My blogging journey completes 1 year

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber.

These words ring so true in my ears today as I reminisce about my blogging journey till date. It is a matter of great pride to me that I have completed one full year of this wonderful journey and I am still unaware of my final destination. Though the ride has been full of mixed elements yet I will not trade this experience for anything else in this world.

When I had started this blog, I had just started writing with an intent to have my own creative space to write of interesting things and not just my boring office emails. But this blog has grown so much more than that (100 posts, 1000+ followers, 1400 comments, etc) and I have discovered an alternate world that has helped me –

1. Discover a completely new set off blogging friends (I have met so many like-minded fellow travelers here) and have 1000+ people who read what I write.
2. Read and follow other amazing travel bloggers (reading these blogs has helped me discover so many better ways of visiting a place). I have also discovered some awesome travel bloggers and unusual travel places in India through these blogs.
3. Better planned trips with guidance / shared experiences of other travel bloggers.
4. Improve my writing and photography skills (I put in a lot of effort to at least come close to the posts and photos of some of the fabulous travel bloggers). And this is an ongoing effort that I am happy to practice.
5. Be constantly motivated and make efforts to plan and visit new places (as I have to blog about it and share stories with my new friends).
6. Overcome my fear of technology / IT and social media (though I am still learning newer aspects with each day). I otherwise call myself “technology bone” deficient.
7. Constantly visit new places. Whenever I visit the blogs of other travelers, it’s like visiting a new place through their cameras and pens. I also love reading what’s written about the same places that I have been to and comparing notes to understand other viewpoints and to see if I have missed anything interesting.

I can now safely call myself a “blog” and “twitter” addict. 🙂

Though this journey has not been easy (writing and maintaining a blog is a difficult and time-consuming business) but it has been fun and extremely educational. Also, for the first time in my life, I have made my travel resolutions for 2013 and am working very hard on achieving each of them. Travel Resolutions for 2013

To end this part, I would just like to sum up my views on travel with these beautiful words –

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” – Freya Stark

In this post I would also like to thank my fellow bloggers who have been kind enough to read my posts and nominate me for various blog awards. These awards are an honor and it feels great to be recognized 🙂

Blog of the Year 2012 Award – I would like to thank Fae’s Twist and Tango for nominating me for this award. Follow this beautiful storyteller at http://faestwistandtango.wordpress.com as she shares amazing stories about travel, food and recipes, with a twist and tango!

The rules for Blog of the Year 2012 Award are:

1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ award, a link to their blogs in your post, and notify them on their blogs. – My nominations for this award are as follows –

• Pommepal
• Double May Travel and Photography
• The Sophomore Slump
•  Anil Cm 
•  The Shooting Star 
• Travel on my mind

2. Write a blog post and tell nominate blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award – Done

3. Please include a link back to this page ’Blog of the Year 2012 Award’ **-– http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ – and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!) – Done

4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them. – Will do

5. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars… – Done above

Lifetime’s Exploration Award – I would like to thank Sarah Ryan for awarding me with the ‘lifetime’s exploration’ badge. It is an added honor as she has created this badge and only awards it when she is truly inspired by a beautiful photograph, exciting posts and inspirational travel stories. You can read more about this travel addict and her inspiring travel stories at http://sarahryan85.wordpress.com/

Now the rules for this awards are –

1. Firstly paste the badge onto your blog – Done

2. Nominate 5 other travel bloggers to receive the award – My nominations for this inspirational travel award are as follows –

• In Search of Perfect 
•  Notes from Bolivia and Beyond 
•  Anuradha Goyal Travels 
• Shadows Galore 
•   Nisha Jha

To know more about this blog nomination you can also visit here.

The Very Inspiring blogger award – I would like to thank Sumithra for nominating me for this award. For Sumithra, daughter of a wildlife photographer, the 3 pillars of life are – Books, Music and Travel. You can follow her blog at http://hearingwiththeeye.wordpress.com/ as she writes more on her journeys through life and travels.

I have already written my blog post for this award and you can read it at The Very Inspiring Blog Award.

A Blog on Fire Award – I would like to thank Sarah for nominating me for this award. Sarah is an early childhood teacher and writer from Wellington, New Zealand. She has visited over 33 countries and has just returned from volunteering in Kenya. Follow her stories and writings at http://saresknipping.wordpress.com/

Now the Rules for the Winners are –

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog – Done above

2. Choose five blogs to nominate and let them know by leaving a comment – the 5 blogs that I would like to nominate are –

• Schoonhead
• Aqua Viate
• Clement Allen Photography 
•  Teju 
•  Deejtraveller

3. Request that the chosen blogs pass the Award on to their favorite five – Will do

4. Copy and paste the award on your blog post – Done

5. List five things about yourself – 5 things about myself are as follows –

• I am a severe coffee addict and can have coffee at any time of the day and at times even as a complete meal.
• I am constantly planning to travel to a new place. In fact I am always ready to go anywhere.
• I love meeting new people and making loads of new friends.
• I really want to win at least one travel contest and visit a place freeof any cost.
• I also want to get one of my travel articles published in some magazine / newspaper someday.

The “Illuminating Blogger Award” – I would like to thank Anil Cm for nominating me for this blog award. Anil started his blog at the Delhi Airport, on a trip to Miami, Florida, USA with an aim to document and share about his trip but he ended up writing about other places that he has visited. You can read of his stories on travel and photography at http://exxtracts.wordpress.com.

I have already written my blog post for this award and you can read it at The Illuminating Blogger Award.