Last post of the year for a few considerations, with the Wandering Writer

It is indeed so that already one year has passed by and it is time also for me to make some consideration about this year.

Since October 2016, when I started to blog I have shared my travel experiences (together with some random thoughts and marketing of my book). Whether they were on the extreme side or on the more relaxed one, they told a story not only about places, but also about the people I met and their traditions.

However, those stories also said something about me, and about my feelings when visiting those countries. The world is a big place if you want to visit it, but it can also be a very small one when you think about people you meet in the journey of your life. Nowadays, traveling is getting increasingly affordable, and besides, you do not need to have a five-star hotel or a full service. Travel require just being creative.

You can do either backpacking, which is a great budget option if you also like to socialize and get to know new people with which share some part of the travel. Certainly, you will need to adapt to the very basics and be flexible. You can also see if some of the hotels are accepting people to work part-time on their premises in exchange for a place where to sleep and food. This kind of traveling is starting to become an alternative way for the hotels to get help, particularly in the high season, and for the traveler to stay in the budget.

You can check out some volunteer, part-time jobs, and in this case, you need to be able to agree with your employer a longer period of work. In this way, you can get very close to the culture and heritage of the target country.

With the recent difficulties of me losing the job together with the unemployment of my husband, we were a little too much out of any reasonable budget to do the same travels we used to do when we both had a job. Moreover, we are totally on our own when we talk about money. I do not have a family anymore, and when I had it, I had to help them financially, and in the country where I live, it is not common for parents to give some help to their children, once they get out of their house.

Nevertheless, as we are a couple of travelaholic we needed to get our dose of travel. As my husband used to say, “I don’t feel comfortable without a travel ticket in my pocket.”

Therefore, even in this case, we kept our options, shrank the budget to whatever would have fit and managed to have at least a couple of trips. Our luck is that we are surrounded by many different countries, so traveling there becomes cheap and doable. Luckily things are getting better now, and I have a new job that allows me to pay for some travels.

Sharing my experience was for me a way to give a chance to those who do not have any chance to travel, to have a virtual tour of the places I have been visiting. I wanted to be their eyes, and have the chance to share with them as much as possible the world outside. For those who can afford but they do not dare to travel in some countries, I hope to give them the right input and try something that might be a life changer. For those who have shared my same travel experiences, is a way to exchange our points of views.

Another reason for me to travel is getting to know interesting stories to inspire the next novel, it can be an unsolved murder, or about a particular person/situation. Under the aspect of literary productivity, this year has been quite good. Although I haven’t published anything new, I have been writing a lot, and a couple of novels are now under editing.

I also decided to give the second round of editing to my first novel, I know what you say that once it is published, it shouldn’t be changed. However, there won’t be any sort of substantial changes, only small fixes here and there to make the reading of the story easier. The story remains the same, the same characters, the same suspenseful plot, the same exciting story to keep a reader from the beginning to the end, but with some extra fixes to make it outstanding.

Next year, I expect it to be full of surprises, first because I am going to publish a couple (or more) novels. Second, because the past two years have been quite unfortunate, and I really hope for better luck.

Third, because I will republish the old novel, so stay tuned, if you didn’t read it so far.

Fourth, because a new year of adventures around the globe will start, and if you enjoyed my tales about travel, you won’t like to miss the next ones.

Fifth, and also last, but definitely not least, I will put into practice all the marketing tricks I have learned this year, and I really hope they will be fruitful.

Tomorrow I leave for a holiday, and next year I will be able to tell you more about everything.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, whether you believe or not, I wish you all a very lucky New Year filled with joy, love, fulfillment and one little dream to keep in your pocket to shine your days.

Some girls got proposed there... Can you guess? The Niagara Falls seen from Canada

The Niagara Falls, a place very dear to many people for many reasons, but the most common is for the romance it inspires in the heart of young couples. It is told that if a girl wants to encourage her boyfriend in getting married, she should bring him to the Niagara Falls. Since at the time I visited it I was already married (and still I am) the visit was for us a way to observe another beauty that nature can still offer.

We were on our way to Toronto, from the States, so this was also a “must” stop and the beauties that it holds it makes this stop worth.

There are many legends and myths connected to the Falls, and like it happens for many other natural places, it is quite unlikely they even hold a foundation of truth. Nevertheless, they help to add some mystery to the spectacular beauty.

I suppose it is quite common for humans to create legends when they found themselves in front of something so majestic and spectacular that inspire so many strong feelings and put them back to the place where they belong. The place of the observer, who understands how small he/she is in front of the marvels of a living Universe.

I have seen quite many falls in my travels, from the Angel Falls in Venezuela to the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and the Niagara Falls between USA and Canada. It is not a question of how far do they stretch or from how high do the waters fall. For me, there is something extremely attractive in each Fall, and I love to lose myself in the admiration.

They have different voices, speak different languages, and tells different stories, all worth to be heard and like many others, I loved to hear the tales told by Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. 

The visit to Toronto didn't lack of attractions, and I really enjoyed my stay. The city was exactly the way I imagined it’d be, preserving the heritage between its past and the projection to the future. It is an easy going city.

For a tourist, this is the place where to find every day something new to do, as the city is filled with seasonal activities to keep you busy.

In the summertime, when the weather is merciful, you will definitely enjoy a good walk around the city, a visit to the Queens Park and simply sit down in one of the many cafeterias enjoying the view of the city from different points of view.

Perhaps, you might also spot a local celebrity going shopping, surrounded by bodyguards and screaming fans (that’s the tough price for being popular).

Or you can have the pleasure and joy to be stuck as you come out from a shop because of the craziest thunderstorm, you'd ever seen, came from out of nowhere (and of course, you do not have an umbrella).

Stay dry, stay safe, but particularly, STAY TUNED, as next week there will be another destination shared to you. From The Wandering Writer with love!!!