Oh, hi. You may have noticed that it’s been a little quiet around here.
In January my blog had its best, biggest month ever. My page views and engagement surpassed numbers that I had truly only dreamed about. All sorts of exciting opportunities were on the horizon. It seemed like things were going great.
Except that they weren’t.
Maybe it’s the fact that my birthday also falls around the New Year, but I always enjoy taking time to reflect and look back on all I’ve accomplished in the previous 12 months. While I didn’t travel as much in 2018 as I did other years, I still had some memorable adventures.
I spent a week in Las Vegas, explored new corners of Iowa, and took a fantastic road trip around Kansas. Our year also included some less exciting adventures like having home mold remediation done (twice) and living in a hotel for weeks. But those are stories for another time.
In 2018, all of you really enjoyed posts about food (message received), and loved content that came with a dash of the unexpected. As always, I’m so thankful for your choice to support my adventures and the places I visit by continuing to read. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy revisiting Olio in Iowa’s best of 2018.
It’s taken me a few years to realize that I don’t have the best track record when it comes to completing my annual travel bucket list. Inevitably other plans get in the way and I don’t end up making it to the places I set out to visit.
But nevertheless, I love the process of creating travel goals for the new year. It’s exciting to create a list of places to explore in the coming months and (at least this year) a fantastic way to force me to plan out my year a bit earlier.
When it comes to my 2018 travel, I’ve already got quite a few big trips on the calendar. From Iowa adventures to exploring more Midwest, there are lots of new places I’m looking forward to visiting in 2018.Continue Reading…
In 2017, I traveled to more than 15 states, discovered nearly a dozen new world’s largest things, and drove more than 10,000 miles in my little blue Honda Fit.Continue Reading…
It wasn’t until I started looking back on Olio in Iowa’s best of 2017 that I realized how many new places I’d explored in the last year. It’s always interesting to see which posts resonate most with my readers, and this year is no exception.
In 2017, you enjoyed reading about the unexpected places I visited, delicious things I ate, and essentially everything I shared about Kenosha, Wisconsin. As always, it’s interesting to see where the commonalities emerge each year. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy revisiting Olio in Iowa’s best of 2017:Continue Reading…
When I attended my first travel conference—TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange)—last year, I had no idea what to expect. Luckily I had some online friends who showed me the ropes and made me more comfortable in the new setting. Up until that point, my blog had largely been a hobby. But after connecting with dozens of talented professionals, I realized it could be so much more.
Last month I attended the 2017 Women in Travel Summit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was blown away by all of the attendees’ willingness to collaborate and help one another, regardless of their area of expertise.
So in order to help others navigate what can seem like an intimidating experience, I’ve compiled six helpful tips for making the most of your first (or second or third) travel conference.Continue Reading…
I’m not proud of it, but I’ve definitely been known to get “hangry.” If I don’t eat a big enough breakfast or miss a meal while we’re on the road, all of a sudden I’m irrationally cranky. It’s not a pretty picture, especially on long drives.
So when it comes to planning a vacation, there are few things more important than good road trip snacks. Sure, it’s fun to stop along the way and try local restaurants. But on the off chance that I ended up stranded in the middle of nowhere with nary gas station in sight, I prefer to be prepared.Continue Reading…
Before you ever leave the house, creating a road trip playlist is an essential part of your adventure. For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite parts of hitting the road was creating the perfect mix CD. Years later certain songs still bring back memories of specific moments in time or landmarks we passed along the way. There are songs that will forever make me smile when I hear them because of the people I listened to them with over and over again.Continue Reading…
When it comes to planning the perfect road trip, it’s important to remember the essentials. For me, that means queueing up episodes of some of my favorite podcasts.
So when I realized that it had been almost two years since I first shared some of my favorite podcasts for road trips, I knew it was time for an updated list. Continue Reading…
I have a confession: I did a horrible job checking locations and attractions off of my 2016 bucket list. Of all the attractions I hoped to see this year, I only made it to one.
But looking back at all of the places I did travel to in 2016, it’s hard to be too disappointed. So when I sat down to plan out my 2017 travel bucket list, I decided to be slightly more realistic. Not only did that mean seeking out some new places to explore, but it also meant working trips I’m already planning into the mix.
Even though I’ve been to the Field of Dreams twice since moving to Iowa, it looks like I’ll be heading back again in 2017. Organizers at the Field of Dreams movie site announced in October that for the first time tourists will be allowed inside the lower level of the farmhouse in this Iowa classic.Continue Reading…