Introducing the New Wandering Footsteps

Last year, when I finished my Southern African loop and returned home to Canada for five weeks of family time, I neglected my blog.  Two months went by without a word from me, and many of you wondered why.

The same thing seems to have happened this summer.  After faithfully writing once a week for the past seven months, time has gotten away from me and I haven’t posted since flying away from Africa and my overland East African loop.

It’s not that life has been boring – on the contrary, there are so many Canadian stories I’d like to tell you.  It’s just that this year, I’ve been working on my blog in a different way.  In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been redesigning my blog.

This new blog format has been a long time coming.  The idea to finally have my own blog domain has been quietly simmering in my mind for a few years – probably since I [re]learned to love writing while living on a farm in Zimbabwe.  But, with my lack of time, – full-time travel is busier than you’d think! – technology-ineptitude, and infrequent internet connection, revamping Wandering Footsteps into a more professional-looking blog remained just that – an idea.

Then along came two special people who helped change that situation for me.  A day after I returned to Canada, we welcomed our first of several visitors into my parents’ home for a few days – my childhood friend Nanette and her husband Karl.  They are the owners and photographers of Luminaire Foto, a Florida-based wedding photography business with a personal and environmentally-conscious touch.  They are amazingly talented – and as an added bonus, Karl has a background in web design.

Suddenly, I had a blog mentor.

Then came an opportunity with a fellow travel blogger, Candace Rose Rardon.  Not only is this girl a thoughtful traveler and writer, but she’s an incredibly talented watercolor sketch artist.  She had agreed to depict Bruno and I in our camper van on an African savanna as a gift for my parents-in-law for my upcoming trip to France.

Inadvertently, I had a blog logo.

Equipped with my mentor and my logo – and the amazingly fast internet connection at my parents’ house (one of the many things I appreciate when visiting) – I decided now was indeed the time to take the plunge into a real website.

And so, here you have it – the new (and hopefully improved) version of Wandering Footsteps.  It’s not totally finished yet, but I’ve been so excited to show you all that I couldn’t wait another day to unveil it!  The content is the same – this is still a personal travel blog featuring Bruno’s photos and my stories – but there a few important differences that I’m really excited to share with you:

1) The biggest change is that my website address has changed.  I have bought my own domain and transferred my content from my old blogspot.com address.  This means that my blog is now more truly my own.

2) The home page looks a bit different.  There is a new logo of Bruno and I, with a new slogan and a new mini-bio at the top, above the blog entries.  I’ve done this to clearly show any new users what this website is all about.

3) My new blog entries are not complete on the home page.  The title is there with a photo and an excerpt detailing what the blog entry is about, but it’s up to you to click anywhere on the area in order to access the complete blog entry.

4) My blog entries are archived and organized in a variety of ways at the bottom of every page.  Now you can search for the entries you’re looking for either by date, region of the world, or topic.  I hope this will be an easier way for you to find exactly what you’re looking for!

5) On the right side of the page are a few of my own favorite blog entries written.  If you’re new to the blog or haven’t followed me religiously, you might like to start with these entries.

I’m really excited about the changes to my blog.  Now that I’m writing stories for other publications, this blog represents me in a more professional light to potential editors and readers.  I have felt ready to say goodbye to the childhood version of my blog, which has been with me for nine more years.  This blog makes me feel all grown-up, and I couldn’t be happier!  I hope you enjoy perusing the new Wandering Footsteps.  As always, I’d love your feedback!