The last few months of 2019 were a blur. Between September and November, I went on quick, back-to-back trips to Denver, Montreal and Chicago, and then I spent the last two weeks of the year in Portugal, ringing in the new year from the beautiful Algarve. And somewhere in between all that, I made a very serious (and scary) professional decision that will define the following year: I quit my job.
This is all to say that I’ve had a busy, emotional and slightly chaotic last few months of 2019. For this reason, I’ve decided to put the last 12 months in writing: This is a way for me to take a deep breath, step back and reflect on the past year to see how far I’ve come, both personally and professionally.
Let’s start with my favorite topic: travel.
My 2019 Travels
2019 was a slower travel year for me in the sense that I only traveled abroad three times, and only one of those times was to a new country. I traveled to over 25 countries between 2017 and 2018 while I was backpacking full-time, so 2019 was a definite change of pace. It was my first full year living in New York City, and I spent a lot of time adjusting to my new life and home, especially getting used to the 9-to-5 routine once again.
ROAD TRIP THROUGH TUSCANY IN MARCH
I did go on a very special trip in March to celebrate my mom’s 50th birthday in Italy. It was our first time traveling internationally together other than to Brazil, where my family’s from. We brought along my stepdad, my boyfriend Guil and a lifelong family friend. We spent a few days wining and dining in Florence before renting a car and road tripping through Tuscany, spending a few nights in the beautiful medieval town of Siena along the way.
This was my second time in Italy, and I’m grateful for the chance to share my love for the country with my family. Everything from the pasta and wine to the old world charm makes me fall deeper in love with the country with each visit.
SUMMER GETAWAY TO MIAMI
I spent most of the spring and summer exploring NYC, but when July hit, Guil and I escaped to Miami for a few days. It had been months since we returned home. It was great to catch up with friends and spend lazy days by the pool and beach. It was also the first time I went back to Miami as a dedicated content creator; I tested my tripod for the first time to capture the photos above.
WORKING WITH VISIT PHILLY IN AUGUST
I had the chance to visit Philadelphia in August, so I reached out to the tourism board to see if they would be interested in a collaboration. They said yes! This was a huge accomplishment for me as a travel blogger. The tourism board sponsored my stay and activities in the city, and I spent the weekend learning all about American history and eating my way through Philly’s thriving dining scene.
BIRTHDAY TRIP TO DENVER
One of my best friends lives in Denver, and I was due for a visit. It just so happened that the trip lined up with my birthday, and to celebrate, we watched Above & Beyond perform at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater. We also took day trips to Boulder, the Continental Divide, Breckenridge and the Garden of the Gods, and we did it all in three days!
MONTREAL + CHICAGO IN OCTOBER
Guil and I were finally able to take some time off work together for a trip to Montreal, locking in the only new country I visited in 2019. It was my first time in Canada, and we had a lovely time wandering Montreal’s charming cobblestoned streets. We were lucky enough to catch the leaves peaking, with the golden colors of fall unveiling themselves to us at every corner.
The following weekend I flew to Chicago for a quick two days, just to visit my mom and stepdad who were in town for a wedding. It was my second time in the city, and I had forgotten just how gorgeous its skyscrapers are, and just how wonderfully blue Lake Michigan can be.
THANKSGIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO
It wouldn’t be long until I saw my mom again, as we had previously planned to spend Thanksgiving together. She lives in a suburb town outside San Francisco, where we celebrated with family and friends who flew in from Brazil for the occasion. Long drives down the Pacific Coast Highway were my favorite, and I paid a visit to my all-time favorite beach after what felt like ages.
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR IN PORTUGAL
A few days ago I returned home to NYC after an exciting two weeks in Portugal. Guil and I met his family there for the holidays, and the trip couldn’t have been more beautiful. We spent Christmas in a glass-walled house overlooking the mountainous coast of Cascais, just 30 minutes from Lisbon and a few minutes from Sintra.
For New Years, we drove down to the Algarve and threw a dinner party in what felt like an L.A.-esque mansion overlooking a big yard with a pool and a picture-perfect backdrop of ocean and mountains. We helped plan a secret engagement for his older sister, and the setting couldn’t have been more idyllic. It was a lovely way to enter 2020.
Looking back, I feel a little silly saying that 2019 was a slow travel year for me. I was able to visit charming cities and spend much-needed quality time with friends and family, something I definitely missed while traveling abroad the two previous years. I was also able to spend some time exploring more of New York state—a goal I have for this upcoming year, too. Last year I visited Tarrytown and the Catskills, the latter with a group of blogger friends I made through Instagram.
Though I didn’t travel as far as I’d like, and I felt a bit uninspired as a result, it was still a remarkable year for personal and professional growth.
My 2019 Accomplishments
I’m generally very hard on myself (aren’t we all?), and even though I try to write down weekly accomplishments in my Passion Planner, I rarely review them at the end of the month. Truth is, I often forget how far I’ve come in any given period of time and am constantly chasing what’s “next.”
Writing this blog post is a healthy reminder that, damn, I did accomplish a whole lot last year—and I can’t wait to double, triple, quadruple it in 2020.
- In January I rebranded my Instagram from a travel couple account (so long, @double.occupancy) to my personal brand today, @bycarlavianna
- In April I relaunched this travel blog under my new personal brand
- I grew as a writer and reporter at my job, writing some pieces I’m quite proud of:
- And greatly improved my interior and food photography:
- I worked with some of my favorite brands like Columbia, Thursday Boots and Free People, and for the first time in my Instagram career, I began consistently landing paid collaborations
- I connected with the local blogger community here in NYC and made some pretty awesome friendships
- I worked with my first tourism board, and was invited to be part of the inauguration of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship
- I upgraded to my dream camera, the Sony a7iii with a drool-worthy 24mm f/1.4 lens
- I QUIT MY JOB. In October I made the biggest decision I’ve made since moving to New York. I was at a crossroads and had to choose between pursuing a career in travel writing, blogging and content creation or my current job—and I chose to continue chasing my passion for traveling and creating.
Looking Ahead to 2020
I still haven’t laid out all my goals for 2020, but here’s the gist of it:
Survive without a traditional 9-to-5 job.
My main goal is to create a location independent career in which I can work off my laptop from anywhere in the world. There are three main areas I’ll be focusing on to make this happen: my blog, my Instagram and my travel writing.
- I want to make my travel blog profitable.
- I want to grow my travel Instagram account.
- I want to establish myself as a freelance writer and see my name published in travel magazines.
On a personal level, I would love to fall into a healthy exercising routine, pay more attention to what I’m eating and better my cooking skills at home.
Now that I’m not tied to a 9-to-5 routine, I also hope to travel a lot in between. I strive to travel with intention this year, to travel deeply to destinations that engage my entire being. I want to pick places based on what will inspire my personal and creative growth, rather than just traveling to say “I’m traveling this weekend.”
So far I have Puerto Rico and Miami booked for February, with a lot more in their initial planning stages. You can most likely expect to see me globetrotting through Southeast Asia again this year (hello again, Bali!!!). Plus, I also have trips to Banff and the south of Africa in the works, a handful of weddings, and a big project that involves Brazil at the end of the year. Stay tuned, 2020.
with love,
Carla x
Go Carla go!
Thank you, Stef!! 🙂
Hi Carla, I love your blog and reading it makes me feel I am not the only one with BIG plans for 2020 that never happened (and will happen). 2020 such a year of challenging for all of us. I also have big plans for Brazil in 2020 – I am Brazilian, living in USA for the past 15 years. Hope things will get better soon again!