Me being contemplative on one of my trips to Miami in 2018. I’m hoping to make it back there – and elsewhere! – during 2019.
Happy new year, y’all! And please join me in wishing In Locamotion a very happy birthday! My blog is officially three years old. Oh, how time flies…
Each year I like to sit down around this time and reflect on my past year in travel, my future plans, and also on this blog as a whole. In 2018 I experienced a lot of changes in my life, namely an exciting new job and some very unexpected travel opportunities. This past year has also been invaluable for me in settling into the latest chapter of my life in New York City. It came as a bigger shock to me than anyone to have moved back to New York almost two years ago, and adjusting to NYC life – and fitting in travel, blogging, and everything else – has been a wild ride.
So let’s talk 2018 travel, what’s in store for 2019, and a reflection on three years of blogging.
Looking out over the Mediterranean Sea and Jaffa during my trip to Tel Aviv in 2018
Looking back: A 2018 travel (and life!) recap
2018 was rich with some great trips, though my travels this past year were definitely more subdued compared to previous years. Mostly, that’s been a reflection of my transition back into a stable job after having quit my job to travel almost two years earlier. Starting in the spring of 2018, I went back to full time but temporary work, all the while searching for a job that was going to be the right fit for me. And in the summer of 2018, I found it. I started working for a sustainability non-profit here in New York, and it’s been a great experience so far. I reflected about this transition and about work, productivity, and the need for a shift in how we view the two a few months ago, and everything I wrote then still holds true for me now.
Because my schedule morphed from entirely open at the beginning of 2018 to much more rigid by the middle of the year, my travels inevitably changed. But don’t get me wrong, I had some kick-ass trips this past year. I went to Miami (a city that’s now starting to feel like my home away from home) five times in 2018 – three times in early 2018 and twice in December. I also took a short roadtrip through the northeast of the United States during the summer, visiting Boston, Newport, Providence, and Southampton along the way.
Taking in the views of the Miami Beach’s marina, Biscayne Bay, and the downtown Miami skyline
I reflected last year about how I wanted international travel to fit into my life, knowing that I was basically looking to remain in one place with a stable job. In last year’s reflection, I mentioned that I wanted to travel internationally at least once per year. And lucky for me, I managed an international trip… not just once, but twice!
The first trip was to Quebec City, Canada, where I had the opportunity to attend the Women In Travel Summit. This was a great experience for many reasons. It gave me the excuse to travel to Canada, where I hadn’t been since I was a child. It was also lovely getting to see some of Quebec City – it’s a beautiful and charming city, in spite of it being quite cold in May! And finally – the biggest plus side to the trip, really – going to the Women In Travel Summit was a great opportunity for me as a blogger. It gave me the chance to network with a ton of people in the travel sphere. Most notably, I connected with a lot of fantastic folks who are all doing important work to advance ethical and sustainable travel. Concurrently, I’ve expanded my own writing on many ethical travel issues in the past year (some examples from 2018 include my posts on eco-friendly travel tips, how travelers can combat overtourism, and zero waste packing tips).
View of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec City, Canada during my trip in May of 2018
And finally, towards the end 2018 I went on my second international trip of the year – and this one was a really big deal for me. Because of my job, I had the opportunity to return to one of my favorite parts of the world: the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. The organization that I work for has a really amazing development project in Israel, so I spent about a week in the Negev desert for work. And because I’m an opportunistic traveler, I had to extend my trip a little bit and see more of the region. I went a few days early to relax in Tel Aviv, and I stayed an extra week, the entirety of which I spent in the West Bank of Palestine.
I’ve written a bit about Palestine so far, but I want to explicitly convey how much this trip impacted me. I found travel in Palestine to be equal parts beautiful and challenging; it was not easy to witness the reality of the Israeli occupation and the suffering that it causes, yet in spite of that, I encountered immense generosity, openness, and kindness of spirit within the Palestinian people. I can’t recommend Palestine enough as a travel destination (it’s been my favorite country to visit thus far in the MENA region, and it’s also been one of my favorite destinations overall). Speaking of which, don’t miss my article in Pink Jinn, an amazing blog all about MENA region culture, travel, and politics, where I detail five (of the many!) reasons to visit Palestine.
Me in Ramallah, Palestine on the happiest staircase in the city!
What’s in store for travel in 2019?
Honestly, I have no clue!
Okay, okay, that’s not 100% true. I’ll very likely make it back to Miami, my favorite USian tropical city. After enough trips down there I’m starting to expand my network, find my places, and of course, get into the local dance scene. I really can’t talk up Miami enough.
As for my international trip of the year… I’m really not sure yet what that will look like, but I’m definitely hoping to make it happen. I would love to return to the MENA region – I love traveling in the Arab world, and especially as my Arabic language skills are (slowly) improving, any opportunity that I have to immerse myself in the language is very much appreciated. But in the meantime, I’ll be keeping up with my Arabic studies stateside.
Otherwise, I am a huge fan of travel in Latin America, and I’m still trying to slowly but surely make my way through the entire region. I mean, come on. Amazing food, beautiful landscapes, a rich breadth of cultures, the best music and dancing, Spanish all day every day… Latin America is just great, so I’m also keeping my fingers crossed to make another trip to the region happen at some point soon.
Throwback to my first trip to Latin America, when I spent three weeks backpacking sola in Guatemala
Dream countries for 2019? In no particular order: Lebanon, El Salvador, Peru, Egypt, Mozambique, Slovakia, Thailand.
USA travel goals? Visit one new city or state this year. I’ve got my eyes on Austin, Memphis, Santa Fe… we’ll see if I can make it happen.
I’ll keep you posted. Here’s to some great travel experiences in 2019, for all of us.
And In Locamotion – past, present, and future
I wish I could say that I have some big news to unveil related to this blog… but I don’t. In fact, I think I’ve slowed down a bit with blogging over the past few months, as I’ve gone through some life changes and have settled into a new routine in New York City. Regardless, I’m not going anywhere, and I will continue to catalog my (old and new) adventures here, through vulnerable and intimate travel narratives, scathing essays, fun listicles, and more.
A slice of NYC, seen from above
But as my blogging adventure has gone on, I have come to realize that this work, while valuable and fulfilling, will never be the only work that fulfills me. There are a lot of bloggers who take their sites full time (all the more power to them!), but I’ll never be that blogger who’s posting three times a week and regularly goes viral. (But I am holding out to go viral at least once. One of these days…) I have a lot of plans for In Locamotion, and have a whole slew of ideas for new posts and content. But it will be in alignment with my schedule, my eagerness to write, and my capacity in each moment to maintain this passion project/side hustle/full-time-job-condensed-into-a-hobby. Speaking of which, is there any particular content that you’re hungry for more of? Guides, travel narratives, social justice posts, ethical travel thinkpieces, all of the above!? Any feedback is always appreciated.
On the subject of reflection, I’d like to start a new tradition in these annual updates: my favorite blog post of the past year. I’m proud of every article that I published in 2018, but there is one in particular that really stands out to me: Unwriting Rape Culture From Pop Culture: Conversations In San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. While in the city of San Miguel de Allende, I had a really interesting conversation with a local, which prompted a deep reflection on the power of popular culture and its relationship to marginalized groups – in this particular instance, how pop culture relates to violence against women. This essay was one of the most challenging pieces that I’ve written, requiring very thorough research and a delicacy of expression on a complex subject. I’m immensely proud of this article, and I believe that it is a representation of my values and the changes that I want to see in the world. I definitely recommend that you give it a read, and would love to get your thoughts on it, so don’t be shy!
An overview of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico from my trip in 2016
In 2019, you should expect some more writing on Palestine, as I still have lots to share. Also, I’m hoping to put together another dance travel guide soon – any guesses for where? Otherwise, I’m looking to delve more deeply into ethical travel posts, as well as posts that consider the intersection between social justice and travel. And as always, I’ll be writing travel narratives, and doing my best to transport you, dear readers, to somewhere perhaps around the world, telling rich and honest accounts of people and places that inspire empathy and contemplation.
Thanks for reading!
Seriously, I owe it all to you. Thank you for reading, critiquing, following, liking, sharing, and supporting my work throughout these past three years. It means the world to me. Thank you thank you.
For more of my words, thoughts, and pictures, find me on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’). Otherwise, you’ll find me right here, being wordy as always, but hopefully causing you to both laugh and think.
Sending love and locamotion your way <3
Did you do any traveling in 2018? Any places that you recommend? Do you have any travel plans on your agenda for 2019? What is your favorite region or country to travel in? Let me know in the comments below!
2 comments
Awsome Post !! thanks keep it up.
Glad you liked it, thanks! 🙂