And just like that, another year is in the books. 2023 was a good one for me, a decent one for The Royal Tour, and not necessarily a great one for the world. I’m not going to focus on that last point, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge that things around the globe are not looking especially rosy at times.

If you’ve been a regular reader here, some of this will be familiar from the articles you’ve seen. Some will be new (after all, I’m still in the middle of publishing about my summer/fall Europe trip and will be through March, I believe). And some will have nothing to do with anything I have written or will write.

But it’s always nice to take a moment to take stock of where I am personally, and where The Royal Tour is as a website and travel community.

From a Jonathan standpoint, 2023 was the first year I was able to return to a travel schedule like I imagined before Covid. I spent about five and a half months outside the country, and another few weeks or so traveling domestically. Best of all, A was able to join me for nearly all of that, so while my travel time was similar to 2019 (the last year I was able to do it like this), I wasn’t solo for much of it. That’s a change, and one I welcome, as she is seriously the best travel companion I’ve ever had.

My year had three major international trips: a short (two weeks) one to the Dominican Republic, a longer (six weeks) journey to Argentina and Uruguay, and a much longer (three and a half months) one in Europe. My domestic travel mostly revolved around seeing people, but a return hosted trip to Calaveras County, California was also a highlight.

By the numbers, 2023 contained 24 flights for just over 45,000 miles, a couple thousand miles driven, and probably a thousand or so miles of trains. I spent time in fifteen countries (or gray area “countries”), seven of which were new to me. I also touched five states and DC.

So what were my personal highlights? As has become more the norm with the way I travel now, my favorite moments are rarely those spent at major tourist sites. A and I had a daily rum o’clock drink and sunset from our balcony in Santo Domingo that I will forever cherish, as I will our morning cappuccino during two months in Italy. Sunset in San Marino brought me to tears, as did standing at the edge of Iguazu Falls. These moments evoke some strong emotions from me, and that outdoes even the grandeur of the Colosseum or the Cliffs of Moher.

There were also some things that were not great. My apartment in Florence didn’t have working wifi, which made for a challenging month of navigating cafes and hotel lobbies (thank you to those that were so accommodating) to be able to work. I had a fairly rough cold (not Covid) at the end of my time in Buenos Aires that carried into the first few days in Montevideo. It rained pretty much every day I was in Ireland with my aunt. And a myriad of other small imperfections that come with travel meant not doing everything on my list in most places.

As far as The Royal Tour goes, 2023 had fewer views than 2022, due mainly to a precipitous drop in hits via Google Web Stories. But my overall article reads were up, so that’s a small victory. I also kept to my three articles per week posting schedule all year, which necessitated doing more writing, finding more guest writers, and making more of an effort to write about things I might not have a couple years ago. I am pleased to have been able to stick to that, but I did have a few periods of writer’s burnout along the way.

I also hired a marketing consultant to help with some of the branding and descriptions that had been inconsistent. I am really happy with where that is now, and hope it has been noticeable for you all.

As I look back at 2023, I am deeply grateful, and want to take some time to acknowledge some people. First off, thank you to all those who wrote an article (or many) for me this year. I am so lucky to have your voices here at The Royal Tour to balance my own, and can’t wait to read what you produce next. I learn so much from all of you. Secondly, thank you to those who traveled with me this year: my aunt, my sister in law, a few of my writers, and obviously A. I also have to acknowledge that A has spent countless hours helping edit my articles, and contributed photos to them, plus been my primary sounding board. And finally, to everyone who read even a single article this year, thank you. It still amazes me that people want to read what I write, and I hope to never take that for granted.

In all, 2023 was a good one for me. I had so many amazing experiences that led to what I hope were entertaining and informative articles. Next week I will share my preview for 2024, which should be another exciting year of amazing adventures and even more learning. I can’t wait!