Anywhere Galvanized

About 2017: Life According to Instagram

Taylor Looking Out over Quito

2017 started in South America. Dodging fireworks beneath the giant church in Cusco’s Plaza de Armas, to be more specific. If you asked me what the year ahead was going to look like, I don’t think I could have told you. I didn’t know where I’d be in three days, much less, where I’d be at the same time next year. But isn’t it funny how, ready or not, next year always seems to come.

I don’t share too much about my personal life on Travel Outlandish because I don’t consider myself to be “that kind of blogger”. But, what the hell. In case you were curious, 2017 was a big one. It was a year of some significant losses. It was also the year that I trekked in Patagonia on my own, the year that I finally learned Spanish, the year that some major relationships evolved, the year that this blog took off, and the year that I moved to Berlin. I’d be lying if I said it was all painless, but it wasn’t all bad either. It was a year full of monumental, messy, hard-to-handle lessons that will [hopefully] make 2018 that much better. So, from Peru to Germany, here’s a look back at 2017 as I saw it.

What 2017 Looked like on @TravelOutlandish

About 2017 | July | The UK 🇬🇧 I’ve always found the magic part of travel to be the shake up. Torn from a commute and a shopping list and a neighborhood we know, we start exploring. We make real moves rather than letting our muscles carry us. We lose our scripts and start listening. We ask ourselves why we do what we do, and we do different things. But you know what? This process is at once beautiful and exciting and addictive and absolutely draining. If June was about revisiting, July was for rebooting. London was a perfect time to organize the mess. I went to ball pit bars and museums and street food parks, yet still my favorite parts were making dinner with best friends and movie nights and listening to podcasts in the bathtub. I was weeks away from moving to Berlin, and I sure as hell would have taken longer baths if I knew all the fun I was about to get into 🛀

A post shared by Taylor | Travel Outlandish (@traveloutlandish) on

About 2017 | September | Germany 🇩🇪Did I mention summertime in Berlin is magic? Sonntagskaraoke am Mauerpark is the best kind of karaoke. The man behind the scenes shows up every summer Sunday at 3pm with a mobile sound system. The Bearpit fills up with German cowboys, health goths, and ‘90s babysitters united only by a common love of Boney M. and Nena. When someone takes the stage to sing, they are respected. The crowd leans in to listen. They hope for the best, they fill in the gaps, and they dance along. To me, Sunday Karaoke represents what community in Berlin is all about. Be your weird self and you’re accepted. Be anything else and you’re ignored. And if you can find acceptance while you’re singing 4 Non Blondes with all your heart, I do believe that just about anything is possible.

A post shared by Taylor | Travel Outlandish (@traveloutlandish) on

About 2017 | November + December | Germany 🇩🇪 I guess I really left you hanging back there in October. What can I say? I got the flu. But, it’s the last day of January, so at least I can close out last year’s story. If I learned anything in 2017, it was that life is full of more possibilities than you can even imagine. We waste so much time longing for what we had, feeling jealous about what we don’t have, and getting trapped by what we do have. We hold ourselves back from experiencing possibilities because we have a very narrow idea of what we should be doing. But you know what? Sometimes you should be doing the impractical. Maybe you’ll lose something, but maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll gain everything, and doesn’t that seem worth it to you? 🎨 by @elbochoberlin

A post shared by Taylor | Travel Outlandish (@traveloutlandish) on

That’s a wrap on 2017! What was your year like? If you want to stay up with more stories like these, you can find me on Instagram at @TravelOutlandish.

2 Comments

  • Reply
    Allison Green
    February 16, 2018 at 10:08 am

    I love the way you write, and it’s so fun to get to take a look back at your year with you… cuz I’m nosy like that. Can’t wait to reunite in Berlin (and Sofia) in the upcoming weeks. I’m saving all my weirdest jokes for you <3

    • Reply
      Taylor Record
      February 26, 2018 at 8:37 am

      Thanks for reading, Allison! I really liked what you said about writing in your own voice more. It’s a good challenge, for sure. Can’t wait to see you SOOOO soon!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.