Is this post going to be a list of the lovely places I’ve traveled to recently?

No,…not really.

The question “Where Have I Been” is really more for this blog. Where has it been for the last nine months?

Well, as I told fellow travel bloggers at a conference a few weeks ago, this little blog has been taking a rather long nap. But nap time is well over and I’m about to throw a glass of cold water on it and wake it the hell up!

My previous post on July 18 was not intended to be the last one. There was no formal good-bye or a “be back soon” hung out for all to see.  I had travels to Brazil coming up in less than 1 month and there were still many unwritten posts from my trips to Turkey, Lebanon and Canada. So what happened? Writers block? Loss of confidence? Got lazy?  Probably a combination of all three.  And then once you get out of the rhythm of writing….or any discipline for that matter…its challenging to get back. Sometimes it seemed like there were twice as many excuses not to write as there were topics to write about.

But what did NOT happen was a loss of interest in travel. Although I didn’t travel internationally quite as much as I would have liked in the second half of last year, my passport did get a few more stamped pages. I wrapped up 2015 with trips to Rio de Janeiro for a good dose of capoeira, Abu Dhabi for the Formula 1 Races and Dubai to celebrate my birthday.  Earlier this year I found my way back to Mexico City, a place that I am growing quite fond of, and I am working on trips to South America and Europe over the next few months, with a few domestic trips sprinkled in as well.

When I’m not on the road, I religiously pour over articles on travel trends, hotel reviews, industry updates and scroll though endless travel related Instagram and Pinterest accounts. I just got back from a Women in Travel conference a few weeks ago and I will attend another travel bloggers conference in Stockholm this summer. Travel is never far from my heart and mind. A lack of interest in travel is never an excuse I can use for why I haven’t updated the blog in so long.

But I have to say one of the main things that has gotten me to put pen to paper again (because I actually started writing this post the old fashioned way) is being inspired by the creativity of my friends. Whether they are painters, videographers, dancers, designers or culinary magicians, I am luckily surrounded by people who inspire me.  I realized that while it doesn’t always come easily, I do like to write and I’ve often gotten positive feedback on my blog and my writing style. Keeping this blog going allows me to focus on the things I love: travel, capoeira, writing and photography.  And while i’m here on this earth, why not spend more time doing the things that I love, right?

What is it that you love to do, but may have been neglecting recently?  We all get busy and stuck doing the “must dos” of daily life, but see what you can do each week to focus on that interest that has been whispering in your ear for the last few months.  Maybe its a passion you had as a child. Or a new interest that you read about online. Something that clicked with you, but you may have left on your “I’ll get around to it” list.  Think about it. Seek it out.  Make it happen. And I’ll promise to do the same with my blog and other travel writing opportunities.  I can honestly say, after being away for about 9 months, it feels good to be back here again.