I fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Egypt through booking a trip with G Adventures.

2023 has been a rocky year for many people I know, and December hasn’t been easy for those employed in media either. I hit some bumps but I also reached some peaks.

Over the course of this year, my workload was fairly steady. I was still able to write for publications that I have contributing to for a few years now. I had some projects end, due to their completion, but new leads came about.

With travel, I was fortunate to visit some new destinations this year and return to places that I had visited previously. Most of these trips resulted from tourism board invites but one was to fulfill a childhood dream that I saved and paid for via installments through a tour company.

Where I Traveled

I drove across Oregon this summer. This photo was taken at Ecola State Park.

Let’s start from the beginning, in January 2023. I attended IMM NYC, a travel conference that I try to attend every year. Not only does this conference bring together all sides of the travel marketing and media industry but it also gives me a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues.

I will be at IMM NYC 2024.

I returned to New Orleans, where I stayed at and wrote about The Eliza Jane hotel. I also went back to Seattle, where I penned about its diverse food scene for Livability, and Helsinki, where I’m still pitching about this cool Finnish city. (Read my post about arriving in Helsinki in March 2020, right as the global pandemic emerged).

I also sailed with Viking again, this time through France on a cruise from Lyon to Avignon. And it was nice to have gone back to Canada. I traveled to Vancouver for the Travel Classics conference, which is another travel media event, and then I later came back to our neighbor to the north to see Calgary and Edmonton.

I got to go back to Helsinki in 2023, two years ago having to leave the city early.

New places this year were many, and I’m very fortunate to have gone to them through work. They included Minot, Fargo and Grand Forks in North Dakota; Anchorage, Alaska; Baltimore; Traverse City, Michigan; Wichita, Kansas; the Lake George area of New York State; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I also did an extensive road trip in Oregon. Outside of the US, I visited Aruba and got to experience different facets of this island.

I have some pitches that I’m waiting back on and hopefully will do so in the new year. Eds and outlets: if these destinations are in your scope of coverage, please reach out.

What I Wrote

Taking in the beauty of the North Coastal Trail from Anchorage, Alaska.

Along with the clips listed, I landed new projects with books. I researched and wrote a chapter for a travel guidebook coming out in April.

Right now, I’m updating some chapters for an NYC guidebook publishing next fall. The start of 2024 will be about me venturing around some of the city’s neighborhoods.

I also got more into copywriting, by working two different agency projects. One involved all things about New York State and, the other, visa entry requirements. I got to also write again for Smithsonian Magazine and VinePair.

My 2024 Goals

I was surprised by what I could see and do in Traverse City, Michigan.

I’m looking to take some courses to further my writing and improve my video and photo taking. I’d also like to do more with copywriting. I have two assignments due in January but I’m open to taking on new projects going forward.

I do have some US travel planned in the spring, and I’m saving and planning for a trip to Scotland this summer. I’ve been waffling on getting my NYC tour guide license, as I’ve been bad about studying for my test. So my aim is to finally get it done.

Thanks for reading. Happy New Year!