Happy New Year Reader!
Has the onslaught of sales, products, and end-of-the-year emails slowed yet?? Is it safe in your inbox?? 🫣 As Thanksgiving approaches each year, I start to feel overwhelmed with putting my email newsletter out in the world. Especially anything related to products because it feels… money-grabby. Is that my imposter syndrome speaking? Yes, absolutely. Because, deep down, I know you probably wouldn’t mind hearing from me once a week. But I’m not giving up. I’m back in your inbox today (and hopefully again later this week) with a very happy announcement and partial 2023 re-cap to get 2024 in motion.
Truly, I hope you had a delightful time with family and friends during the holidays/New Year's. I definitely did! Also wanted to wish you a fresh start and plenty of adventures in 2024! It’s not too late to start travel planning, and it’s the perfect time to enjoy winter sports. But more on that later this week.
Happy Travels,
Hanna
🍁Published author alert!! 🍁Yep, that’s right, the press trip to Canada was for Matador Network, and my article about it has been published. It’s called “Where To Stay, Eat, and Play in Quebec for the Fall Trip of a Lifetime,” and I can’t wait for you to read it.
In the article, I share almost my exact itinerary for visiting the French-speaking city and surrounding area, for which the province was named. During the trip, I experienced three different regions: Côte-Nord, Charlevoix, and Québec City, with activities from whale watching in the St. Lawrence River (wild, I know) to a Via Ferrata and two national park visits. Plus, I share all of the restaurants I ate at – one had a 7-course menu with wine pairing, and another had a 5-course menu with the chefs making the meal in the middle. I rolled around in the fall colors, saw whales, learned about the First People, ate far too much, and collapsed in a comfy bed each night. Québec ended up being the fall destination of my dreams.
Whether planning a trip or not, check out MY article “Where To Stay, Eat, and Play in Quebec for the Fall Trip of a Lifetime” on Matador Network. (EEEEEE, so proud!)
For fun, I looked through my analytics to see which blog posts got the most views in 2023 and thought you might be curious. I added some thoughts about why the top 5 are in the top 5. Are they surprising to you? One thing I've noticed from the start is that these are not my newest blog posts. Instead, it's typically posts that have been around for a year or more, which slowly gain season relevancy. I suppose that's one reason why I've never rushed things
Quick Overview of this newsletter: 💗 I wrote for Well + Good! About XC Skiing! 💗 Caught on Social Media: XC Skiing at Hoodoo Cheers to love!🥂 Love of adventure Love of travel Love of the outdoors Love of pets and animals Love of food (hopefully not those same animals) Love of friends Love of family (that you get along with) And, of course, romantic love. Happy Valentine’s Day, here are two cutesy things I wanted to share. Cheers, Hanna 💕 I wrote for Well + Good! About XC Skiing! Yayyy!!! I...
Quick Overview of this newsletter: ✨ 4 Goals for 2024 ☀️ Now is a Great Time to get Summer Permits 📝 Stay Organized - My Trip Planning Template ✈️ My Confirmed 2024 Trips (It’s Not Much) 4 Goals for 2024 Sure, we’re already a month into the year. But you know what, it’s never a bad time to set goals. 2023 was a relatively very quiet year for me. I still hiked, traveled, and explored, but it was without the restless, near-frenetic self-pressure that I normally feel. Instead, it was a simpler,...
Quick Overview of this newsletter: ❄️ Ice Storm Update 🎿 Christmas Gift To Myself - XC Ski Set!!!! ⛷️ Where I Learned to Ski - Breckenridge, Mammoth, & Shasta 🧤 Associated XC Ski Gear ✨ 2023 Re-cap Continued: Blog Posts with Longest Read Time “One thorn of experience is worth a wilderness of warnings.” - James Russell Lowell Hello from the other side of the great Oregon Ice Storm of 2024! What started out cute and fun turned out to be much more dangerous and overwhelming than anticipated. And...