My Small Milestones During Blog Hiatus

The pandemic hit me real hard and it feels like i lost my momentum. As a travel blogger, my content is merely based on the actual adventures I had. However, when the pandemic started and with all the lockdowns and travel restrictions, I was not able to post anything and completely lost the inspiration to write. Although, i managed to do some small travel from time to time, I just don’t get the right motivation to post them. As a result, my blog went through a long hiatus. Not to mention my sudden change of career that completely change my usual blogging routine and everything.

For someone who has been blogging for more than 15 years, writing has become my passion. While I do not get much revenue from it, there is something therapeutic about blogging that I just can’t let go. Maintaining a blog is not really that easy, you have to pay for the domain, the webhost, and even the image host service providers in monthly and yearly basis. There were times that i was really tempted to stop but whenever I imagine those articles I have written and the memories behind them, I just can’t let go of them easily.

While I still don’t know whether I am completely back into blogging, I’m glad that i was able to post and update my blog more frequently than the recent years. To top it all off, I was really grateful of the small milestones that my blog managed to achieve this past months. These achievements are far beyond my expectations. I am just happy that I am still being recognized as a travel blogger and my site is still doing pretty well in the search engine.

One of the surprising milestone that I was able to achieve is when my photo was chosen to be part of a town’s mural in Laguna. I as contacted by the owner of farm resort, informing me that they will use my image as part of the town’s tourism promotion. I went to Esmeris Farm during the pandemic when the lockdown was temporarily lifted. Although the weather was not really cooperating with us that time, we still managed to take some good shots. The picture they have chosen is me swinging in probably their most famous attractions.

The mural

The original image

The progress.

The owner was kind enough to give me update with the progress  until the mural (showcasing all Liliw’s famous landmarks) was officially launched last April 26. I was not able to visit the town and see the mural personally but I am pretty excited about it. This long mural was a masterpiece of EGS Art Studio which can be found in Barangay Palina along Liliw-Nagcarlan Road.

The interview

Just recently, I was also contacted by a representative from GMA News to feature another content of my blog. Initially, they wan to feature my Malibic-libic Falls blog but I was hesitant to answer them. They have chosen another content though which is the Hidden hotspring in Laguna. We set an online interview where they asked me about my experience during my trip in Laguna. It was a brief interview but I gave them the permission to feature my vlog and they did after a few days. Sadly, the hotspring is no longer hidden and has become a commercial resort.

Also, I am really happy that my blog is still recognized as one of Top 100 Best Philippine Blogs and Websites and Top 60 Best Philippine Travel Blogs by FeedSpot

Lifestyle blog Hello I’m Frecelynne also recognized our site as one of the top Travel blogs in the country.

These small milestones are such blessings and gave me enough motivation to continue. I just concluded my Laguna series last week and I have many other series to follow. These include my recent pilgrimages in Pampanga, Manila, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija. I will also share my recent trip to Marinduque and my upcoming trip to Aparri, Cagayan, and Abra.

Thank you all for the support and hopefully we can travel more this year!