Connect with FacebookSigning Off...Saying Goodbye to the Official TravBuddy Blog
After approximately two years, I am signing off with my final post on the official TravBuddy blog as it comes to a bittersweet end today.
As many of you know, I have been actively involved in the TravBuddy community since 2007 and I’ve met Eric and David on multiple occasions at meet-ups and small get-togethers. I’ve made some incredible connections and friends through the site and traveled with TravBuddies on four different continents. From small, casual lunches to the mega NYE meet-up in Amsterdam with over 70 TravBuddies from nearly 20 different countries, it’s safe to say TravBuddy has been an important part of my life.
When I started writing for TravBuddy in an official capacity, it was to help spotlight what a great community we have. From sharing meet-up news and highlighting blogs and members, to sharing travel news of importance, I am honored to have been able to become even more involved in such a great site and community.
Just to give you an idea of some of my own experiences on TravBuddy, here are a couple interesting anecdotes --
-- While not a dating site, I am aware of at least five couples who met and married on TravBuddy. And, I am thrilled that two of those couples are about to welcome future TravBuddies into the world!
-- I’ve traveled to over 10 countries with TravBuddies, attended over 50 meet-ups and met well over 200 members.
-- I’ve spent three of the last four New Year’s Eves with TravBuddies in different parts of the world and 2012/2013 will make number four.
-- Several TravBuddies have traveled all the way to Taiwan just to visit me.
-- I am one of the few TravBuddies who has the honor to say I’ve not only met both Eric and David, but also their talented and wonderful Mom Portia.
I want to personally thank all those who wrote, emailed, and messaged me that they were sorry to see the blog go and so supportive of both James and I. I know I speak for James when I say we have both enjoyed writing for TravBuddy and are sorry to see this door close today.
Today is bittersweet for me in that they say one door closes and another always opens. I received the news that the blog was to end the day before I was to do my first public speaking gig in Belize at the country’s first tourism summit. I left for the summit in relatively down spirits and that night I was approached about writing a large portion of Destination Belize, Belize’s official visitor guide magazine for 2013 – an annual publication that is placed in hotel rooms and tourist spots around the country. I start on that immediately so I will be quite busy during the next few weeks as I work to get everything done before it goes to print.
I also have some other new and fun travel writing projects that will keep me busy, but I will obviously still miss writing for TravBuddy. I’ve had some people ask where I will be after this and, apart from reaching me on TravBuddy itself, you can always track me down on Facebook at my own professional blog pages, No Checked Bags and Our Tasty Travels.
While this is goodbye, I hope it is just goodbye for now and that one day the official blog will make an appearance again. In the meantime, I will see you on TravBuddy and hopefully at a meet-up somewhere in the world.
