Today marks my two-year anniversary with Gadling.
And my 2000th post exactly.
Post #1 on January 20, 2006 was a short piece introducing myself to Gadling readers. Post # 2000 is a short piece announcing that I will be stepping down.
This will be my last Gadling post, and one that I pen with both excitement and sadness. Gadling has come a long way in the last two years. We had just three writers at the time I started and a small, but faithful readership. Today, we have 16 writers on staff and daily page views that can stretch into the millions. Gadling is continuing to grow and continuing to improve and it was therefore a very difficult decision to step off this astounding train at such an exciting time.
But as you might imagine, averaging almost three posts a day has had a bothersome way of interfering with other projects I’ve wanted to tackle. And that’s why I’ve decided to take a break from blogging and concentrate on some of these ideas I’ve had circulating in my head the last few years.Although I may return for some guest appearances here on Gadling, I will also be doing some outside freelancing while I pursue my projects. So if you’re an editor looking to pass out some assignments, please feel free to email me at any time. (neilgadling(at)gmail(dot)com).
I can’t say goodbye without mentioning just how important travel has been for me. Over the last two years I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate and wonderfully blessed to have spent time in Tahiti, South Korea, North Korea, China, Alaska, the Sierras, Antigua, Alaska a second time, Mexico, Austin, Temecula, Santa Cruz Island, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and the Cook Islands. And, of course, the occasional trip to Las Vegas.
I’m not calling out these locations to brag, but rather with the hope that these posts will help motivate others–especially my fellow countrymen–to reach out and explore the greater, outside world and in doing so, realize that travel opens eyes, breaks down barriers, and makes our planet a far better place as a result.
So with that thought in mind, adieu, auf wiedersehen, dosvidanya, sayonara, ciao, na shledanou, and farewell.
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