Hey everyone! Today is my 23rd birthday. Isn’t that exciting?
The 22nd year of my life took me to so many places: I moved to France on a whim, stayed at a 200-year old French apple farm, visited my lovely cousin in Istanbul, drank lots of frothy brews in Germany (twice), shopped for my dream neighborhood in London, drove down the French Atlantic coast to Spain, explored fairytale cities in Alsace and most importantly, had the absolute time of my life with great friends in Paris.
Some of the home-based high points were having breakfast on top of Pompidou, watching Nadal at the French Open, learning a third language and making strides in my career as a freelance writer, columnist and blogger. Needless to say, 22 was a very happy and successful year.
To ensure that 23 is just as amazing as 22, I’ve made a list of everything I want to accomplish during the next year. (And in case you guys haven’t noticed, I’m kind of obsessed with lists, ha.) Hopefully next year I’ll report back proudly on all of the international shenanigans I’ve gotten myself into.
So here’s what I’m dying to do this year:
- Learn how to scuba-dive
- Get in the best shape of my life (via yoga + muay thai perhaps?)
- Move to a new city after the Asia trip
- Get a job that I love
- Learn how to drive manually
- Try surfing again
- Learn how to cook Asian food
- Go to a music festival
- Get 3 freelance articles published
- Volunteer for a great cause
- Attend a travel blogging or media conference
- Fight muay thai
- Make a conscious effort to keep up my French and Spanish
- Take a graphic design course
- Throw a surprise birthday party
- Try Stand Up Paddleboarding
- Run a 5K Color Run
- Pay off all my debt
- Learn how to use my camera in manual, learn how to shoot in RAW and edit with lightroom
- Buy a new wardrobe
- Buy a custom-design for my site
- Learn how to do liquid eyeliner like a French girl (yup, still failing after a year)
- Keep blogging!
. . . . . . . . . .
As for the rest of the summer, my travel plans will take me across three continents. Here’s my itinerary:
July 24- HOME (Words can literally not express how excited I am to see my family and spend time at my lake house.)
August 4- Chicago to visit college friends and pick up my travel buddy from the airport!
August 22- Los Angeles (to see one of my best friends from high school!)
August 30- Hong Kong!!!!!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading Ashley Abroad. All of your comments and shares make the sometimes-slog through site crashes and uploading photos so, so worth it. More than anything, it has really been a joy to connect with so many other travelers around the world.
. . . . . . . . . .
I just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts recently- moving back across the Atlantic has been just as frenzied and time-consuming as I had thought! Expect lots of travel coverage soon though- I’m off to Asia in five weeks!
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Happy Birthdsy, Ashley. Good writing.
Thanks Julie, that means a lot :)
Happy, happy birthday Ashley!! I’m so glad I could take part in some of your adventures last year and I can’t wait to read about what happens next in your life! I hope you have the most amazing day! Enjoy the last (hot!) summer days in France!
Thanks, Julika! I can’t wait to read about what happens next for you as well. It was so much fun to travel together this year!!!
Happy birthday Ashley. I hope you reach all your goals for the next year.
Thanks so much, Steve :)
Happy Birthday!!!! :)
Thank you, Jack!!
Happy birthday!! Hope you had an amazing time!! Can’t wait to read about all of your adventures in Asia!! And thank you for completely inspiring me to travel- I’m taking a gap year and hopefully should be able to get a trip somewhere planned!! x
Wow that’s so, so amazing! As a travel blogger that means the world to me to hear that. Please email me if you have any questions and congrats for taking the leap!
Happy birthday! I’m excited to follow along with your upcoming travels.
Aw thanks! I’m excited to share :)
Happy birthday! I’ve enjoyed reading about your time in Paris, and I’m sure Asia will be equally fantastic!
Thank you, Laura! I’m hoping so as well but time will tell I suppose :)
Happy birthday! Good luck with all of your goals this year, I’m sure you’ll make them happen!
Thanks Christine, what a sweet comment. I really hope so! :)
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I cannot believe your time in Paris is up – seems like we were just talking about all of this. I wish you the best of luck and I know this year will be even better than the last (although gosh you had a great last year)!
I honestly can’t believe it either, it’s SO STRANGE that it’s come to an end. (I am writing this from Heathrow btw!) It was so great hanging out with you in Europe this year, hopefully we’ll be able to travel together again at some point. Best of luck in Karlsruhe!
Happy Birthday :D Looks like you have had an awesome year, Looking forward to reading about all your exciting adventures in the next year to come :)
Aw thanks Brendon, I’ll be following along with yours as well :)
Happy Birthday! You’re only a little older than me – inspiring me to make my own list for my 23rd :) If you make it to Australia this year I’ll help you with number 5 ;)
Aw thanks, that would be awesome! I’d love to head to Australia at some point :)
Happy Birthday Ashley! I love your list for 23…I’m looking forward to seeing you cross “learn to scuba dive” off that list :)
Hopefully I won’t chicken out before I actually do it! :)
Happy Birthday!
Those are some great goals. #18 requires lots of discipline but has a huge long term benefit!
You can do it. Best of luck!
It definitely will require lots of discipline but I know it will give me peace of mind to be debt-free so it will be worth it. Thanks so much for the encouragement, Shaun, hope you have a great year as well :)
Happy birthday Ashley! Here’s to us July babies! Unlike you, I think I was dreading my birthday a little more….25 just feels old!
I hope this year brings you everything you want. I’m sure it will!!
25 is young!! And I hope I will be able to accomplish everything I want to though I normally fall a bit short of my goals (my fault for reaching to high I guess.) Good luck in Spain and have an amazing year as well!
Congrats Ashley! 22 was certainly a great year for you and I’m sure 23 will be even better! :)
Thanks so much, Melanie! Here’s hoping :)
Happy birthday and good luck with achieving your goals for the next year! Regards!
Thanks so much, Stef!
Happy Birthday! You have to give #16 a shot, once you get on a paddleboard it is very hard to get off, at least for me it was :)
Thank you! And I’m really looking forward to giving it a shot :)
SCUBA diving is amazing. Good thing to have as #1.
LA is my hometown so let me know if you need any pointers :)
Aw, thanks! And I honestly can’t wait to scuba dive :)
Happy birthday, Ashley! Sounds like you have a great year ahead of you. A lot of things have been (and still are) on my list!
Thanks so much, Susan! I’m really looking forward to finally checking them off my list :)