We’ve been “Discovered!” by WordPress
Near our home in Porto de Mos, Lagos, Portugal May, 2016
In hindsight, we should have started writing our blog in 2011. Back when the “great epiphany” hit us that we wanted to trade in our current lives, wipe the slate clean so-to-speak and walk down a totally different road. But of course then we were much too busy! And so it wasn’t until 2013, during a housesit in Antigua, Guatemala, where we were graced with some reliable Wi-Fi that we got serious and started to research how to even start a blog; the nuts and bolts of putting it together and what we wanted it to look like. And that didn’t even count what bloggers call “content” – our words, our pictures, our ideas … We checked out a couple of blogging websites and selected WordPress because it was simple. Easy for non-experienced and new bloggers like us who had no idea what we were doing. With some gentle hints and guiding us in the right direction we put the bones together. We started out slowly, with no real goals and like our travels, no idea what direction we wanted to go or even an idea of where we wanted to end up…
A couple of weeks ago we were contacted by Cheri Lucas Rowlands, an editor at WordPress who asked us if we’d be interested in being featured in a post she was putting together about “nomadic and free-spirited lifestyles.” Of course, we jumped at the chance, not only because WordPress has thousands of bloggers and being invited to do this was a big deal, but we really liked being called “free spirits” at our age! 🙂 As if that weren’t enough, we’re in the amazing company of two other terrific blogging duos who write at Adventures in Wonderland and Paint your Landscape. Go ahead, you know you want to check them out!
Here’s Cheri’s post with the link:
Three retired couples blog about their shared journeys and the joy of travel and self-discovery.
via Blogging Nomads: On Wanderlust and Shared Journeys — Discover
We hope you enjoy Cheri’s post and want to tell you how much we appreciate you all for stopping by our blog. It’s so awesome to think of all the people we meet online, comments exchanged and virtual friends we’ve made. Our world has grown much richer through our travels but also richer with the friends we’ve met, both online and face-to-face through fortuitous meetings. Our sincere thanks,
Anita Oliver and Richard Nash
Big Congrats Anita and Richard for the Discover feature! It’s very well deserved. In this workaday world it easy to talk and dream about the big adventure, but hearing about it from talented folks who are walking the walk is altogether different. I’m sure your blog will be even more of an inspiration for armchair lifechangers and probably a major motivation to get on with it. ~James
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Thanks James (and we’ll include Terri too 🙂 ) for your kind words. We kind of blush to think of ourselves as inspirations but it’s not too hard to write with enthusiasm about a subject we’re passionate about and share our experiences with other interested people who are traveling or thinking about taking the big leap and seeing some of the world. Your comments are always much appreciated as we remain long-time and big fans of your blog! Anita
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Congratulations 😊
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Thank you. We’re very happy to be included in a group of bloggers who write and describe some amazing places throughout the world!
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Thats amazing:) keep up the good work..:) can’t wait for more beautiful articles …
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Thanks – It’s great to know that others enjoy what we write!
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You are living my dream! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Sending positive energy your way!
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It’s a great dream to live Debi, and what’s really amazing is that it’s a life that changes as we change and is full of adventures and discoveries, both small and great. There are all sorts of paths to living your dream and, from reading your terrific blog, it looks like you’re on your way with “Plan B!” Thanks for the positive vibes! Anita
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Congratulations! I love reading about how other blogs started, and seeing where they’re at today. I just started my blog yesterday, and I can’t wait to see it evolve. Congrats again on this milestone!
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And congratulations to you too for starting down the path of blogging! It’s fun for us to look at old posts and remember journeys to fascinating areas but its also very interesting to see how our writing has changed, grown more assured and hopefully, better over the years. No doubt, we’ll look back again in a couple of years at this post and say, “Wow, we’ve changed!” but blogging, like travel is all about the journey. Have fun!
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Nice post, I like to hear about how other bloggers start out with an idea and how it evolves. We started our blog as regular travellers taking 2-3 week vacations. Then 2 years ago we started travelling full-time. Our lifestyle will most likely evolve to having a base overseas, mostly likely Europe. But with every change our lifestyles, outlook, and our writing changes. Life is about constant evolution and keeping a blog is, for us, as much for ourselves as for readers. One day, in 30 years (we hope) we’ll be able to look at the blog and our memories and relive many of the great experiences we’ve had travelling.
Frank (bbqboy)
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You’re right Frank, it’s all about change! And it’s been fun to go back and read past posts about our impressions of new cultures and countries and see how we’ve changed, our travel lifestyle has evolved and our writing (hopefully) has found its own voice. It sounds like we have a great deal in common, a passion for travel and new places as well as a love for planning and anticipating the next journey. Hope to meet up with you and Lissette when you’re in Lisbon. And, BTW, love your blog and writing style! 🙂
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Congratulations!Lots of love, Nancy and Dick
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Thanks for the encouragement, guys. We’re looking forward to seeing you both in a few weeks and exploring more of the US and new places, especially New Orleans. Here’s to travel, new sights and fine companions!
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Congratulations! Your beginning as a blogger sounds much like mine, and WordPress was a good place to start (and stay).
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Thanks Rachel! There’s a big difference between reading good blogs that just seem to flow (like yours 🙂 )and undertaking the task for oneself. However, it’s been fun to go back and re-read some of our earlier posts, take a trip down memory lane and see where we and our blog have come from. Next is finding out where we and it are going!
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Congratulations. I love following your journey.
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And, like any (sometimes boring) traveler, we love sharing the journey, Donna. I remember the (hopefully,stifled) groans we used to make when my grandparents would set up the slide projector after dinner and start showing their photos of various trips (maybe the travel gene skipped a generation!) and how we’d feign interest at their descriptions. Now we know the true joy of telling the story but it’s much more fun when people are enthusiastic about travel!
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Congratulations! Well deserved in my opinion. I for one l’m glad l discovered your blog. One of my favorites, honest, refreshing, informative and plenty of heart. Love it! 🙂
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Aw KemKem, you’ll make us blush … but do continue! 😀 It’s been a pleasure to read your blog as well and we’re looking forward to meeting you in person, now that we know we’re practically neighbors, share the same professions and have the same addiction to travel (and good food!) Enjoy your current travels and we’ll be looking forward to following along!
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Congratulations to you both, well deserved recognition. I enjoy reading your content, it is honest, interesting, informative and a lot of fun. Keep up with the good work. I also love adventures in wonderland and Alison’ s photography is amazing. I had not come across LuAnn’s blog, so will check it out😄
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Thanks Gilda, for your very kind words and the little push to keep writing! You’ll know, as a fellow blogger yourself, how much time and effort is involved and, for us, interacting with “our readers” is a huge incentive to continue. Plus, I love the back and forths and exchange of information. I know you follow Alison’s blog but I think you’ll enjoy LuAnn’s blog (new to me too but now I’m a newly loyal follower) which is terrific as is her photography. Here’s to continued adventures and sharing them!
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Congratulations! It’s an honor you well-deserve. Susan
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Thanks Susan. There are hundreds of deserving bloggers on WordPress and other blogging platforms with writing skills that far exceed our own, sharing poignant moments, side-splitting anecdotes and thoughtful moments that we’re quite humbled! But humbleness aside, we’re still grinning, ear to ear!
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Congratulations! You are living your (well-deserved) dream!
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“Living the dream” about sums it up and our nomadic life (now turned to nomads with a base) has far exceeded our wildest expectations. There are many days, so perfectly enjoyable and in-the-moment that we just have to exclaim, “Wow!” Of course, there are also the less-than-perfect days that can be frustrating but the wonderful days far outweigh the hum-drum or hair-pulling days – life really is great when you can make your own boundaries!
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You are an inspiration! I can’t wait until my husband and I are free to “live the dream” also. Thanks!
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Thank you! It’s easy to write enthusiastically about a lifestyle we love and we “kick” ourselves occasionally for not realizing much earlier that what we were chasing, the “American Dream,” was not what we really wanted. We found a lot of writing that inspired us at the beginning of trying to make our dream a reality and you might just be surprised to find a solution that makes your dream come to pass sooner than you ever thought!
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So glad to have found your blog. Looking forward to following your adventures.
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Likewise, LuAnn! I loved following along on your journey through Glacier National Park and we’re really looking forward to seeing more of your lovely photography. Finding new and great blogs to follow that let us virtually travel to so many places as well as giving us inspiration for our own travels is amazing as well as fun! And look at all the people we meet!
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I wholeheartedly agree Anita. I just had a first-time meeting with a blogger friend from Calgary yesterday. 😊
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Very happy for you. Big congratulations!
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Thanks so much! It’s a pleasure to write and share our stories with readers who love travel as much as we do. 🙂
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Fantastic – really pleased for you. It must be nice to know that people are paying attention to the great content that you’re producing and are genuinely interested in your adventures.
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Like all over-enthusiastic vacationers with stories and pictures galore, we’ve always loved sharing our travel stories. But you’re right, Daniel, it’s awesome to know that people like reading them. As travelers, we love reading lots of blogs for inspiration and ideas and it’s great to know that what we write is helpful and enjoyed by others. That, along with reliving the adventure, makes the writing much more fun!
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PS That is a great opening photo!
A.
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One of my new favorites! We have a great path nearby that follows the cliffs along the Atlantic for miles and each time walk it I find something new to take a picture of. So glad you like it! We have an upcoming trip back to the US planned and one of the things on our list is new, and much better cameras. Photography, like travel, is also becoming a passion! A
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Isn’t it fun! I could hardly believe it when Cheri contacted me. I’m glad to be in the same company as you two and LuAnn and Terry. There’s nothing quite like being Discovered!
Alison
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And right back at you, Alison. We’re (okay, me, because Richard is much more low-key) still doing the happy dance! I can only guess at the hours you put into writing your beautiful, sometimes achingly honest posts, and really am thrilled to be included in this feature with you. Here’s to finding new roads to travel and explore and, hopefully, a meetup sometime in 2017! Anita
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Congratulations! Well deserved recognition for the great blog and all of the work you’ve put into the posts. Tim & Anne
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Thanks so much Tim and Anne for your encouraging words. There are so many amazing (and much more accomplished bloggers) out there that it’s a huge honor to be part of a feature with our online friends Alison and Don and a new friend, LuAnn. And, as you well know, some people make it look easy but for most of us creating a blog is a tug-of-war between hard work and fun!
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Congratulations! I check Discover almost every day and was excited for you being “Discovered”. LOL! 🙂
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Thanks so much for your enthusiastic comment. Of course, we knew where we were (almost) all the time! One thing that’s been fun since our “discovery” has been the opportunity to interact with new readers as well as the blogging community. And talk about incentive… ! 🙂
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