23
Jan
2015
0

Our 100th Post!

When we started the blog in April 2014, after our Jordan trip, it was with the idea to inspire people to explore the world. My job was to write and Ankur’s was to manage the pictures. In all honesty, we weren’t sure whether the blog would survive 3 months, considering our regular jobs. Neither did we buy a domain name until mid October 2014 nor did we design the webpage to make it pleasing to the eye.

Jordan... the trip that inspired us to start the blog 

Jordan… the trip that inspired us to start the blog

However, in the first week of October, when I was frantically typing out a post on Zadar, our favourite city in Croatia, we realised that we were indeed serious about our travel blogging. Ankur spent a little money and got the domain name. We were lucky that the name was available! We invested four long days and designed the website, sized pictures and uploaded them and added cross links to make the site easy to navigate and visually appealing. Ticking the Bucketlist, in its current avatar was finally born. Our style of writing has evolved over the last ten months, hopefully, to your liking.

It has been an interesting journey so far. This is our 100th post….not too bad, what do you think? We have written about our travels in India and abroad and weekend getaways from Mumbai.

We have seen some stunning pictures in our Monday Musings sections contributed by travel bloggers around the world. We have met and interviewed some interesting people who have made us feel that we should quit our jobs and set sail to explore the world – there is so much to explore!

This is a reminiscing post, highlighting what your readers enjoyed the most and what we enjoyed the most. Maybe its our little award ceremony for the posts that have done well… clap clap clap…

Maximum Number of Views

For the initial three months, our first post had the maximum number of views. Very obvious! In November 2014, we posted a picture of Cappadocia under our Monday Musings sections. The post generated some initial interest, like every other post. Suddenly in January 2015, it started climbing the charts and has now become the most viewed post on our blog! We need to thank Ashwin Bahulkar, a fellow blogger for the post.

Search and Find Award

It really isn’t easy to get to the first couple of page of Google search results. Our airline review of Malindo Air has managed to do that! The budget airline launched its services in India in 2014. While we all like to fly by using low cost tickets, not many are keen to be the guinea pig. Well, we went to Malaysia with Malindo Air and shared the review with our readers. Amongst all our posts, the post reviewing Malindo Air pops up on Google’s second page when one searches for ‘Malindo Air Review’.

One-up – Maximum number of +1s on Google Plus

As we started our Croatia sojourn and boarded the flight from Mumbai to Dubrovnik, we were super excited to tick two items off our bucketlist – Plitvice National Park on Ankur’s list and the blue grotto on my list. There was so much to see and do in Croatia – sunbathe on the rocky beaches in Hvar, imagine the historical times while walking through the Diocletian’s Palace in Split, feel the touristy pulse in Dubrovnik… lots and lots more.

Sunset in Hvar

Sunset in Hvar

We sat in the plane like two excited little children and I decided to share our itinerary and plans. The 10 day itinerary, from Dubrovnik to Zagreb listed our plans – island hopping, sailing, road tripping and off course, finding delicious local vegetarian produce. If you are looking for a 10 day itinerary along the Croatian coast, this post will surely help. Maybe, that is the reason why it is our most +1d post on Google Plus.

Ankur’s Favourite Post

Choosing his favourite post has been a tussle for Ankur. It’s a tie between the top two contenders were:

Both these destinations were high on Ankur’s bucketlist. We braved bone chilling winter with temperatures of -25 degrees Celsius to watch the Northern Lights in Abisko. The difficult environmental conditions to witness Nature’s spectacular phenomenon and uncertainty of it’s occurrence makes the whole experience every more special.

We walked amongst breath taking waterfalls in Plitvice, while it rained and drizzled. Weather conditions weren’t the best, but we are glad we stayed longer than the other tourists. After 5 hours of pouring rain, the Sun God blessed us with a couple of hours of sunshine to enjoy the water reflect the golden sunrays. We would have struggled on our own, had it not been Romeo and Juliet travel agency, that held our hand and guided us in the in the blinding rain.

My Favourite Post

There is something about the Middle East that I find enigmatic and charming. Maybe its my year long work stint in Dubai that makes me feel comfortable in the region. Or maybe it is the warmth of the people. Regardless, I would love to go to the Middle East at the drop of a hat!

It is obvious that my favourite post has to be from the Middle East. Our Jordanian sojourn in March 2014 gave us the opportunity to float on the Dead Sea! As a child, I had read about the Dead Sea, but not in my wildest fantasies did I imagine bobbing on it’s surface. Well, not until I was bitten by the travel bug! ‘Floating on the Dead Sea‘ is an experience that should be on everyone’s bucketlist!

Most E-mail Engagement

There is a hidden romantic in each one of us, regardless of the age. Its in the mind, in the heart and in the surroundings. A place as beautiful as Maldives can make even the stone hearted feel mushy, provided the company is right! It is a honeymooners paradise in every sense. Single souls, worry not! The place is as enchanting to the snorkelers and divers as it is to the honeymooners.

We have received loads of emails from our readers requesting us to help them plan their Maldivian getaway…which resorts to stay in, which room category to book, whether the sea plane ride is worth the money, what is the all-inclusive package all about… all these and many more. Hope we have done justice in answering all queries! We love it when you want to know more!

Most Promoted by a Tourism Board

Dubrovnik Tourism Board accepted our proposal to work with them when our blog was merely three months old! Many many thanks! The Dubrovnik Tourism Board ensured that we got the see the best that Dubrovnik has to offer, including a concert during the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. Our posts on Dubrovnik were shared by them on their social networking sites.

Red tiled roofs of Dubrovnik

Red tiled roofs of Dubrovnik

This gesture gave us the push the we needed to continue writing..and here we are… 9 months and 99 posts later… finishing the 100th one!

Do have a post on our blog that you like? Let us know… you will surely make our day!

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