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2022 Wrap Up and 2023 Outlook

Prelude

So 2022 had a lot going on, especially in the second half of the year that took my time away from traveling and this record keeper.  And I preface it with – none of it was bad; quite the contrary.  I do these annual retros and outlooks to simply see where I’ve been and keep myself honest and accountable going forward.

In 2022

Normally, I strive for a trip per month.  Not all are glamorous, and some are much shorter than others (extended weekend).  In 2022, I recorded 5 trips, with three of those being international, and the other two to Washington and the PNW.  No complaints here, but I will build upon this much more in 2023.

In a nutshell, travel took a backseat in 2022 as I got engaged, bought a house and took a job with a new company.  Major heavy hitters!  I could not be happier with how things went in 2022, even despite the hiatus.  But traveling is a core principal and I will be back on the saddle soon enough.

For 2023

For this year, I am going to complete the goal I set in 2022 by taking a trip each month to somewhere new, preferably sovereign countries.  In order to do this, I need to have my trips lined up for each coming quarter ahead of time.  Thus far, Q1/Q2 is the following:

  • Jan – Aruba – solo trip
  • Feb – Grenada – solo trip
  • Mar – Bolivia
  • Apr – Jamaica
  • May – St. Lucia / Grenadines?
  • June – Europe

Seeing how things fell into place, I think 2023 is going to be the year to knock out as many Caribbean islands possible and then continue into South America & Europe where it makes sense.  I am also going to put as much effort as possible to kickstart a Quad Squad trip.  Most of the funding this year will come from 2022 airline credits and exhausting the remainder of my Chase UR points.

New Format

Another change for this year will be the format of the posts.  First and foremost, I had to remind myself I started this site as a personal record keeper for my travels, so I should treat it as such.  Last year I was really enjoying the video edits and I thought it did a much better job at recapping.  There was too much time going into picture, text and overall blog editing which ate up a lot of time unnecessarily.  Therefore, going forward, I’m going to change:

  • The blog style in general. New year, new theme!
  • Adding “as-is” video with minimal editing (less music mixing montage; more raw footage).  Might try some voiceover as well!
  • Removing post metrics / optimizers (ex. SEO, readability, etc)
  • Text reduced to my opinion of the trip overall or a specific story on the trip.  No more long-winded timeline-ish overviews.
  • Discipline with pictures to less than 10 per post.  I should be able to pick the ones that mean the most and invoke a memory.
  • Keep the map and remove the “recap of places” links.
  • Remove read time, most social links and commenting.

And who knows – if I feel like getting super into the writing, I will.  The main point is this should not be a chore for me to do, but rather something I’m looking forward to create and reminisce upon.

Overall, I believe the game plan is looking solid for 2023, especially with COVID-19 restrictions being phased out.  I’ll eb and flow as much as possible, as this year is working out to be the most booked yet!

-ML

Christmas 2022 in the new house!
Picture of Michael Lakus

Michael Lakus

IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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