Time for another monthly recap and blogging income report. This is where I share what’s new in the world of Desk to Dirtbag over the past month and offer a bit of transparency behind the the life of a travel blogger.
On to this month’s report…
Highlights
Mom Visiting Chile
My mom flew down to Santiago for a brief non-holiday, “holiday visit” (since the dates didn’t coincide) and as always it was great to see her and to run around all over the place sightseeing.
We visited the famous Concha y Toro vineyard near Santiago, explored the incredible metropolis of Santiago, headed out to the coast to explore Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, and so much more. Read more about the best things to do in Santiago Chile here.
Holidays
After my mom took off, Andrea and I meandered down south to Talca, Chile and then Concepcion, Chile where we passed our Christmas and New Year’s Eve in a decent little Airbnb rental downtown.
We wanted to settle down somewhere and not be sent searching for where to go during the Holidays, so it was a nice break before we start the big push to the end of the continent.
Challenges
Sick
Getting sick while traveling is never fun, and I came down with a particularly nasty cold which I was suffering through for Christmas and still struggling to kick the last bit of it in the New Year.
It was great to have that comfy Airbnb place while sick rather than camping in who knows where, but I’d much rather be able to enjoy a pricey Airbnb rental while fully healthy, rather than just lounging around and downing medicine.
Big Expenses
December was also a month full of big expenses, primarily my new travel laptop, which was long overdue and expensive.
And then I had to go buy a pair of new BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A Ko2 tires for my truck… Which were also quite pricey (even more so here in Chile).
The old tires (same as the above, but these are slightly different and improved) have taken me all the way from the United States with no problems, not even a flat… At least not until recently in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile when I noticed a slow leak and dashed off to the tire repair place for a patch.
The back tires were looking pretty bare, and we’ve still got some rough roads ahead as we head into Patagonia, so it was a necessary purchase.
The front two tires are also pretty worn, but they should still have enough life in them to get us to the end of this journey.
Most Popular New Article of the Month
This is a massively updated article about what I look for when it comes to buying a great travel laptop… Primary concerns are weight, size, battery life, and performance.
Additionally, I talk about the old 2-in-1 laptop I used to use as my main travel laptop before the upgrade.
Other New Articles
New articles were somewhat scarce this month…
- Colombia Travel Guide <– What to know, where to go, and more about Colombia.
- Mexico Travel Guide <– Same as above, but for Mexico!
- 7 Adventurous Winter Vacation Ideas <– A few cool places to go when the days are short and cold.
- 2017 Year in Review <– A look back at what went well, what went bad, where I’ve been, and what’s in store for 2018.
Most Popular Instagram Photo
This shot of my nine most liked photos of the year was the most popular on Instagram.
While I posted lots of shots over the year from a number of different countries, these nine shots include only two countries: 8 photos of Peru and 1 photo of Bolivia.
Yeah, Peru was a pretty stunning place.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more photos of my adventures.
What I Read
It’s a book on copywriting, sales, and psychology, filled with different strategies and consisting of lots of short chapters.
Recommended if you are at all interested in the subject.
What I Watched
At the end of the month, I started watching the new season of Black Mirror on Netflix. They are standalone short stories, like movies, that all tend to deal with technology and how it impacts us as individuals or a society.
Some of the episodes are truly excellent and thought-provoking, and while I haven’t finished Season 4, it’s got some great stuff as always. Definitely check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.
December 2017 Income Report
- $262.06 – Amazon Affiliate Sales
- $1,230.40 – MediaVine Display Ads
- $41.94 – REI Affiliate Sales
- $146.69 – Big Travel, Small Budget book sales
- $36.00 – YouTube Videos
- $6.82 – D2D Apparel, Stickers, Etc
- $0.52 – Skimlinks
TOTAL = $1,724.43
GOAL = $1,200 per month
144% of goal covered
December was a record-breaking month in terms of passive income here in Desk to Dirtbag, and I’m grateful to wrap up an awesome year of travel with some great strides made in terms of actually being able to support that travel outside of my freelance work (which is not included in these income report, but is still my main source of income).
I do expect this figure to drop significantly in the month’s that follow though because there is always a substantive uptick in Quarter 4 (Q4 is the end of the year around the Holidays).
Q4 is often the highest in terms of ad revenue and purchases, while Q1 (aka Jan, Feb, Mar) is the lowest.
Despite that immediate future, I make progress when I set my sights just a little beyond where I am at, so I’ve decided to double my goal income from the blog to $2,400 per month, which I aim to achieve by the end of 2018.
Help Me Out
If you have any upcoming purchases, shop through the D2D Shop at no extra cost to you.
Traveling somewhere? Book your hotel through Booking.com or grab your free travel credit for Airbnb.
Thanks! 🙂
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Ryan
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Comments 1
Thank you for giving us a shoutout!
2018 is going to be even better.
~Jenny, Mediavine Marketing Associate