I think we can safely say, without a doubt in our minds, that 2018 has been our most incredible year yet!
Looking back, I am astounded by how much we have done and what we have achieved.
Ever since we started travelling back in 2016, we seem to have now come so far in the lives we lead and I can honestly now say that we have designed a lifestyle that suits us perfectly.
We get to spend our time travelling the world and are no longer limited by having to work in any one location.
In 2017 we officially became digital nomads and much of 2018 has been spent testing this new lifestyle and seeing where we could take it.
But before we talk about that, here’s a quick overview of all the incredible destinations we have visited this year ...
OK, in order of where we’ve been:
As well as this, Cazzy also spent an entire month in California in the USA!
We also lived in England and Ireland for about 3 months, as we worked fanatically to grow the blog as much as possible!
Oh and for another reason as well ...
OK, this one has nothing to do with travel, but it simply has to top the list!
Back in March, my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Skyler.
And I’m so happy that Cazzy is a part of her life as well after my sister decided to make her godmother.
Back in June, I decided to walk the Camino, which is an 800km long pilgrimage route in the north of Spain.
It was a wonderful experience and one that I would highly recommend everyone to do!
It took just over 30 days it offered me the chance to meet so many wonderful people from all over the world.
You can read more about my experience here.
This one is for Cazzy, but I know she had a great experience living in California for a month and helping to raise awareness for the Democratic party in their important midterm elections.
In fact, she did so well that, not only did her candidate win and overthrow those nasty Republicans for the first time in years, but she’s been invited back to campaign in 2020.
I’ve always wanted to ski, and so we made the decision to learn whilst we were living in Austria for a month around my birthday in February.
We ended up getting incredibly lucky as the region experienced the most snowfall they’ve had in 11 years!
So, not only did it mean we got to live amidst snowy Alpine mountains for a month, but the skiing was perfect!
By renting and driving our own tuk tuk for a month, it offered us the chance to explore the whole of Sri Lanka, by ourselves.
It was certainly my favourite country of 2018 and I loved the novelty and freedom of owning our own tuk tuk (her name is Abigail by the way).
As one of the new 7 wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal is surely on everyone’s travel bucket list.
Well, we finally got to tick it off earlier in November, and it did not disappoint!
We booked ourselves into a hotel just a km or so away that offered views of the Taj Mahal from the rooftop infinity pool.
So after living like backpackers for 2 months, it was nice to experience a bit of style and comfort!
Croatia was a massive surprise for both of us, as we truly didn't realise just how much we would love the country.
We managed to book a stupidly cheap apartment with a balcony overlooking the crystal blue Adriatic Sea.
It was the perfect location to get tonnes of work done, take long walks along the harbour and binge watch Lost.
If you plan on visiting in 2019, which I highly recommend, then you can read our posts on the best things to do in Split, Dubrovnik and Croatia.
Sometime in the next few years, Cazzy and I want to hike to Everest Base Camp.
So though we haven't yet achieved this dream, it was still very nice to get to travel Nepal for a month and witness the astounding beauty of the Himalayas.
Rather unfortunately, it was cloudy almost every single day we were there.
But on the flight home from Kathmandu to England, we flew directly above them and got to experience them from above.
Looking back, I still can't believe I did this, but what a thrill it was!
Jumping from the 22 metre high Stari Most bridge was the scariest, yet most thrilling thing I have done all year!
We launched Dream Big, Travel Far back in 2016 and for 2 years we have worked so hard to regularly post about our travel experiences and to help encourage others to do the same.
Well, it looks like all of our hard work is really paying off as the blog grew massively this last 12 months.
In fact, it has grown so much in the last 2 months alone that we have really been taken by surprise.
In January, we were getting about 2,000 people on the site; but in the last 3 months that number has reached around 25,000 a month!
That’s a growth rate of more than 1100%!
And what’s great is that number is still climbing and we hope to continue this success all throughout 2019.
Though these are my 10 favourite moments from the year, they really don't do justice to just how much we have been able to see and do this year.
We have written extensively about many of the places we have visited (especially Sri Lanka), and we will be publishing much more in the coming months.
So stay tuned to the blog and keep up to date with our travels and adventures.
And to tease you a little for what’s yet to come, here’s what we plan to get up to in 2019 ….
If you thought we’ve done a lot in 2018, then just you wait for 2019!
We have got big travel plans and intend to see even more of the world than what we have in 2018.
Here are some of the travel plans we are either considering or have already booked in …
We have a few more plans in the works, but nothing definite.
Which is actually what I love most of all about our lives at the moment!
We have worked incredibly hard in the last 18 months to build up a lifestyle that allows us to live, work and travel simultaneously.
Which means that, if we suddenly decide to spend an extra month in Bali or to head off around Canada for a month or two, then we can.
And as always, we will be sharing our tales here on the blog; so be sure to stay tuned and to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest (which I promise to actually start working on!)
That’s enough about us, what do you have in store for 2019?
I would love to hear what your plans are and to help inspire us with any of your highlights from 2018.
And if we can help you at all with your plans then let me know below or drop us an email through our contact page.
Other than that, all that’s left is for Cazzy and I to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
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