Vermont Treehouse Airbnb From New York City via @finduslostThe end of the year snuck up on me more than I’d like to admit. I typically use the holiday season to reflect on the past year, get inspired for what’s to come, and set personal goals. Instead, these past couple weeks I set aside my growing to-do list and obligations and opted to relax (as well as fight off an impending cold).

I rang in the New Year with family, first in California and then in Kauai. This is perhaps the first trip in years that I haven’t shared on social media, which feels refreshing. I will be back to Kauai on a longer trip this spring, so I’ll be sharing plenty soon. Until then, you can find my Kauai travel guide here — it’s been one of my most-viewed blog posts this year.

Though this post is a bit delayed, I still wanted to take time to reflect on the past year and lay down some goals and inspiration for what’s to come. The year 2019 was a big one for us. Jacob and I relocated to New York City (despite rarely being there the past few months), went on some memorable trips to new places other than Europe (including two back-to-back trips to India and Vietnam, and Vermont, pictured above), attended five weddings and four bachelor and bachelorette parties in three months (another reason we haven’t been home!). Jacob also took on a new job, separate from Find Us Lost — which pushed me to hire my first team member this winter.

I’m thrilled for 2020. I am going into this new year with goals that are realistic, a feeling of self-awareness, and more support than ever before. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this job, it’s that I’m always learning and growing. I’m also more practiced and confident each year. I launched a new website and hired my first team member to work out of my home office in 2019, both of which feel like huge professional milestones for me.

I wanted to take a moment and share my 2020 goals and travel plans with you. I want to make this space as useful and inspiring for you as possible, so if there’s something you want to see on my blog (or elsewhere), please share it with me in the comments below or via email as I plan out my areas of focus for 2020.

My 2020 Goals

Here’s what I want to achieve in the first half of 2020:

Create a new ‘Work with Me’ page and Media Kit. This is something I’ve neglected during my website re-build, and it’s time I give this the attention it deserves.
Create an inspirational workspace. I’m in the process of ordering furniture and setting up a home office that I’m incredibly excited about. I’m planning to share more of this soon (as requested by you on Instagram!).
Make additional updates to my website. I want to update my homepage better highlight your favorite blog posts, create a better landing page for Instagram, update my email list opt-in, and add an ‘about me’ section to the bottom of blog posts for new readers.
Launch Pinterest advertising for presets. Pinterest is huge for me and I want to make this a priority in 2020.
Launch a new ‘Shop’ page. I have grand ideas for this that include a fully built out tutorials section, better resources for presets, and (hopefully) a limited run of prints. Stay tuned!
Update select travel guides. Travel guides are always relevant, but I’m constantly working on improvements to make them more useful for you. This includes refining layouts, details, and recommendations.

My 2020 Travel Plans

January – I’m spending this month in New York City, likely holed up at home since it’s going to be cold! We moved into a new apartment and Jacob and I are buying furniture for the first time ever, so I’m really looking forward to making our new space feel like home.

February – I’ll be visiting Prague and Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, followed by Halstatt, Austria with a girlfriend of mine. From there, I’ll meet Jacob and we’ll head to Lech, Austria for a friends ski trip. We’ll also head to Amsterdam, and potentially elsewhere in Europe. One of our goals this year is to figure out how we can split our time between Amsterdam and New York City, which I couldn’t be more excited about.

March – This month is currently wide open, so I’ll be either spending time at home in New York City or jetting off on a last minute trip for work. We’ll see, as this could change at any time!

April – We’re heading back to Kauai, gathering our friends from around the world to stay for a week in one of our all-time favorite places.

May – currently open, but we’re making travel plans. A couple places on our wish list to visit this summer: Italian Islands, Scotland and Ireland. I’m also eager to travel to Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, or really anywhere in Africa.

June – Back to Amsterdam, and then: the Greek Islands! We’re planning to visit some relatively undiscovered islands this summer.

A quick look back at 2019

These 9 posts from 2019 have been viewed, saved, and shared the most. They’re also some of my favorites as well:

What’s Next

Hiring someone to help me with content is huge. I’m working hard to hand off tasks that take up my day-to-day, so I can focus on getting more content out here on a more consistent basis. I really want to share part 2 of my trip to Svalbard (I know some of you have asked, I promise I haven’t forgotten about it!). At the moment I have at least 15 blog post drafts sitting in my notes, some from my time in Cambodia, India, and even the Greek Islands. So, I’m pushing to get those out to you over the next few months.

—

Thank you for your continued support and for all the kind messages. They keep me going, and they inspire me on a daily basis. Cheers to 2020, let’s make this year one to remember!

Central Park Snow Day New York City via @finduslost Central Park Snow Day New York City via @finduslost