This put up might include affiliate hyperlinks. See our affiliate disclaimer right here.
In what has grow to be a practice, I’m sharing my year-end assessment (every week late albeit). For a decade Alyssa and I’ve sat down on the finish of a 12 months to recap the highs and lows.
As a observe, it provides me a ton of gratitude. It’s simple to neglect about all the good issues that occur in a given 12 months.
Now we have a concentrate on the unhealthy, however there’s nearly all the time extra good than unhealthy.
I additionally like to learn different individuals’s year-end evaluations. When you’ve got a 12 months assessment 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 Properly in 2023
Visiting Japan
Japan sat on the high of our bucket listing for years. This 12 months we lastly pulled the set off. TBH, the value of the airplane tickets stung a bit. Let’s simply say it got here all the way 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 reminiscences. 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 great individuals.
Additionally, we camped in a 16ft RV for 2 weeks with our two younger youngsters and lived to inform the story (Survivor has nothing on us).
So sure, touring to Japan was a win (the video above is one among a number of from our journey).
Our Acquisition of RV Inspiration
We had no thought what we had been in for once we purchased our first web site final December. All we knew was that we wanted to begin recouping our money circulate after promoting all our companies.
Because it seems, shopping for a enterprise is far 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 12 months and may have the enterprise paid off in Q1 or Q2 of subsequent 12 months. So that’s cool.
All credit score goes to Alyssa and our staff of superior writers and editors. It will proceed to be Alyssa’s focus in 2023 as she’s beloved engaged on it and studying tips to make it thrive.
Possibly we’ll purchase one other enterprise or two in 2024…
You may learn a few of our enterprise updates beneath:
Roadtripping throughout UK
This summer season 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 unbelievable two weeks road-tripping across the UK countryside.
One spotlight from the journey was visiting the city of Wrexham in Wales. I’m an enormous Welcome to Wrexham fan and attending to see the Racecourse and purchase a jersey was superior. It was a visit I’ll all the time 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 known as Boundless Life. It is a startup firm centered on creating world education alternatives for households. They supply a Montessori-style college, coworking house, and lodging in a handful of cities around the globe.
We signed up as an experiment. We’ve all the time beloved the thought of spending an prolonged interval in Europe. Nonetheless, with youngsters, it provides a contact of logistics. With Boundless, we felt that it may very well be a extra sustainable option to journey. The children might make associates 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 optimistic expertise. I really feel I might write a large quantity in regards to the highs and lows of our expertise with Boundless. On the finish of the day, the children thrived and we met quite a lot of wonderful individuals who I imagine we’ll have a continued relationship with. It’s one thing we’d strive once more sooner or later if our visa restrictions/journey plans enable us.
Plus, I acquired to check out browsing for the primary time and found a brand new sport (Padel!) that I beloved.
What Didn’t Go Properly in 2023
Youtube
This 12 months we launched greater than 50 YouTube movies from our RV journeys around the globe (New Zealand, Japan, UK). It was by no means meant to be a enterprise or a option to make some huge cash, however we’d hoped to see extra curiosity than we did.
As we sat all the way down to mirror on the 12 months, each Alyssa and I noticed that YouTube wasn’t a match for us transferring ahead. (One thing we truly realized in August, however we had commitments and a set runway to dedicate a full 12 months to Youtube.)
Whereas it was due partially to not getting quite a lot of traction in viewership, we additionally simply didn’t love the act of filming our travels. Hauling digicam gear together with hauling two youngsters simply added a bunch of stress to our travels. The thought of having 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 among our youngsters. And Eli is HUGE.)
We dedicated to a 12 months of constructing movies and I’m proud that we accomplished that aim. On the finish of the day, we nonetheless had fairly a couple of individuals tune in to our movies (for those who had been one among them, thanks!). Plus, now we have some wonderful household journey movies I’ll all the time cherish.
However for now, the brand new reminiscences 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 recent 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 sweet.
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 tremendous, however our lives have taken some twists and turns. Because it seems, it’s laborious to maintain up with a private weblog whenever you don’t know what you might be doing along with your life.
At some point we’re documenting a campground construct. The subsequent we’re touring with youngsters. Subsequent, we’re shopping for a weblog on renovating RVs.
These pivots could make it laborious to remain constant on a weblog subject.
So, transferring ahead, we’ve determined to dedicate HeathandAlyssa.com to only ONE of the MANY pursuits now we have.
Wanting forward, HeathandAlyssa.com shall be a useful resource for individuals planning RV journeys around the globe.
We’ll be publishing extra articles like:
Of all of the subjects we’ve lined, we really feel like serving to individuals make reminiscences by means of highway journeys is one thing we gained’t tire of. Plus, we’ve realized by means of RV Inspiration the ability of specializing in a single subject.
For those who’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.
For those who’re extra all for our private journey, we’ll nonetheless be sending these kinds of updates to our e-mail listing (simply not publishing them on this web site).
Wanting Forward to 2024
We’re nonetheless determining what we would like our 2024 to appear like, however we do have some plans trying ahead. Listed below are a couple of private and enterprise goals that now we have.
Proceed touring as a household.
This summer season we’re planning one other journey to Europe. A couple of months in the past I used to be having breakfast with some associates once they casually talked about they’d further tickets to see Taylor Swift in Vienna.
With out hesitation, I supplied to purchase them (with out speaking to Alyssa). As an enormous Swiftie, Alyssa was bummed she didn’t get to go see her within the US. Once I informed her I discovered us 4 tickets to Vienna, she was ecstatic.
Once I informed my pal I’d purchase the tickets he requested, “Are you planning to be in Austria subsequent summer season?”
“I’m now,” I replied.
We’ve 100% gone to international locations for much less of a purpose than to see Taylor Swift.
All this to say, we invited a few our closest associates and are going to make an enormous 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 now we have 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 bunch of associates. I beloved it. It not solely was a bodily problem, however an unbelievable option to discover rural Tuscany. I biked by means of fortress cities (even one night time slept in fortress ruins), ate the perfect meals of my life, and met some unbelievable individuals.
We biked over 300 miles and in addition the equal in elevation achieve of Mount Everest. Final time we did it in 6 days and with a help van and my aim this 12 months is to do it unsupported and in 4 days (70 miles per day). PS For those who really feel like becoming a member of me, there are nonetheless a couple of spots left however they’re nearly full!
Beneath is a video our associates Kara & Nate did from our time on the path.
Writing my first (actual) guide.
On my to-do listing yearly since I can keep in mind is to jot down a guide.
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. Individuals appear to latch on to the thought.
For those who’ve ever listened to the RVE podcast or learn different articles on this web site, you’ve in all probability heard me discuss this idea.
The thought of an emotional runway is one thing that helped a ton whereas constructing Campground Reserving. I hit burnout laborious and needed to give up a bunch of occasions. Determining how you can keep within the sport lengthy sufficient and benefit from the course of by extending my runway was big in ultimately seeing an acquisition by means of.
I’m early within the writing course of however my aim is to publish a guide this fall (saying this out loud for accountability). I hope to assist different people who find themselves working to sort out large tasks or startups themselves.
Your 2024 Objectives & Tasks
For those who made it this far within the put up, I’d love to listen to what you could have within the works for this 12 months. 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.