoped. We jumped full in again on our trip to France and were afraid no one would understand us, but that didn't happen at all. Turns out, Eric learned more than I did and he was better at communicating, though when I actually got a joke from a waiter, I felt pretty smart. I'm not sure what I will do this year, but hopefully it will be exciting and won't be because I was a lazy planner. Did you do anything scary this past year?

Not have to get a part-time job
I'm hoping the need for working to make money will be incentive enough for me to fully pay my bills by writing alone. If not, I will have to find a part-time job outside the house. Of course, luck is an equal partner in my hard work ethic, so cross your fingers for me and help me out by clicking on those affiliate links I use in posts and on my travel links page. And if you like my posts, I totally appreciate comments and shares.

Hopefully, our 2014 (and yours!) has more moments like this
I'm  not going to stress myself out over tons of travel and blogging goals, so I think these five are a good place to start. Are there things you would like to see from me in 2014? I'd love to hear them, so I can bring you more of what you love. 

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