A peek into the life of a travel blogger who works full-time. Read my progress on getting fit for our long-distance hike and what I do and don’t do for my blog. In this episode, read about March 2019 with Carnival in Venice, investing more in the blog and my new hiking outfit.
Like looking back? Read my January 2019 and February 2019 stories too. Want to jump ahead? Read April 2019 and June 2019 here.
Carnivale & Costumes
After 2 weeks of rain, we finally saw some sunshine and higher temperatures here in the Netherlands. And boy, did nature react! The bees are buzzing, the pepper and tomato plants are growing, and the lovely Magnolias and Cherry Trees show their cute pink blossoms to the world. I love this time of year as it shows a promise of long, warm and sunny days filled with exciting new opportunities. But let’s first look back on the past month. What have I been up to and what’s new on Probe around the Globe Travel Blog?
Carnival in Venice
I started the month with a bang as we flew to Venice on March 1st. For this occasion, I had a suitcase booked which held my Carnivale masque, my wig,
We had a sun-soaked weekend as we strolled around the narrow winding streets of Venice. Random people stopped us in the streets to take a picture of us or join us in a photo opportunity. It was my 4th time in Venice but my 1st time during the Carnival in Venice. This mass event to kick-off the period of Lend is a colorful feast of extravaganza in the water-rich environment of Venice.
What do you think of our costumes? My mother-in-law worked really hard to provide us with these luxurious matching cloaks and it shows!
Venice Carnivale; a once in a lifetime experience?
But how was it? Well, I’m still a bit in doubt about my feelings. Yes, Venice is always a good idea. Even visiting it for the 4th time felt exciting and new. However, people make the Carnivale of Venice out as a once in a lifetime experience; something you have to do and the best time to see Venice.
I’m still not sure if I agree. I wanted to dress up to blend in and have the best experience possible. But I refused to spend over 800€ for a ticket to one of the evening balls or have several €3,000 worth costumes made (or rented). We walked around the city, soaked up the sun and sights, enjoyed the food and the festivities, and had a good time. Luckily, we managed to escape the crowds a bit so I didn’t find it that busy.
But did it change my life?
No.
Do I think everyone should experience it once before they die?
No.
Did we have a great time?
Yes!
So, yes, we had a great time but no, I don’t feel like a whole different person. I also don’t think you should go out of your way to make it happen to be in Venice once in your life during Carnival. Yes, you should visit Venice but it is such a unique, mesmerizing, and colorful city, the Carnivale of Venice didn’t really add that much, in my opinion.
Preparing for hiking
After I got back from 2 weekends back to back travel abroad, I was glad to stay home for a bit. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. The weather was very unfortunate for 2 weeks straight, so we didn’t do much walking at all. However, I did make some exciting progress!
Switzerland Video
It took a while, but finally, I was able to share the long-awaited Switzerland video about the Voralpen Express on my blog! In case you’re super curious (who wouldn’t be?) and want to see it straight away (YES!) you can see it here:
GoPro Hero 7
Talking about the Switzerland video made us talk more about video and filming. I’m not going to lie, I did an impulse buy. I bought a GoPro Hero 7 with some accessories. I got super excited about the idea of offering more video content and short travel videos for the blog, so I smashed my little piggy bank and ordered it online.
When it arrived, I was absolutely smitten with it.
It is so small!
And the hyper smooth option is so steady!
And my GoPro stick is so orgasmic nice to handle (seriously, I almost slithered off the couch by touching it, it is sooooo sexy!)
We took it out for a spin during a short walk in the woods and I was ecstatic with the features, had a blast trying out the voice control, and made a dozen pictures with the wide-angle lens.
Now all I need to do is learn to edit the videos… Work in progress!
Don’t want to miss a single video? Subscribe to my YouTube Channel!
Buying Hiking Gear
I found another piggy bank under the bed and smatched that one too. (Figuratively speaking, don’t come to my house and search under my bed for piggy banks, there’s nothing but monsters there.) I went to an outdoor store and spend a fortune on new, fancy, snazzy, slick, hiking gear. I purchased a new pair of hiking shoes, I bought one of those slick Fjällraven Absiko Trekking Tights for women (seriously, it is so slick, I want to wear it every day!) and a new jacket, shirt,
I guess I can’t say anymore that I never buy stuff or don’t buy brands because I did. And loved it. I’ll soon add a packing list for the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path as we are nearly done with our packing list.
Exciting Blogging News
The month of March was my biggest and bestest blogging month. Ever!!
Most traffic:
everrrrrr!!
Highest income:
everrrrr!!
(And I need it so badly with all the things I purchased!)
I wrote a bunch of guest posts that still need to come out, I made plans to do more videos on the blog and YouTube and I made a decision that will have a big impact on my life and blog. As there are still some loose ends to tie up and the ink hasn’t dried yet, so I’ll keep the details to myself, but I’ll share it here when the time’s right. Just know I am mega excited and it is a huge personal step!
Fodmap or Failmap?
How did it go during the 3rd month on my Fodmap diet? Well… not so well. I might have fallen off the wagon a bit with not digging the gluten-free pizza in Venice that much and eating sandwiches and pizza’s as any normal person would do in Venice. My tummy held up nicely during our Venice trip, so that was a big win.
However, I did relapse a bit after. I might have eaten a cookie or two here and there and I’ve also eaten more olives than I can count. Not per a bad thing, but the quantities I’ve consumed olives in, might be a deal breaker.
It’s no surprise I did not lose that much weight, despite putting in the miles. I’m steering now a bit off target for my weight goal but overall I feel fit and healthy and continue to stick to the diet as much as possible.
What will April offer?
April is nearly here. I can’t believe the first quarter is already old news! The first weekend of April, the boyfriend and I will do a huge test case to prepare for the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. We’ve planned a 2-day hike in the hilliest part of the Netherlands. We’ll climb our tallest hill and walk a lot of miles per day.
It will be a good test case as we’ll plan to walk with full gear (the boyfriend) and I can test my new hiking gear for durability, comfort, and Instagramability (a.k.a. do my outfits look good for the blog?!) And I’ll hike for the first time with my new hiking poles and bring my new GoPro!
A little over a week later I’ll be flying out for a 10-day trip to Lebanon. With all the preparation for our big walk, it is barely on my radar and I feel terribly ill-prepared. I still need to continue reading about the country and culture and mentally prepare (and get excited) about Lebanon. I’ll guess I’ll flip the switch in my head when we get back from our hiking weekend.
What have you been up to in March? Did you travel anywhere nice? Did you celebrate Carnival anywhere? Do share it in the comment section below, I’d love to hear it!
Skip ahead, read my April update here!
I hope you enjoyed reading my personal stories. If you want more of this, sign-up for my mailing list to stay up to date, or stalk me on social media, like Facebook or Twitter.
And with that, I’ll leave you and say goodbye. Until next month!
Naomi
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