“I dwell in possibility.” – Emily Dickinson

Happy 2016! If you’ve been following my blog from the start, thanks for your continued support. If you’re new here, Welcome!

There’s something about the start of a new year that causes me to reflect more than any other time. With the start of 2016, I find myself looking back on where Tola the Traveler started and where I’d like to see it go.

Costa Rica was like a grand social experiment and the results were better than I could have imagined. I left my bubble of comfort, nervous and anxious about how I’d adapt, only to discover new things about myself. Things that have opened my eyes to so many new possibilities.

It’s one thing to say something and another thing to actually do it. I knew my visit to CR had the potential to be truly memorable and that made it worth documenting. I’ve always enjoyed writing and taking pictures, so it was fun to challenge myself creatively to synthesize the two into content that people might actually want to read. I think I’ve gotten better with time and with the travel plans that I have coming up this year, I hope to make Tola the Traveler better than ever. Expect to see more posts not just on where I’m traveling, but also on where I’d like to go, as well as tips and advice on all things travel related.

Expect the unexpected from Tola the Traveler this year too. Bulgaria was an eye-opener in much of the same (but also different) ways as CR. I knew very little about Bulgaria before traveling there to visit 3 of its cities and now I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to go back. It’s so easy to go where others have gone before and learn about those places that are fairly mainstream. I’m hoping to discover more hidden gems here in the United States and abroad. If you have any suggestions, feel free to share in the comments below.

I’m excited for what’s ahead. There are so many possibilities.