Alright, there were some downs to go with the ups.
Dear Jane,
There’s still time to do a wrap up for the past year, right? We’re not too deep into 2026. I admit that I wasn’t much in a festive mood this year, but I appreciated the opportunity to look back on my year. I wrote most of this while on my first of four flights for a New Year’s work trip, and then finished it up while stuck in Miami on the way back. I’ll declare that this post is sponsored by Delta Airlines, who was required by law to put in a hotel and feed me.
So, What About 2025?
Life was life-ing in 2025. There was a lot going on, including work taking a lot of my energy, so I didn’t get to put as much into travel or blogging as I wanted to. Over the summer, I was promoted to manager of my team, and with three newish team members and a couple of adults with attitudes: bleh. Personally, I only traveled once in 2025, but for work I went on four trips, including the one I’m on now: New Year’s in Cuba.
In 2025, Dear Jane Travel saw a lot of organic traffic. I’m very grateful to my family and friends who subscribe, but now there are way more people reading the blog. And that has led to partnership offers. I also “earned” about $2 through my affiliate partnership with Lonely Planet. There’s a ways to go before they actually send me that $2 though. But that means I achieved one of the 2024 Dear Jane Travel goals.
Of the partnership offers, I’ve accepted one to date. It’s important to me that Dear Jane Travel is in alignment with the companies it/we/I (?) work with. GPSmyCity reached out to offer me a free three-year membership. It’s is a self-guided walking tour app that offers free and subscription based tours and travel articles. As a budget traveler who often walks and hikes, this was a no brainer.
2025 Travel Stats
These numbers are the only thing I love about Google’s stalking prowess.
- Total Countries Visited: 5 (Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Cuba, and Canada. Honorable mention to Qatar for two very quick layovers.)
- Total New Countries Visited: 3 (Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia)
- Total U.S. States Visited: 3
- Total New U.S. States Visited: 1 (Delaware)
- Miles Traveled: 29,910 (Math isn’t my forte, but last year’s 14,475 miles was 58% around the world, so in 2025 I circled the planet, and then some in miles traveled.)
Other Stats
- Unfinished/Half-written Blog Posts: 9
- Affiliate Marketing Sales: 1
- New Partnerships: 1
- Helicopter Rides: 1
Goals for 2026?
This time last year I said I wasn’t going to create any goals for myself, I just wanted to catch up on the things I wanted to write about that I hadn’t yet, and travel more. Not sure I accomplished that. The surprise of the 2024 achievement made me excited, so I think I am going to set one totally achievable goal: finish writing The Cuba Series. I’ve published Niagara Falls Through Cuban Eyes and Traveling to Cuba. There are three more posts in this series.
Onwards to 2026!
I’m wishing everyone the best for 2026. In the last look back at 2025, I present some photos from my travels, with absolutely no commentary because my work contract doesn’t allow it.
<3 Katherine