2014 Feet on Foreign Lands – the year in review
It’s that time of the year when all the ‘best of’ lists are compiled. The top 10 movies of 2014… The best books released in the past year… And I’ve been quite shocked to discover that most of 2014’s highlights in the literary and cinematic sense have completely passed me by.
And a big part of the reason?
…is this blog.
My New Year’s resolution for 2014 was to write 100,000 words. I’ve written a lot of words in various formats for most of my adult life…but at the end of 2013, for a number of reasons, I was feeling like my writing muscles had become flabby and underused. So my New Year’s resolution was an attempt to kickstart a bit of writing activity.
In the following months, I created Feet on Foreign Lands, initially as a vehicle to fulfill my resolution. Little did I know then how this website would take on a life of its own and become so much more than a vehicle for some regular writing.
This year has been a blast. I’ve learned so much about blogging and social media (although I still have a LOT to learn), and I love what I’m doing here. I’ve discovered a lot of other fabulous blogs and bloggers, which has been great.
So, given I missed most of the other ‘Top 10s’ of 2014 because I was too busy blogging, I present:
Fairlie’s Top 10 posts of 2014
- My post about The Expression Fashion Gala was one of the most viewed of 2014. Which is a little bit ironic, given I’m more of a travel blogger than a fashion one. But it was a great event which encourages young people to take initiative and create their own futures in the fashion industry, so I was happy to give it a bit of well-deserved publicity.
- Oh, everyone has an awkward day spa story, don’t they? Don’t they…? What? Is it just me? Whatever. I do seem to have more than my share. But I’m happy to let others in on my discomfort.
- New York, New York! It’s hard to narrow down our favourite moments there…but this post presents our 10 Most Memorable New York Experiences.
- Did you get a selfie stick for Christmas? This post advises on 5 Travel Selfies You Should Never Share.
- Scents can be so evocative. This post explored the role of the sense of smell is remembering past events. Nothing is More Memorable than a Smell.
- Looking for somewhere to eat out in Palm Cove, Far North Queensland? There’s no shortage of great restaurants and eateries there, including one beach shack where bare feet are totally acceptable.
- Are you a Harry Potter fan? Then you can’t miss this post about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, Orlando.
- Want to know how we roll as a travelling family? These are the 10 Guiding Principles for Family Travel. Think of it as the Fairlie Travelling Manifesto.
- Is a Wedding Worth The Cost? I looked at how much travel could be bought for the cost of the average wedding in 2014.
- We eat and drink copious amounts while travelling and return home several kilograms lighter… Find out our secret in this post which a a guide to How to Turn Travel into the Ultimate Stairmaster Workout.
Social media highlights
But let’s not stop at blog posts…the fun is never ending. I took a look at some of the social media statistics for the past quarter to find out what people have been enjoying on my various channels. (I didn’t realise that was as far back as I could easily go for most social media, or I would have done it each quarter. Writing that down on my to-do list for 2015…)
So, for the Sept-Dec 2014 quarter:
- On Facebook: This post had the highest reach. That blue is mesmerizing. Go check it out!
- On Instagram: This photo was the most liked. I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s delicious.
- On Twitter: This tweet had the most clicks. Everyone likes a bit of insight into the seat-reclining wars.
- On Google+: This post was the most viewed. Who doesn’t love a bit of a train dance-party?
While you’re checking out each of these highlights, like or follow my feeds and you won’t miss a single moment of the fun in 2015.
Thank you for being a part of my amazing year. I hope that you’ll be back here in the new year to check out all the new tales I’ll have to tell. (If you’d like a hint about what some of them may be about, follow my Instagram or Facebook feeds over the next couple of weeks…)
And I take this opportunity to wish you all the best for the year ahead. May it be filled with many memorable moments.
What were your 2014 highlights?
