This has been a real mile-stone year for Quick Whit Travel! I crossed over half a million all-time views on the blog since I started this website in 2016, had the most views ever in a single year, and not that I’m rollin’ in the dough or anything, but my blog made more money through my affiliate links this year than ever.

I started doing a yearly round-up a few years ago, and I liked it so much, I’ve made it a regular thing. It’s good to look forward and keep planning ahead, but it’s also good to take time and reflect on how you got to where you are. Here are my top 10 blog posts for 2021!

Total Views: 204,500

10. How to Sign Up for Hawaii’s Safe Travels Program

2021 Views: 3,407

Even before Hawaii re-opened for tourism, my Hawaii posts started seeing more activity. You may already know that Steve and I completely adore Hawaii, so when it came time to make our triumphant return to our favorite islands, I wanted to make note of things that are different and write posts that would be truly helpful to people wanting to visit the islandswhile COVID restrictions are still in place. This one seems to have fit the bill, because it’s one of my most-viewed posts of the year!

Also helpful: 5 Things I Learned on my First Trip Back to Hawaii

9. Your Guide to Charleston’s Gateway Walk

2021 Views: 3,408

One of the niches I’ve fallen into, almost by accident, is writing about places and activities that have very little else written about them. The Charleston Gateway Walk is on several lists of things to do in Charleston, but there was virtually no specific information about it on any other blogs. So, I made it my mission to do the research and the legwork for others who were as curious as I was, and it worked! I walked the entire thing, found a map from the organization who takes care of the Gateway Walk, and just generally put it out there. People have been loving it since 2019, and it’s still a winner!

More Charlestonian goodness: Where to Eat in Charleston

8. What to Know Before You Visit Charleston

2021 Views: 3,496

This post is also from 2019, but it just started seeing heavy traffic in 2021. Why? Because COVID restrictions have made international travel harder, and domestic travel more appealing. One of the most appealing places? Charleston! I do a “What to Know Before You Visit” post about almost everywhere I visit, and this year, this one wins for most-viewed in that genre!

Inspired to visit? The Ultimate Guide to Solo Travel in Charleston

7. All You Need to Know about Staying at Casa Morada, Islamorada

2021 Views: 4,182

This was a fun surprise! I think hotel review blog posts are helpful, and we like to stay in really unique places, so they’re fun to write as well. But honestly, they don’t see a lot of sustaining traffic. I keep doing them, though, because I get to choose. We stayed at this beautiful, adults-only resort on Islamorada during our anniversary trip to the Florida Keys back in May, and the hotel review blog post did about as well as expected. I didn’t think anything of it.

Until August. Then, on a random Sunday morning, this blog post caught fire! I’m not sure why or how, but this quickly became one of my most-viewed, most Pinned posts ever. I’m not complaining!

Want more about Islamorada? Where to Eat in Islamorada

6. FREE Things to Do in Charleston

2021 Views: 4,511

Here again, we have Charleston! This has been one of my most popular for two years running now, and you know why? Charleston can be a very expensive destination, but just like anywhere else, it doesn’t have to be! I was surprised at how little information there was out there about FREE things to do, so I wrote what I thought was a pretty thorough list. People seem to like it so far!

Charleston also made this list: The Best Places to Visit without a Car in the USA

5. My Honest Review of the Kira Stokes Fit App

2021 Views: 4,818

This one was a surprise! I didn’t think it would do all that well, but I thought it would be helpful. I decided to try out the Kira Stokes Fit app to give me some options for indoor workouts while in Pittsburgh for a week at Christmas in 2020. It would be dark, it would be cold, it would be snowy and icy, so I gave it a try and wrote about it. Fitness apps are convenient for lots of reasons, but especially for travelers who don’t always have a gym or have the energy to create their own workouts, plus the energy to then do that workout. So I wrote about it for the blog.

It did pretty well that first day, but it really took off when Kira Stokes herself shared about it on her Instagram stories! Since then, it’s been doing well, and I’ve even gotten her a few sales via the links to her gear in my blog post! Hooray! I plan to try out a few other apps in the coming weeks and write about them for the blog, since my gym has recently closed. Stay tuned!

Find more about working out on travel on my Health and Wellness Page!

4. The Ultimate Ladies’ Guide to Packing for a Week on Mau’i

2021 Views: 6,583

This one has been live since 2018, but it’s been one of my top posts now for three years in a row! I recently updated it with new links, and it really hasn’t slowed down at all. But I’ll tell you a secret: I HATE writing packing posts! I find them tedious and absolutely dread writing them, but this is one of the reasons I’ve actually made a little money this year from the blog, so I’m glad it’s holding steady!

Also helpful: The Ultimate List of Packing Hacks

3. Everything You Need to Know Before You Eat at Mama’s Fish House

2021 Views: 7,726

Thank goodness we went to Mau’i back in 2018! The posts from that island get more views than any other, and now that we’ve visited all of the Hawaiian islands we can visit, we’ll probably make our way back there one day soon and get even more material!

Mama’s Fish House is one of the most exclusive restaurants in Hawaii, not because it excludes people, but because it books up months in advance, so reservations are essential, yet hard to come by! It’s also quite a spendy dining experience, so I thought a review of what you’re getting for your money would be helpful. It seems to be, even nearly four years later!

More here: The Ultimate Mau’i Bucket List

2. The Best Hawaiian Souvenirs

2021 Views: 14.4K

This one really took off this year! I published it in 2019, and in the entire year it received 707 views. In 2020, it had just over 2,245 views. But in 2021, this posts’ views skyrocketed to over 14,000! I wrote it because I thought it would be fun and useful to know what to look for, where to find things for the best price, and what you can and can’t take with you in a carry-on.

It wasn’t meant to be a money-maker for me, but when it started picking up speed, I took a second look and decided to make some changes. I made the post a little more user-friendly and re-organized a couple of things, then added some Amazon affiliate links so that: 1. I could make a little money from my work without adding cost to my readers; and 2. To provide some options for people who weren’t traveling to Hawaii but wanted a little taste or feel of the islands from home.

Read next: Ways to Save BIG on Your Next Trip to Hawaii

1. 5 Things You Forgot to Pack for Hawaii

2021 Views: 15.5K

This one was a bit of a shot in the dark, but I thought it was clever. Turns out, it’s not only my most-viewed post of the year, it’s also one of my biggest money-making blog posts ever! The title doesn’t “score” well for Google, but the readers seem to like it pretty well, especially on Pinterest. Packing for Hawaii does come with its challenges, especially if you’ve never been, so I thought a round-up post of the essentials you may not think of until it’s too late would be useful. The views speak for themselves!

The most-purchased item? This 10L Dry Bag in Palm Print!

More here: The Ultimate List of Activities to Book Before You Trip to Hawaii

Quick Stats

I can’t believe how much my blog grew in 2021, especially given the travel restrictions we’ve all still seen and experienced. But it’s not just luck–it’s hard work and seeing around the next corner that helps me write helpful posts that people want to read! Here are my top stats of 2021:

• Top referrer: Pinterest with 97.1K referrals
• Top searched term: “Hawaii Safe Travels Login”
• Most clicked link from a blog post: travel.hawaii.gov/#/ (for Hawaii Safe Travels Program) with 880 clicks
• Top viewing country: USA with 186.5K views

What’s your favorite blog post from this past year? Comment below! And don’t forget to check out my Writing Resources Page for more about blogging and creativity.

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