Ahh yes, it’s another ‘OMG it’s the start of a novel year, let’s await dorsum at in conclusion year!’ post!
The transition from 2018 into 2019 couldn’t receive got been whatsoever meliorate for us. Rather than beingness overseas partying inward a unusual province amongst people nosotros had simply met, nosotros were dorsum inward Australia, dancing the nighttime away inward a woods amongst some of our closest friends.
Don’t acquire us incorrect – Our New Years Eve’s abroad receive got almost e'er been epic. Snowboarding inward Canada, scuba diving inward Honduras, partying inward Turkey, ukulele singalongs on a beach inward Vietnam; they are e'er expert times amongst amazing people, too nosotros know there’s enough to a greater extent than of these international adventures inward our calendar for years to come.
But beingness inward Commonwealth of Australia at a music festival surrounded yesteryear mates who knew us good was simply what nosotros needed to halt what proved to go an extremely successful, fun too slightly dissimilar twelvemonth for us.
At the halt of 2017 nosotros talked nearly the development of our site, too how NOMADasaurus has changed from a footling move weblog meant to document our travels from Thailand to South Africa without flight into a fully-fledged business.
It was an opened upward missive of the alphabet to all of yous who receive got ever shown involvement inward our blog, social media, or fifty-fifty simply us equally people inward general, too nosotros loved the responses nosotros got from it.
(If yous are novel to the site, or are simply curious nearly our backstory too how all of this came to be, that article is good worth a read.)
This year’s article isn’t thence much nearly our trouble concern though (although if you’re interested inward that you’ll honour some data at the bottom of the page) equally much equally it is a recap too an update on our plans for 2019.
So hither nosotros go!
2018 – Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Different Kind of Year
At the rattling halt of 2017 nosotros picked upward a gear upward new, rattling expensive car, i of solely 3 inward the entire country, too drove across Commonwealth of Australia equally purpose of a massive media drive amongst Volvo. Talk nearly a random way to destination the year!
They had hired us for a task to promote the Volvo Ocean Race, a global sailing race they sponsor, too also to receive got commercial photography of their newest hybrid electrical car, the XC60, inward Australian landscapes.
To order it was completely surreal to us would go an understatement. We never idea that i 24-hour interval i of the biggest companies inward the basis would hire us to drive around taking pictures of a car, but the universe is a mysterious beast.
Unfortunately this happened correct over Christmas, thence nosotros got to celebrate what is ordinarily a beautiful fourth dimension of twelvemonth amongst friends too household unit of measurement yesteryear eating microwave dinners inward a caravan common inward the middle of Australia. Not amazing, withal that’s life.
Part of the bargain was that nosotros could maintain the auto for 3 months at the halt of the contract. Originally nosotros had planned to wing off to somewhere similar Southeast Asia for some to a greater extent than travelling, but nosotros figured that rather than waste product this chance of having a gratis auto to occupation nosotros should in all probability remain inward Commonwealth of Australia too drive it around a bit.
We decided to movement to Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where my household unit of measurement has a house, too occupation it equally a base of operations for those 3 months to become on route trips from there.
As before long equally nosotros got to Sydney though nosotros felt burnt out. We unpacked our bags too at nowadays settled into a routine. We signed upward for a gym, made some novel friends, caught upward amongst former friends, started eating good for yous too spent lineament fourth dimension amongst the family.
We did produce a dyad of route trips, too i of them was to caput upward to the mid-north coast of New South Wales to hang out amongst our buddy (and NOMADasaurus squad member) Calumn’s household unit of measurement too document the plight of koalas that are nether threat from logging.
Us beingness us though nosotros before long got itchy feet, constitute some inexpensive airfares to New Zealand, gave Volvo dorsum their auto too flew off to pass v weeks hiking, travelling too campervanning around this incredible country.
New Zealand was of course of report awesome, but when nosotros got dorsum rather than heading off for some other amazing destination nosotros decided to remain inward Sydney a fleck longer.
While nosotros were ‘home’ nosotros actually pose a lot of attempt into the trouble concern side of the weblog too our other company, Peak Evolution Media. We got an accountant, hired some novel members for our team, expanded our content strategy, studied to a greater extent than advanced SEO practices too started scaling up.
It was an exciting fourth dimension for us.
In 2018 nosotros also extended our contract amongst Kathmandu, Commonwealth of Australia too New Zealand’s largest adventure gear company, too are thence thrilled to go a purpose of their pocket-size household unit of measurement of ambassadors.
This partnership is something we’re rattling proud of, non simply because it’s a wonderful collaboration for us, but also because nosotros love supporting too aligning ourselves amongst Kathmandu due to their enormous commitment to sustainability, ethical article of apparel too responsible move – all things that nosotros are deeply passionate about.
The intermission from move didn’t in conclusion forever of course, too inward July nosotros flew off to Kyrgyzstan to run our firstly ever adventure too photography tours.
For a whole calendar month nosotros showed 24 amazing people around the country, too we’re thrilled to order that the 2 tours were a huge success. Everybody came away amongst a profound love of Kyrgyz Republic too its people, which was our primary goal. The positive feedback nosotros got from the participants blew us away.
To go completely honest nosotros were a footling nervous nearly this endeavour. We aren’t tour guides, too nosotros had never organised something of this magnitude before, where nosotros were responsible for thence many other people. We were 100% confident inward the execution of the tours (otherwise nosotros wouldn’t receive got launched them), but it was soundless overwhelming for us.
We are extremely grateful to the 24 people who took a jeopardy on a dyad of move bloggers to demo them around a purpose of Central Asia too signed upward for our firstly ever tours, too if it wasn’t for them it wouldn’t receive got been possible. Thank you, give thank yous you, give thank yous you – together nosotros pulled off something magical!
As before long equally the tours ended nosotros jumped on 60+ hours of planes, airports too transits to touching on downwards inward Winnipeg, Canada. The national tourism board had contracted us for a bespoke media campaign, too nosotros were beyond thrilled to go dorsum inward the province that gave us the move põrnikas over a decade ago.
For 2 weeks nosotros route tripped around Manitoba too the Yukon, creating content too promoting these 2 beautiful too under-visited parts of Canada.
When the drive ended nosotros flew downwards to Vancouver too jumped onboard the legendary Rocky Mountaineer, Canada’s premier luxury educate journey. Rocky Mountaineer had hired us to go i of their gear upward ambassadors, too nosotros absolutely loved our fourth dimension onboard.
Once nosotros got to Banff nosotros had a rattling particular visitor – My sister, Becky!
She had never travelled internationally on her ain before, but when she constitute out nosotros were going to go dorsum inward Canada she decided to come upward cheque it out for herself. I picked her upward from the aerodrome too the 3 of us went on an awesome route trip from Banff to Jasper too and thence across to Revelstoke inward BC, where Alesha too I lived for xviii months way dorsum inward the day, earlier she ventured off on her own.
Being dorsum inward Revelstoke was a massive highlight for us, equally it’s the identify that Alesha too I in conclusion actually felt at home, fifty-fifty though nosotros left inward 2011. Many of our friends soundless alive there, too this town is a mecca for everything nosotros love: Hiking, snowboarding, kayaking, climbing, mount biking too simply living a damn adventurous life.
We spent the most amazing 10 days inward Revy hanging out amongst unopen buddies, too were distressing to leave.
Always onto the side yesteryear side adventure, nosotros started to gear upward our way dorsum to South America, but non earlier a 3-day detour to New York City, a identify that neither of us had been but e'er wanted to visit.
Spoiler alarm – nosotros didn’t love New York, but too thence over again nosotros didn’t yell upward nosotros would. Neither of us are metropolis people too New York is i large donkey city. Still nosotros had a lot of fun checking out all of the primary tourist attractions inward town, too await forrad to returning i 24-hour interval inward the hereafter to attempt too honour some to a greater extent than unique things to produce inward the city.
Afterwards nosotros flew downwards to Santiago, Republic of Chile too spent 2 weeks holed upward inward a lovely AirBnB cranking out a bunch of content too trying to grab upward on the admin side of things amongst the business.
In Nov nosotros headed downwards to the bottom of Republic of Chile to start our biggest adventure of the twelvemonth – a two-week photography symposium to South Georgia amongst One Ocean Expeditions.
We firstly worked amongst the squad at OOE when we travelled to Antarctica inward Feb 2017, too were stoked to go continuing our human relationship amongst them to explore the subantarctic.
For those that don’t know, South Georgia is known equally the Serengeti of the Southern Ocean, too at the start of summertime is habitation to largest concentration of wild animals anywhere on the planet. You’ve in all probability seen it on David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’ series.
There’s beaches covered amongst literally hundreds of thousands of manful somebody monarch penguins, elephant seals, fur seals too sea birds. It’s quite a sight to behold, too is a destination that nosotros desperately desire to furnish to i day.
Once our explorations inward the subantarctic were over nosotros constitute ourselves amongst 3 weeks to kill, thence nosotros decided to wing off to Republic of Peru too Bolivia.
During this fourth dimension nosotros decided to produce something nosotros haven’t done inward years – NOT document our travels. We had thence much operate backed upward later Kyrgyzstan, Canada too South Georgia that instead nosotros concentrated on getting that content out at night, too during the 24-hour interval simply travelling around similar nosotros used to earlier nosotros were professional move bloggers.
With simply cameras inward manus too no operate commitments amongst whatsoever partners there, nosotros explored Republic of Peru too Republic of Bolivia precisely how nosotros wanted to. We hiked the Colca Canyon too mount biked Death Road. Explored the Salt Flats too went dune buggying inward Huacachina. All of this without the pressure level of uploading our antics to social media every 24-hour interval was a welcome change, too nosotros loved every infinitesimal of it.
From La Paz nosotros flew to Lima, Santiago, Los Angeles too and thence Vancouver, where nosotros caught a ride dorsum to Revelstoke for a calendar week of snowboarding, which is something that used to go our absolute biggest passion, but neither of us had done inward vii years.
We stayed amongst friends, rode during the day, socialised at nighttime too vicious inward love amongst Revelstoke all over again.
On Dec 20th nosotros flew dorsum to Perth too spent our firstly Christmas at habitation amongst household unit of measurement inward v years.
For New Years Eve nosotros headed downwards to Australia’s absolutely stunning southwest to political party at a gear upward new, boutique 3-day camping ground too music festival.
While nosotros were sitting yesteryear the lake on New Years Day, drinking tasty beers, listening to expert tunes too surrounded yesteryear amazing friends, Alesha too I reflected on simply how amazing 2018 had been.
There was far less move than nosotros were used to, but the experiences were phenomenal. From the tours inward Kyrgyz Republic to the penguins of South Georgia too everything inward between, nosotros couldn’t receive got asked for a meliorate year.
But most importantly to receive got spent thence much fourth dimension amongst friends too household unit of measurement that hateful the basis to us, later thence long beingness isolated from our community, was something we’ll concur dearly. That was the truthful highlight of 2018, too has laid the course of report for the year(s) to come…
What’s Next inward 2019?
This brings us to today, Jan 22nd, 2019, too the start of what is destined go some other epic year.
I’m at nowadays dorsum inward Sydney, at the same identify nosotros lived inward in conclusion year. (Narrabeen on the Northern Beaches – Drop us a message if yous ever are inward town!)
Alesha is inward Western Commonwealth of Australia amongst her family (her sis simply had a baby, too her brother’s miss is xvi months old, thence she’s busy beingness a very, rattling proud aunty), but she’ll go flight over to bring together me on the due east coast side yesteryear side week.
We’ve decided to maintain Sydney equally a base of operations over again for much of this year, equally nosotros realise simply how much nosotros receive got learnt to love having friends too household unit of measurement around us again. Also living out of a backpack is exhausting, too when you’ve been doing it for over a decade almost non-stop, yous actually appreciate non having to pack too unpack every other day.
Our firstly adventure of the twelvemonth volition hap on Feb 1st, when we’ll go flight dorsum to Canada for some other task amongst the tourism board. This fourth dimension though we’re solely at that topographic point for 3 weeks, too thence we’ll go coming dorsum to Sydney.
In Apr we’ll go visiting the Cook Islands for some other project, too it volition go our firstly fourth dimension to this stunning archipelago inward the Pacific Ocean. We’re actually looking forrad to getting inward some tropical beach fourth dimension too doing a fleck of diving spell we’re there.
The other massive number nosotros receive got happening this twelvemonth is that we’ll go running some other 2 tours inward Central Asia!
There’s the incredible 14-day Kyrgyz Republic tour similar in conclusion year, but we’re also thrilled to innovate some other trip – a 16-day adventure around Tajikistan too the Pamir Highway. These are happening inward August too September.
Other than those confirmed trips nosotros receive got a few other surprises inward the works, but they tin hold off for some other day.
Our goal this twelvemonth is to furnish dorsum to Commonwealth of Australia inward betwixt our international trips rather than travelling full-time, too this volition give us a jeopardy to decompress too ticker out to a greater extent than too to a greater extent than content from these destinations.
Sydney won’t go our base of operations forever, too we’re non planning on living hither permanently, but for at nowadays it’s a perfect identify to go for where nosotros are inward our lives.
We’re excited for 2019 too to boring downwards a bit. We’re definitely non settling downwards completely, but this modify of footstep is rattling much welcome for the fourth dimension beingness at least.
The Business – What’s Happening With NOMADasaurus?
Now nosotros know non of all yous tending nearly the trouble concern side of things, but the truth is it’s a rattling large purpose of our lives, thence nosotros couldn’t write upward a 2018 recap too 2019 plans without mentioning it.
2018 was a fantastic twelvemonth for us business-wise. Our income was insanely good, good into six figures, too the website grew from 80’000 unique readers a calendar month at the starting fourth dimension of the twelvemonth to 200’000 a calendar month at the end.
Our social media channels also went up, but to go completely honest nosotros don’t pose that much attempt into them, equally nosotros believe our publish energy is meliorate spent on the website, too nosotros tin essay that the furnish of investment for our clients is much higher inward the long run on the weblog than from likes on Instagram or Facebook.
That beingness said nosotros produce love social media, too it’s soundless an integral purpose of our gear upward that we’ll go nurturing throughout the year.
For 2019 the plans for NOMADasaurus are huge, too we’ll go scaling it upward dramatically. We’re hiring to a greater extent than people for our team, from writers too editors to assistants too trouble concern managers, to assist amongst the trouble concern expansion. We’ll also go getting a much overdue site redesign, which is going to go a massive task but nosotros can’t hold off for it to finally happen.
Our digital marketing means is growing equally well, too we’re excited to go bringing on to a greater extent than clients this year.
We’ve also signed on to operate amongst Kathmandu over again for 2019, making this our 3rd twelvemonth partnering amongst them, which we’re tremendously happy about.
The 2 tours happening inward August too September are the start of something big, thence maintain an oculus out for some rattling massive tidings nearly where we’ll go taking these for 2020 too beyond.
Another large matter we’ll go focusing on this twelvemonth is video. We’ve dabbled amongst vlogging too video making inward the past, but haven’t taken it also seriously equally nosotros receive got thence many other projects on the become at once. That is to modify this twelvemonth though, so you’ll receive got to subscribe to our YouTube channel to consider what nosotros receive got coming up!
Alesha too I stumbled into this entrepreneurial journey, too neither of us had whatsoever trouble concern grooming or goals when nosotros started the blog. As nosotros sit down dorsum too reverberate on where it’s come upward from, too where it’s heading, nosotros receive got to pinch ourselves that nosotros are at nowadays our ain bosses too receive got the fiscal liberty to go inward this position.
We’re inward our 30s now, married, too equally much equally nosotros loved our years of beingness budget backpackers, it is fourth dimension to start thinking nearly the hereafter a bit. That’s why we’re thence focused on growing our companies.
Even equally the trouble concern expands though, nosotros hope to remain truthful to who nosotros are, which is an adventurous dyad amongst a love of travel, sustainability too culture. Thanks for sticking amongst us this far, too nosotros hope yous bring together us equally nosotros maintain to construct our brand.
Thanks For Following Our Journey!
To amount all of this upward nosotros simply demand to order thank yous to all of yous for next along on our journey, supporting us, e'er sending form messages too simply beingness bloody awesome people.
Some of yous receive got been amongst us since the beginning, spell others receive got joined us at diverse stages along the way. Seriously, give thank yous you! We wouldn’t go where nosotros are today without you.
Here’s to 2019, too beyond!
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