Stories My Suitcase Could Tell

  • Home
  • About
    • FAQ
  • Destinations
  • Experiences
  • Press
  • Contact
  • Work With Me

Why I Took a Break from Blogging

June 16, 2015 By Katie MacLeod 12 Comments

Why I Took A Blogging BreakIf you’re a regular reader of Stories My Suitcase Could Tell, you’ll have probably noticed that the blog has been unnaturally quiet for the past month.  Why the silence, you may ask? Fear not: I haven’t lost my love of blogging.  In fact, I’ve been working behind the scenes to make Stories My Suitcase Could Tell even better!

There’s a bit of a new look going on (brighter and more modern), but the big difference is one that’s not as noticeable: Stories My Suitcase Could Tell is now self-hosted.  This means that I own the whole website – not just the name – and have much more flexibility over not only how the blog looks, but what appears on it.

The annoying adverts from WordPress that popped up at the end of a story are now history (hurrah!); I can use more industry-friendly bits and pieces in the background to help share my travel tales; and the blog now works just as well on iPads and tablets as it does on your laptop screen.

But the past few weeks haven’t been all Google Analytics, SEO, and resizing hundreds of photos.  There’s been a lot happening here in my little corner of the USA.  I’ve spent a long weekend in Washington DC with one of my closest friends; eaten my way around the Queens neighbourhood of Jackson Heights (one of the most diverse in the world); and taken a trip to the top of the recently opened observation deck of the One World Trade Center.

At the PEN World Voices Festival, I attended a sold-out talk by one of my favourite writers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  Accompanied by the editor of Some Girls, I ate too many cookies at Levain Bakery on the Upper West Side (incidentally one of my favourite spots for sweets in the city).   I visited the Jersey Shore for the first time and, most recently, added another US state – Maine – to the list of locations I’ve unpacked my suitcase in.

In short, it’s been a busy few weeks, meaning there are plenty of travel tales to look forward to on the blog (including one of my most opinionated pieces to date!).  As someone who works with words for a living, fiddling with computer code, even with help, has been a huge learning curve – so I’m delighted to get stuck back into sharing my weekly suitcase stories with you all.  Welcome back to Stories My Suitcase Could Tell!

____________________

What do you think of the new-look Stories My Suitcase Could Tell? There are still some tweaks to be made here and there, so if you notice anything amiss, please do let me know!

Related

« Enjoying A Dram At Abhainn Dearg Distillery
On Travel Writing and Stereotyping the Outer Hebrides »

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    June 16, 2015 at 1:28 pm

    It looks gorgeous! Clean, compelling, easy to navigate. And congrats on self-hosting!!

    Can’t wait to read about everything you’ve been up to!

    Reply
    • Katie MacLeod says

      June 16, 2015 at 8:36 pm

      Thanks, Sarah! I’ve been thinking of going self-hosted for a while now, so I’m happy to have made the jump!

      Reply
  2. Katie McCambley says

    June 16, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    Site redesign looks AWESOME, Katie!

    Reply
    • Katie MacLeod says

      June 16, 2015 at 8:36 pm

      Aw thanks Katie!

      Reply
  3. Anita says

    June 16, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    Welcome back! I was wondering where you had gone. I’m curious about the self-hosting. If you have time, I wouldn’t mind getting information on how you go about setting that up?

    Your site looks great.

    Cheers,
    Anita

    Reply
    • Katie MacLeod says

      June 16, 2015 at 8:38 pm

      Thanks Anita! If you drop me an email I can let you know how I went about it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Marissa DeSantis says

    June 16, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    Love it, Katie!

    Reply
    • Katie MacLeod says

      June 16, 2015 at 8:38 pm

      Thanks Marissa 🙂 !

      Reply
  5. Jen says

    June 16, 2015 at 8:44 pm

    Happy to have you back!!

    Reply
    • Katie MacLeod says

      June 17, 2015 at 2:25 pm

      Thanks, Jen! I’m happy to be back 🙂

      Reply
  6. Taylor Hearts Travel says

    June 24, 2015 at 11:27 am

    Ah, the big move – I remember when I experienced the joys of changing to self-hosted. Well done on making it through and congrats on the new design!

    Reply
    • Katie MacLeod says

      June 24, 2015 at 1:28 pm

      Thanks, Char! It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, so I’m glad I finally finished it 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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

HELLO!

I'm Katie, an expat Scot in the States, and the journalist behind Stories My Suitcase Could Tell, the travel blog which inspires you to explore the world. Read More…

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Best Travel Blog 2014

As seen in…

Get the latest stories in the newsletter!

Stories My Suitcase Could Tell Newsletter

Your guide to visiting

Outer Hebrides Guide

People are reading…

13 Useful Things To Know Before Visiting The Outer Hebrides
Discovering The Charms of Chestnut Hill
A Day Trip to Mount Rainier National Park
10 Books to Read Before Visiting Scotland's Outer Hebrides

Currently in

Dreaming of

Behind the scenes of…

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress