Those of you who have been following me since day one *shout outs to you* probably know IT’S OFFICIALLY BEEN ONE YEAR since I put out my first blog post “Things to do in Chicago on a Weekday.” If you haven’t read it already go check out where it all started. I know it says November 28th, but when I posted my first blog post I actually posted it in another time zone by accident and it was a day ahead. *Lol, rookie mistake* Safe to say I’ve learned a lot since then. But, time really does fly when you’re having fun. Blogging has really made this year so much more fun and adventurous. I figured I’d give you guys a quick one year update and tell you a few fun facts about my travels while I’m at it.

For those of you who don’t know how I started blogging I’ll start by sharing. I’ve always had a love for writing. I started by writing poetry when I was younger. For the last few years I’ve been helping people with writing whether it was papers, letters to get into College or clubs, etc. You name it, I could help write it. Although I was never really good grammatically, I could really tell a story. After a while I wanted something more rewarding. Of course, I was helping people but I wanted to do more, so I started writing hand-written letters to depressed people around the world with a company I found online. If you’re going through something and want hand written letters or just want to volunteer, let me know I can give you the information. I did all this while working and traveling as much as possible. But, in the back of my mind I kept thinking I really wanted to start a blog. While I really loved helping people with writing it wasn’t helping me gain any professional experience. I talked about starting a blog for years but kept putting it on the back burner mostly because I couldn’t even think of a name for my blog. I mean, how serious was I about starting a blog if I couldn’t even think of a name for it?

Last year I went to Chicago around Thanksgiving and I met this woman who had never been to Chicago. And, even though I had never been there either I had given her a list of places to see. She asked me what my YouTube or website was so that she could follow me because of all the Chicago tips I had given her. I was so disappointed in myself that I didn’t have a website to give her yet! So I came home and immediately started writing. I seriously wrote for days and published my first blog once I was done. I probably said “I’m so scared” 10 times before actually pushing publish. I mean, it’s kind of scary to think that my work would be out there for any and everyone to critique. But honestly, starting my blog was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in a while. It was seriously one of those “when’s the last time you did something for the first time?” type of things. Not only was I able to share my travel stories, I was also able to try new things I wouldn’t have tried otherwise, I hosted my first event, I was featured in my first online magazine, and I put out my first item for sale. I’ve lived in Dallas since 2013 and it wasn’t until April of this year that I finally decided to start enjoying and exploring Dallas just as much as I explore other cities that I visit.

So here’s a few fun travel facts about me and my travels:

Window seat is my LEAST favorite seat. I am actually terrified to fly in the window seat. I picked up this fear a few years ago when I was at work and someone started talking about a plane incident where a woman got sucked out of the window. Apparently a client had come in who was there when it happened. I researched that incident over and over again until it actually made me never want to fly window seat again. I know, I know — the chances of me getting sucked out of a window are slim to none, but let me just be scared. I never pick my seat and I almost always end up with the window seat (lucky me). And I ALWAYS offer it to someone else in my row. If I have to choose, it’s always an aisle seat. But, I will take a middle seat over the window seat any day.

If you’ve read my previous post “If it can’t fit in the duffle, it can’t come!” then you know I ONLY ever travel with a duffle bag or some sort of bag that is considered a carry on. If it can’t fit in the overhead compartment, it’s not coming with me. It doesn’t matter how long or far my trip is, I will make everything fit in the duffle. And, trust me I will have more than enough clothes to last me during my trips. There are a number of reasons I prefer to travel with a duffle, but it’s mainly because the ONE time I did travel with a bag that I decided to throw under the plane my luggage never made it to London! We were literally in London with only the clothes we had on and the few things I had in my bookbag. The most I saw of London was the inside of my hotel room and the airport. Lesson learned, I will ALWAYS travel with a duffle if I can help it.

I am veeeeery scared of heights and occasionally get motion or altitude sickness but I always find myself wanting to try new things even if I am deathly scared of it. (I do chicken out sometimes — okay maybe a lot of times, but it’s the thought that counts right?) So, I’m always trying to cross things off my bucket list even if it scares me, but I will never do rollercoasters.

The most important item for me to have with me when traveling are my headphones! I can not fly without headphones. I use over the ear noise canceling headphones. I don’t even know how I was flying before I got those. I prefer not to hear ANYTHING on the plane. Funny story: on my last flight there was a baby crying the whole flight and I slept right through it. When I woke up, everyone was so mad and looking around. I took off my headphones and this baby was literally SCREAMING his little lungs out. People were literally cursing and telling the mom to put the baby down (poor baby and poor mom.) Finally the mom let the baby out of the seat (after about 2 hours on the flight) and THE WHOLE PLANE started clapping. *Shout out to my headphones because I didn’t even hear the baby crying the whole time* — My second most important item is my neck pillow, probably the reason why I own at least three because I buy a new one every time I forget my old one.

Next year I hope to cross a few big places off my list. This year, I took quite a few small trips but next year I definitely plan to take fewer bigger trips. I can’t wait to take you guys on year two of this journey with me.

Feel free to share your fun travel facts with me in the comments! Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram I am hosting my very first giveaway to celebrate!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Theknowledgeableother