My Year in Review
Thank you for an amazing year! And a few pitch requests.
Happy Holidays my lovely subscribers! I hope 2024 was a great year for you and brought you much joy and success. It was a busy one for me, and when I look back at it, I can’t believe that I really did all this.
Many of you have been integral to my success, feeding me carefully crafted story ideas, connecting me to interesting subjects and hosting me on press trips. I sincerely appreciate our collaborations and look forward to working with you more closely next year.
TRAVEL
I took 27 trips traveling to 19 countries & 9 states in the U.S. - possibly my most traveled year ever. Some destinations that weren’t on my list initially that I ended up enjoying a lot were - Lexington, Saskatoon & Fargo.
I learned a lot about people and cultures, ate some amazing meals, and encountered so much wildlife!
Some of the highlights from my trips in 2024 were:
Seeing polar bears for the first time in the wild in Churchill, Canada & northern lights from my bed on the same night (Natural Habitat Adventures does an amazing job)
Trekking to see chimpanzees and mountain gorillas in Uganda (not my first time with the gorillas, but this luxury trip had daily massages included)
Spending my second honeymoon at Turtle Island, Fiji (named one of the most romantic places in the world by Oprah & now, me :)
Traveling with world renowned chefs Andrew Zimmern, Maneet Chauhan, and Marcus Samuelson to The Bahamas; and on another trip with chef Richard Sandoval to Oaxaca, Mexico (the culinary scene exceeded everything I had heard and expected)
Taking a Christmas Markets cruise along the Danube (I visited 18 Christmas Markets across 4 countries with Viking & really felt the holiday spirit)
I have had a great privilege to take multiple trips a year that many people consider as “bucket lists.” I have seen more than this world than I ever dreamt of (121 countries to be precise) & I am not even 45 yet!
Where do I want to go in 2025? I already have some trips lined up that I am very excited about - a cruise along West Africa, two weeks in China, Denali National Park, and visiting Idaho for the first time.
WRITING
This year, I intentionally choose to write less yet exceeded my income as a freelance journalist. I wrote about travel, food, lesser known and off-season destinations, beaches, safaris, hotels, cruises, airlines, coffee shops, travel tips, wellness, products, and even a political op-ed piece.
In 2024, I published 72 articles + 5 blogs for:
National Geographic Traveler
Travel+Leisure
Fodor’s
AAA
Marriott Bonvoy Traveler
TimeOut
HuffPost
Atlanta Magazine
Explore Gwinnett
Discover DeKalb
Georgia Trend Magazine
Khabar Magazine
Go Eat Give
Exactly, 50% of my stories were on Travel & 50% on Food
25 of my stories were in PRINT
This year, I also wrote my longest feature ever - a 19 page spread for Explore Georgia’s 2025 official state guide that you will see at every coffee table in GA through next year.
Some of my favorite stories I wrote in 2024:
Reimagining Disability in Hospitality
We Can Do Better To Support Immigrants
If We Don't Change Our Ways, We Risk Losing Coffee (And Other Foods We Love)
This Gorgeous Region is Greece is Where The Greeks Go on Vacation
To read all of my recent work, visit my portfolio page.
SPEAKING
I know that I am happiest when I am speaking in front of people, sharing my stories from around the world and watching them feel inspired to live out their own fantasies. I thrive on feeding on my audiences' energy and excitement, and hope to do more of that in the coming years.
Keynoting at the 2024 Governor’s Tourism Conference in Atlanta (a great honor in my home state where I immigrated to when I was 17 years old)
Organizing and leading a media industry panel at International Media Marketplace (IMM) Summit in New York City
Keynoting at the 2024 Indian International Women’s Day event in Atlanta
Speaking at 3 session at IMEX Las Vegas, the largest meeting planners conferences in the U.S.
As I grow & shift my career, my goals are to amplify my message & storytelling to large audiences from bigger stages. I am already scheduled to do several school visits, deliver a keynote in Las Vegas & possibly my 4th TED talk in 2025.
If you are planning any masterclasses, conferences or events where you would like to hear me speak, please check out my speaker profile.
PERSONAL
On the personal front, my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! We decided to have a traditional 3-day Indian-style wedding party (with every detail organized by me of course), and our friends and family joined us from all over the world for the festivities in ATL. It was a memorable event, especially for us, since we never had a big wedding the first time, as we were both struggling college students back then.
Our cat baby, Beato (Yes, he has his own instagram account), turned 15 in December & we threw him a big cat-themed party with fish bowl cocktails and a customized cake. He actually loved getting all the attention and presents!
I also tried to get a scuba diving certification (thanks to PADI) but after grueling lessons, decided I can let go of this dream for now. I am an expert "life-jacket" snorkeler though & snorkeled with sharks in The Maldives & saw the underwater sculptures in Grenada this year.
GO EAT GIVE
I founded Go Eat Give in 2011 to facilitate mutual understanding across people from different backgrounds, religions and nationalities, with the aim that this would ultimately lead to more peace and friendship in the world. I believe that sentiment is still very relevant in today's world and our work is far from done.
After running my nonprofit organization for 14 years, I worked on rebranding it with a new logo, mission and website to reflect the current needs of the traveler. We also hired some wonderful new staff members!
While the core of Go Eat Give remains the same - to travel sustainably and meaningfully - we now offer customized tour packages and itinerary consultations. You can choose to chat with an expert (that’s me), get a day-by-day plan for your trip, or let us take care of the entire bookings.
Our goal in 2025 is to generate more revenue and awareness for the organization.
In case you would like to hire our service or make a tax deductible donation, please visit goeatgive.com
3 TAKEAWAYS FROM 2024
The first thing about these year-end reviews is that we really shouldn't bound ourselves by calendar deadlines, as there is no time and space in the spiritual world. Like many of you, I also create goals and resolutions in the beginning of the year, and then hold myself accountable, which often results in disappointment. So, I have let go of this. My objectives for getting in shape, getting that book deal, having a travel column, or my own TV show will happen when or if it is meant to happen!
I learned to "follow the joy" more often. To not obsess about deadlines and checklists, wanting to do more, be more successful, jump on every opportunity, etc., but to pat myself on the back and do the things that make me happy. And to question each task before taking it on - will this make me happier or add value to my life?
Being a people person makes it hard for me when friends don't reciprocate or a relationship goes cold. I am learning to let go of people who are not on the same wavelength anymore and serve my purpose. I read that every person comes in our life to play a role or teach us something, but when that act is over, it is ok for them to leave the stage. On that note, I have met some amazing people this year who I now call friends!
If you are still reading this, that means you care to join me on this stage of my life and I would love to hear from you about you and how I can help you personally or professionally. Let's connect one-on-one in a way human beings were initially intended to - with love, empathy and understanding!
PITCH REQUESTS
I am looking for unique and new story ideas on the following topics. If you need a refresher, please take a moment to read my past Substacks on pitching tips.
Turmeric Experts
Spring Travel
Family Travel
Outdoors & Adventure
Black History Month / Black Travel
South Asian (Indian) Dining
Dining in GA
Manila TEDx Hub is looking for patrons or sponsors (airlines, hotels, tour operators, any businesses) to support event production costs, offer an extraordinary experience to attendees, and extend their shared vision of spreading innovative ideas. Contact Leah lgcioco@up.edu.ph for more information and mention my name.