Anna January 2025 Update
Happy New Year!
Welcome to my quarterly update. Here, I’ll share a bit about what I got up to towards the end of 2024, what has happened to In Search of Everywhere over the past three months, and what I’m looking forward to in 2025.
You can find my previous updates from 2024 here: October · July · April · January
October
For me, October began with a bang, as I returned from my holiday to Madeira.
I loved visiting Madeira – the island felt friendly and welcoming, and we were treated to great weather. Coming back to cold England at the start of October was not the most fun, but it was good whilst it lasted.
The rest of October was fairly quiet, aside from a trip to the south with work.
November
November is such a transitional month. Bonfire Night, as always, went off with a bang, as I watched the local firework display.
In the middle of November I headed to London to visit a friend. I visited the British Museum for the first time – even though I’ve visited London a lot, I have never managed to make it there. It was exciting to see the Rosetta Stone and other ancient artefacts.
London was insanely busy as per usual. When walking along Piccadilly Circus, I couldn’t believe how many people could squeeze into Fortnum and Mason’s. The decorations were beautiful and it got me more in the Christmas spirit!
December
Right at the start of December, I headed to Lincolnshire for the weekend with my family. We were there for one thing: to visit the seal colony at Donna Nook. Every year, grey seals return to this stretch of coastline over November and December to give birth and look after their pups. It’s a sight to behold and watching the seals is an annual tradition in my household.
When in Lincolnshire, we stayed at Horncastle, a market town a bit south of the Wolds. I’ve spent a bit of time in Horncastle with work this year, but the town is nice so that has never been a problem. We also visited Sutton-on-Sea, my favourite seaside village in Lincolnshire; it was deserted due to the cold weather, but it was nice to breathe in some more sea breeze air whilst in the county.
I didn’t travel anywhere else during December, but that’s not to say the run up to Christmas wasn’t hectic (it was!).
Changes to treatment
One thing I don’t discuss much on In Search of Everywhere, or in day-to-day life, is my colitis. When I’m in remission it barely affects my life, but unfortunately this autumn I had a flare up.
As a result, I’ve started a new treatment, where I receive a drug, infliximab, via infusion. Once the loading period has ended I’ll receive it every eight weeks. Being on infliximab is great in that my symptoms have drastically improved and I’m feeling good again; but it does mean formally saying goodbye to my wildest pipe dream (working on an Antarctic research base). I didn’t have any trips planned, but it’s something that will change how I view backpacking and travelling in the long-term, depending on how my treatment changes in the future.
Colitis isn’t discussed that much, particularly in relation to travel, so I’ll aim to discuss it more on this blog.
Updates to In Search of Everywhere
The last three months haven’t seen any significant changes on In Search of Everywhere.
I’ve added 9 articles to the blog (2 on the UK, 2 on Indonesia, 2 on the Philippines, 1 on Cambodia, 1 on Vietnam and 1 on Bolivia), totalling just over 16,000 words.
I’ve created a Start Here page which I hope will improve navigation through the website, so readers can find the posts they need more easily – find it on the header. I’ve also updated the page on the rating system used throughout this blog, to help readers to find the best rated places (and the worst, if that takes their fancy).
What’s next?
In terms of my personal plans, the rest of winter looks to be quiet, with not much going on. In March, I’m heading to Wales for the weekend, but otherwise there won’t be much travel. Perhaps this is a good thing, as April, May and June are comparatively busy, with a trip to Cyprus planned for May.
In terms of In Search of Everywhere, I’ll continue to post articles, which looks to include a mix of destination guides, itineraries, personal stories and inspirational pieces. There’s a fair few guides from my 2023 backpacking trips which I still need to upload, but there’s also going to be some articles from day and overnight trips I’ve made in the UK over the past few months.
Here’s to a great start to 2025, and a big Happy New Year!
