2017 Year in Review: Reflecting Back and Travel Highlights

Whoa, 2017 is coming to an end! It’s fascinating to think about how fast the year flew by (like every year just keeps feeling like it’s going faster). Reflecting back to 2017, it’s almost been almost a year since I’ve had this blog. I started it in February and since then, I have not stopped working on it — to be honest, I wasn’t sure how long I was going to keep up with this blog but somehow, somewhere, I was always thinking about it and what kind of content I can provide and I am constantly learning how I can improve my blog. To me, brainstorming content and blogging is like therapy especially this recent rough year I’ve been through. If you keep reading on, you will learn why I started this blog.

2017 wasn’t the best year for me since I’ve been hurt financially and emotionally. I’ve been through hell and back but I kept fighting. This year was all about finding that inner peace and with all the lessons and circumstances I’ve picked up this year, I felt a huge amount of growth and appreciation come over me than any other year. Sometimes, all you can do is rebuild the things around your life or yourself and be a stronger person from there. I’ve never learned about the kind of person I wanted to be until this year and I had this goal to keep discovering myself. However, that’s not to say 2017 was all disappointing, but this year was also full of adventures and incredible, unforgettable experiences. Here were some highlights of my travels/adventures of the year:

• Went to upstate New York for the first time
• Traveled to Toronto and loved being in one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world – The CN Tower
• Went back to one of the places I loved visiting in my childhood (Niagara Falls)
• Visited 6+ museums in a short weekend and stayed in a building old as 1833 in Washington DC
• Traveled to one of my dream destinations to Hawaii, swam in a volcanic formation, hiked a volcano, and lived right across a historical American place
• Attended a huge music festival (not an EDM festival!) that had thousands of people attend for a week
• Attended my first Pride Parade ever
• Learned how to canoe
• Partied to one of my favorite DJs (Audien) in Atlantic City on my birthday
• Went actual camping and whale/dolphin watching for the first time in Cape May
• Explored many more gems of my home state!

It may not seem like those things were a lot or the most epic things to do but to me, they are all experiences I’ll never forget. The mentality I carry through this life is to always live to the fullest and do things you’ve never done before. That’s why I love going on adventures, big or small, and appreciating the world we live in. I hope that 2018 will be a year of more awesome adventures and let this be the year to succeed in my school/career and… just carry on good vibes.

The Liebster Award

Furthermore, I was nominated for The Liebster Award by the blogger, A Booknerd Travels (no longer exists). The award is about recognition and 11 questions are given to the nominated bloggers to answer in an interview-like format. This helps other bloggers to be discovered, be learnt about, and be connected with the nominees.

Here are the questions I was nominated to answer:

What made you to start blogging?

I’ve always been hesitant to start a blog. I just thought I didn’t know what kind of blog I wanted to write about and I felt like when you start a blog you need to make sure you can write about things you are passionate about or feel like you know a lot of. For me, I knew I loved going on a lot of different adventures but I never fully shared those stories or places with anyone so that’s why From One Girl to One World started. It’s like an online diary for me and to be honest, like I said, it’s like therapy for me. I started this as a junior in my college year where I just transferred and I felt lost throughout that first semester and didn’t know what I wanted out of my education or life. Having this blog made me feel good and accomplished and it set an idea in me of getting into a field I didn’t know I can be so innovative in.

What do you do when you are bored?

Well besides blogging, I like to watch YouTube videos on just about anything or look at/read other people’s travel blogs. Possibly plan my next adventure when I find time or post on social media like the Instagram for my blog.

What is a long term goal of yours?

It would be to make all my bucket list wishes come true but to also be focused in the important things that matter in real life (dealing with debt, bills, working, giving time to loved ones, etc.) In the end, I hope I can always strive for happiness and comfort.

Which are you favourite TV shows/movies?

I’ll be honest I do not watch a lot of TV shows nor do I feel like I have the time to sit and watch through it. 🙁 Netflix, I love ya but I love movies more for sure. Some of my fave movies are Titanic, The Reader, Revolutionary Road (yup as you can tell I love Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio movies), Some Like It Hot, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

What are your top three favourite songs of all time?

• Piece of Mind by Kehlani
• Two Ghosts by Harry Styles
• American Honey by Lady Antebellum

What are your goals for 2018?

I’ve discussed it above already. 🙂

Do you have any pets?

I did but my cat went to live with my brother and my other cat passed away in June. I’ll always love and miss them and think about them in my heart!

What are you passionate about?

Definitely discovering new places or things to do and this blog! I love writing and brainstorming ideas.

Do you speak a language other than English?

Yes but I mostly speak English. I know Tagalog and some veryyy basic/elementary Italian (learned it in 4 years in high school and college).

What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend?

I would love to hit the beach, sip on a margarita or smoothie, and swim in the ocean. It’s winter here in my state right now so this is how I desperately would love to spend a weekend!

What is your favourite season?

Summerrrr! Then spring and fall. Winter is my least — we’ve had harsh winters here in the East Coast and I’m pretty over it.