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In what has develop into a practice, I’m sharing my year-end overview (per week late albeit). For a decade Alyssa and I’ve sat down on the finish of a yr to recap the highs and lows.
As a apply, it provides me a ton of gratitude. It’s straightforward to neglect about the entire good issues that occur in a given yr.
We’ve got a deal with the dangerous, however there’s nearly at all times extra good than dangerous.
I additionally like to learn different folks’s year-end critiques. When you have a yr overview to share I’d like to learn it within the feedback!
So, with out additional ado. Right here’s my 2023 Yr in Assessment.
Issues That Went Effectively in 2023
Visiting Japan
Japan sat on the prime of our bucket listing for years. This yr we lastly pulled the set off. TBH, the value of the aircraft tickets stung a bit. Let’s simply say it got here right down to touring to Japan or constructing a brand new deck on the again of our home (and the again of our home continues to be deckless).
I’m not mad although. We made recollections. We camped subsequent to Mount Fuji. We sang karaoke in Tokyo. We tried meals we’d by no means had earlier than and met some fantastic folks.
Additionally, we camped in a 16ft RV for 2 weeks with our two younger children and lived to inform the story (Survivor has nothing on us).
So sure, touring to Japan was a win (the video above is one in every of a number of from our journey).
Our Acquisition of RV Inspiration
We had no concept what we have been in for after we purchased our first web site final December. All we knew was that we would have liked to start out recouping our money circulation after promoting all our companies.
Because it seems, shopping for a enterprise is way simpler than beginning one. (Extreme understatement.)
Regardless of not engaged on the enterprise for a number of months at a time whereas touring, we grew income by 65% this yr and could have the enterprise paid off in Q1 or Q2 of subsequent yr. So that’s cool.
All credit score goes to Alyssa and our staff of superior writers and editors. This can proceed to be Alyssa’s focus in 2023 as she’s liked engaged on it and studying methods to make it thrive.
Perhaps we are going to purchase one other enterprise or two in 2024…
You possibly can learn a few of our enterprise updates beneath:
Roadtripping throughout UK
This summer time we took my mother and father to Wales and England. Earlier than this journey they’d by no means actually left the US. We booked an RV for them and spent an unimaginable two weeks road-tripping across the UK countryside.
One spotlight from the journey was visiting the city of Wrexham in Wales. I’m a giant Welcome to Wrexham fan and attending to see the Racecourse and purchase a jersey was superior. It was a visit I’ll at all times cherish. (We ate SO a lot pub meals!).
Signed up for Boundless Life Program (3 months of “world education” in Portugal)
This fall we spent 3 months in Portugal enrolled in a program referred to as Boundless Life. This can be a startup firm targeted on creating world education alternatives for households. They supply a Montessori-style college, coworking area, and lodging in a handful of cities around the globe.
We signed up as an experiment. We’ve at all times liked the thought of spending an prolonged interval in Europe. Nevertheless, with children, it provides a contact of logistics. With Boundless, we felt that it might be a extra sustainable solution to journey. The youngsters might make pals in a faculty setting and we’d have a while to work ourselves. Plus, we’d be in a brand new place to discover for 3 months.
Total, it was a constructive expertise. I really feel I might write an enormous quantity in regards to the highs and lows of our expertise with Boundless. On the finish of the day, the youngsters thrived and we met a whole lot of superb individuals who I imagine we’ll have a continued relationship with. It’s one thing we’d attempt once more sooner or later if our visa restrictions/journey plans permit us.
Plus, I acquired to check out browsing for the primary time and found a brand new sport (Padel!) that I liked.
What Didn’t Go Effectively in 2023
Youtube
This yr we launched greater than 50 YouTube movies from our RV journeys around the globe (New Zealand, Japan, UK). It was by no means supposed to be a enterprise or a solution to make some huge cash, however we’d hoped to see extra curiosity than we did.
As we sat right down to mirror on the yr, each Alyssa and I noticed that YouTube wasn’t a match for us transferring ahead. (One thing we really realized in August, however we had commitments and a set runway to dedicate a full yr to Youtube.)
Whereas it was due partially to not getting a whole lot of traction in viewership, we additionally simply didn’t love the act of filming our travels. Hauling digicam gear together with hauling two children simply added a bunch of stress to our travels. The concept of with the ability to discover new locations with out filming sounded good to us. (Can’t emphasize sufficient that the digicam gear weighed greater than carrying one in every of our youngsters. And Eli is HUGE.)
We dedicated to a yr of creating movies and I’m proud that we accomplished that purpose. On the finish of the day, we nonetheless had fairly a couple of folks tune in to our movies (for those who have been one in every of them, thanks!). Plus, we have now some superb household journey movies I’ll at all times cherish.
However for now, the brand new recollections will go into my iPhone folder and never be uploaded to Youtube :).
Lack of Motion on Our Weblog (aka this web site)
We printed a handful of latest articles on HeathandAlyssa.com, however total we didn’t do a lot with our web site. It’s not like issues went poorly with this web site, however I don’t like having issues simply be stagnant. Movement is nice.
One drawback we’ve had with Heath and Alyssa is struggling to determine the course of what we would like this web site to be about. For a very long time, it mirrored our journeys in enterprise, life, and journey.
That is high-quality, however our lives have taken some twists and turns. Because it seems, it’s onerous to maintain up with a private weblog while you don’t know what you might be doing together with your life.
At some point we’re documenting a campground construct. The following we’re touring with children. Subsequent, we’re shopping for a weblog on renovating RVs.
These pivots could make it onerous to remain constant on a weblog matter.
So, transferring ahead, we’ve determined to dedicate HeathandAlyssa.com to only ONE of the MANY pursuits we have now.
Trying forward, HeathandAlyssa.com might be a useful resource for folks planning RV journeys around the globe.
We’ll be publishing extra articles like:
Of all of the matters we’ve lined, we really feel like serving to folks make recollections by means of highway journeys is one thing we received’t tire of. Plus, we’ve realized by means of RV Inspiration the ability of specializing in a single matter.
When you’ve loved articles like these or wish to journey to a number of the locations we write about, we’d like to have you ever stick round.
When you’re extra concerned about our private journey, we’ll nonetheless be sending these forms of updates to our e mail listing (simply not publishing them on this web site).
Trying Forward to 2024
We’re nonetheless determining what we would like our 2024 to seem like, however we do have some plans trying ahead. Listed here are a couple of private and enterprise goals that we have now.
Proceed touring as a household.
This summer time we’re planning one other journey to Europe. Just a few months in the past I used to be having breakfast with some pals once they casually talked about that they had further tickets to see Taylor Swift in Vienna.
With out hesitation, I provided to purchase them (with out speaking to Alyssa). As a giant Swiftie, Alyssa was bummed she didn’t get to go see her within the US. Once I advised her I discovered us 4 tickets to Vienna, she was ecstatic.
Once I advised my pal I’d purchase the tickets he requested, “Are you planning to be in Austria subsequent summer time?”
“I’m now,” I replied.
We’ve 100% gone to nations for much less of a cause than to see Taylor Swift.
All this to say, we invited a few our closest pals and are going to make a giant journey out of it. Earlier than and after we haven’t booked something however are tentatively contemplating UK in the summertime and Spain within the fall.
Ellie and Eli nonetheless aren’t school-age but, so whereas we have now a window to be extra cell we’re going to soak it up.
I’m using the Tuscany Path (once more)
In 2022 I rode a motorbike throughout Italy with a gaggle of pals. I liked it. It not solely was a bodily problem, however an unimaginable solution to discover rural Tuscany. I biked by means of fortress cities (even one evening slept in fortress ruins), ate one of the best meals of my life, and met some unimaginable folks.
We biked over 300 miles and likewise the equal in elevation achieve of Mount Everest. Final time we did it in 6 days and with a help van and my purpose this yr is to do it unsupported and in 4 days (70 miles per day). PS When you really feel like becoming a member of me, there are nonetheless a couple of spots left however they’re nearly full!
Under is a video our pals Kara & Nate did from our time on the path.
Writing my first (actual) e book.
On my to-do listing yearly since I can bear in mind is to write down a e book.
One idea that I’ve thought probably the most about for years has been the thought of runway (particularly, emotional runway). I’ve even given a few talks on runway at startup occasions. Folks appear to latch on to the thought.
When you’ve ever listened to the RVE podcast or learn different articles on this web site, you’ve most likely heard me discuss this idea.
The concept of an emotional runway is one thing that helped a ton whereas constructing Campground Reserving. I hit burnout onerous and wished to give up a bunch of instances. Determining keep within the recreation lengthy sufficient and benefit from the course of by extending my runway was enormous in finally seeing an acquisition by means of.
I’m early within the writing course of however my purpose is to publish a e book this fall (saying this out loud for accountability). I hope to assist different people who find themselves working to deal with huge initiatives or startups themselves.
Your 2024 Objectives & Initiatives
When you made it this far within the publish, I’d love to listen to what you may have within the works for this yr. What are you most enthusiastic about? What are you constructing or engaged on? The place are you touring? Can’t wait to listen to from you.