It is my pleasure to introduce you all to my travel blog version 2.0, Inspired Around the World!

Version 2.0 includes my own domain! Doesn’t it already look more professional?

“Why, McKenna, did you change your blog name?” said no one ever.

Whether or not you care, here’s why I did it.

“Los Viajes de McKenna” + blog written in English = ???

If I want to grow this blog, I feel I should have the title be in the language the blog is written in.

Imagine this: you’re trying to find travel tips to spend a day in Imbabura, Ecuador. You come across a blog entry that lists 11 things to do. Awesome! Except, the name of the blog is in Spanish, and let’s imagine you don’t know Spanish. So, you wouldn’t click on this post – and thus, you’d be missing out on great travel tips.

Or, let’s say you do speak Spanish. You come across a blog that’s called “Los viajes de McKenna.” Even though you don’t give a shit who this McKenna is, you figure she must have good travel advice for Ecuador. So, you click on the link, only to realize that the blog is written in English. So, you leave without learning about all the cool places to visit.

See what I mean? My first blog title could have been misleading. While I’d like to have posts in English and Spanish in the future, right now I should stick with everything with the language I’m using, English.

I want my travel blog to focus on being INSPIRED

I want to be more than a travel blog that gives advice on cool places to go. I want my posts to inspire people: to think outside of the box; to do what they’ve always wanted to do but were terrified to do so; to not be afraid to be themselves in a world that tells them not to.

In addition to travel, I also want to inspire my students (that’s how I’ve been able to live abroad and travel the world since graduating university). Maybe they won’t read this blog, but inspiring others to be the best version of themselves is part of my job.

And, being in new places inspires me. Hearing people speak other languages inspires me. It’s interesting to see how other people around the world live.

I also want to share the stories of the people I meet on this blog. Traveling around the world – especially by myself – has pushed myself to meet people I otherwise wouldn’t have met. And their stories have inspired me from visiting a specific place that I may have not heard about, to deciding to volunteer in Colombia after I graduated university.

I want to be a resource for others teaching English abroad

I’ve come across several travel blogs, and several TEFL blogs, but I haven’t come across many that include both. Over time, I’d like to include stories of when I first started to teach abroad, common mistakes first-time teachers do and how to fix them, teaching children vs adults, and how to have a healthy work-life-travel balance.

I want to grow this blog

I don’t care about being the number one travel blog online. But writing this blog has been a lot of fun. It’s so exciting when I get to share a new post, and it’s even better when people comment – sometimes strangers! Especially during quarantine, when you think I wouldn’t have anything to write about, I’ve been able to write about my past travel adventures, like when I lived in Villavicencio, Colombia for three years. Or, how travel has helped me overcome and appreciate my shy and introverted self. I’m curious to see how else I can grow this blog.

Don’t like the name?

I don’t care. I’ve been trying for weeks to think of a new name for my blog. Almost all the good names are taken, and it’s been really hard to think of something original.

Plus, thinking of names and titles is hard for me. Whenever I’d write an essay or poem, I’d have to think of the title last. Funny how it’s easy to write a 1500+ post, but very difficult to give it at 10-words or less title. So now that I’ve thought of something that’s not taken, and fits with my purpose, I’m done; I’m so tired of trying to be original and and Googling my every guess, it’s exhausting.

Is the title cheesy? Cliche? Maybe. I don’t care. It fits me. Travel has inspired me, it’s made the world more beautiful for me, and I want to inspire others through my writing and teaching. And if anyone has a problem with that, then there are millions of other blogs online you can read.

To everyone else still here, thanks for sticking around! Cheers to more posts and adventures to come!