Year-In-Review 2024: Challenges and New Perspectives

Updated on March 13, 2025 by Angelika

What a year! 2024 demanded a lot from me, but also rewarded me with many special moments. My health was a real challenge at first, but thanks to physiotherapy, a great health studio and a completely new approach to fitness and nutrition, I not only overcame pain, but also lost almost 6 kg - a real gain in quality of life!

There has also been a lot of progress on my travel blog Angie's Travel Routes: from my first guest article for the well-known travel blog WE TRAVEL THE WORLD from participating in exciting blog parades to my own blog parade in August, the year was more productive than ever. I am particularly proud of the increasing number of visitors and the fact that my blog article about the best German Christmas markets went through the roof with the help of Pinterest.

In terms of travel in 2024, I not only discovered the beauty of Croatia on a varied road trip, but also explored Berchtesgadener Land and my home region around Stuttgart extensively. Beautiful days with my daughter in Innsbruck, the impressive Berchtesgaden Alps and a trip to the glass skywalk in the Biokovo Mountains remain special memories for me.

However, 2024 was not only a year of travel and health issues, but also a year of change: my father moved into a retirement home and I am delighted to be moving into his former apartment - a place full of memories and a big step in my life.

In this review, I share all these experiences and my most important insights with you and take a look at what 2025 will bring. I hope you enjoy reading it!

My topics and highlights in 2024

Focus on health: small steps, big impact

Since the end of 2023, I had been struggling with pain in my left knee, which spread down my entire leg and meant that I could no longer sleep without painkillers in February 2024. After long car journeys (more than 20 minutes) and sitting on chairs with hard edges, which unfortunately can be found in almost every restaurant and beer garden, I felt particularly bad. I thought that's how it is when you get older and found it very depressing.

My own health problems faded completely into the background when my daughter, who lives in Innsbruck and had been on sick leave since the beginning of the year, was diagnosed with a frightening, rare autoimmune disease. I found out about it shortly before Easter. I was so worried that I spontaneously went to Innsbruck the weekend after Easter to spend a few days with her, which did us both a lot of good.

At the end of April, I had an appointment with an orthopaedist, who suspected that the cause of the sciatica was an intervertebral disc problem. An MRI scan confirmed the worn discs and the physiotherapist at Momenth - a new health center in Sindelfingen, where I quickly got an appointment - immediately identified the fibula head as the culprit during the first treatment. I'd never heard of this thing before - it's also called the fibula head and is located on the outside of the knee. With cortisone and two to three physiotherapy sessions a week, the pain went away. I was very happy that I no longer had any pain at night in bed or when climbing stairs.

At the end of May, Momenth offered me a 6-week training program with nutritional coaching, the costs of which were largely covered by my health insurance. I suspected that less body weight would not harm my intervertebral discs, joints or fibula head and signed up. What a turnaround! After 4 weeks, I had lost 2 kilos and felt much fitter and more flexible thanks to the strength training in a pleasant atmosphere.

I set off on vacation to Croatia in September in a good mood with my Australian friend Paula. We spent the first week of our vacation in Šibenik and Split, where I was able to manage longer uphill and downhill hikes without any major problems. Then we went on to the Makarska Riviera, which meant a slightly longer drive. When I went into the kitchen of our vacation apartment the next morning to make breakfast, I suddenly felt a sharp pain not in my left fibula, but in my right ankle. It hurt so much that I could hardly walk. So I swallowed ibuprofen again, put Voltaren ointment on my foot and mostly used my walking poles on our exploratory tours. I was very frustrated - as soon as one site (the fibula head) seemed to be closed, a new one opened up!

Back in Germany and at the orthopaedist's, he diagnosed periostitis on my right shin, with the pain radiating into my foot. It's unbelievable what can happen and that I get this! Normally, athletes tend to have periostitis and problems with the head of the fibula. Now the treatment was Diclofenac, insoles for my shoes and compression stockings because I have water in my legs.

Anyway, I followed the doctor's and physiotherapist's recommendations and am now largely pain-free and almost 6 kg lighter. A big compliment to the super nice and competent team at Momenth! The health center has become my new "happy place". I've never felt as comfortable in a gym as I do here. Who would have thought that I could ever look forward to working out on fitness equipment! I just love the atmosphere - everything is new, the machines set themselves automatically, the staff are friendly and helpful, the customers are normal (no sweaty, smelly beefcakes), the rooms are bright, quiet and pleasant. With this health center, my progress in fitness should be guaranteed even in 2025!

Between the mountains and the coast: my travels in 2024

This year, I was able to live out my spirit of discovery on a varied road trip through Croatia - with a detour to Montenegro - and a wonderful trip to Berchtesgadener Land and Innsbruck, which were previously unknown to me, as well as on interesting short trips and excursions in my home region. My realization of the last few years - that it doesn't always have to be a long-distance trip - has been confirmed.

Time for us: Beautiful days in Innsbruck

In spring, both my daughter and I were in poor health. Despite this, and precisely because of this, I decided to take the train to Innsbruck for a few days to spend time with her. We went on lovely trips to Lake Achensee, Lake Berglstein and Rattenberg, the smallest municipality in Austria with a beautiful historic town center. There was also something new for both of us to discover in Innsbruck - the botanical garden, which we had only ever driven past. My knee pain kept me from going on longer hikes, but with my walking sticks and a daily dose of ibuprofen, I was able to manage not too steep paths to some extent. We were lucky with the weather and were able to enjoy the days.

Between Nazi history and natural idyll: highlights in Berchtesgaden and Innsbruck

The trip with my friend Jutta to the Berchtesgadener Land began under difficult circumstances (more on this in the Quarterly review April to June 2024), but despite the changeable weather we had a varied and impressive week. My daughter from Innsbruck joined us at the weekend, and together we went on a wonderful hike from Ramsau through the magical forest to Hintersee.

We found the Obersalzberg Documentation Center, which was reopened in 2023 after years of renovation, very impressive. The exhibition offered a vivid examination of the Nazi era, and the nearby Eagle's Nest, which we visited, also left a lasting impression. You can find out more in my article about the Documentation Obersalzberg and the Eagle's Nest.

An absolute highlight was the Boat trip on the Königssee and our short hike to Obersee Lake. On the last day, we enjoyed the view from the Jenner summit and the deep blue Königssee in glorious sunshine. After this impressive week, we continued our trip to Innsbruck and enjoyed some relaxing days with my daughter, topped off with a trip to Lake Hintersteiner See.

Croatia road trip: island hopping, city walls and mountain panoramas

I didn't take a long-distance trip again this year, but for my travel friend Paula it was of course a long-distance trip from Australia to Europe, where she always likes to combine a visit home to England with a vacation with me.

The first stop on our road trip through Croatia was the beautiful town of Šibenik. From here, we explored the Krka National Park before continuing via Trogir to Split, where we also spent a few days. Split impressed us with its Diocletian's Palace and its perfect location for island excursions, such as our unforgettable day trip to Hvar. We continued on to Makarska, where we visited the Biokovo Mountains and the spectacular Skywalk - a guided tour proved to be the perfect choice. The grand finale was Dubrovnik, where we walked the city walls and enjoyed the view from Mount Srđđ. Two day trips, one to the picturesque Bay of Kotor and a boat trip to the Elaphite Islands, rounded off our trip. Despite minor challenges such as a change of rental car, high restaurant prices and my orthopaedic problems, the trip was full of impressive highlights and absolutely recommendable.

Discoveries on the doorstep: my most beautiful excursions

I didn't take many longer trips in 2024, but I did take a number of short trips and day trips in my home region - that is, around Stuttgart, in the Neckar valley, in the Northern Black Forest and on the Swabian Alb. In May I spent a long weekend in Schiller's birthplace Marbach am Neckarwhere I was able to marvel at original manuscripts by Eduard Mörike, Ernst Jünger, Erich Kästner and, of course, Friedrich Schiller in the German Literature Archive and visit the Kafka exhibition in the Museum of Modern Literature. From Marbach, I went on a discovery tour to Bietigheim-Bissingen, Besigheim and the Hessigheim Rock Gardens - all worthwhile destinations for day trips!

Other short trips that I really enjoyed and about which I wrote blog articles as part of Caroline Lorenz-Meyer's monthly photo project 12 of 12 led me to Rottweil, Calw, Stuttgart, Kirchheim under Teck, Weil der Stadt, Tübingen, Altensteig and to the Royal winter magic at Hohenzollern Castle.

Due to my upcoming move, I wasn't able to go to the Christmas markets in Cologne and Aachen this year as planned, but explored Christmas markets in the greater Stuttgart area, such as the Esslingen Medieval Market & Christmas Market, the Altensteiger Christmas Market and the Christmas Market in Calw. There was another highlight on December 23 - I visited the Christmas Garden in Stuttgart with almost my whole family (always a wonderful experience!🤩).

Successes, guest articles and blog parades: My blogging year 2024

I think I've learned a lot in my second year as a travel blogger - not least thanks to my membership in The Content SocietyJudith Peters' blogger community. Without Judith's weekly blog impulses, I probably wouldn't have had the idea of ever writing a Instructions or a What-is-article and these posts are among my most-read on the blog. In 2024, I had more than four times as many visitors to the website as in 2023. My highlights around the blog were

• In February I was allowed to write my first guest article for the well-known travel blog WE TRAVEL THE WORLD over five worth seeing UNESCO World Heritage Sites around Erfurt write. I created detailed Google maps and edited around 40 photos to make the article particularly informative and appealing. It was an exciting challenge that showed me how much work goes into a high-quality guest article.
• In March 2024, I took part in a blog parade for the first time, organized by Anna Koschinski to the topic Writing about Writing. My contribution The Common Thread in My Life: The Joy of Writing reflected my development as a writer and blogger, from childhood to today. Participating allowed me to discover new blogs, expand my network and even meet my friend Silvana Goldbach, to participate - an inspiring experience that has whetted the appetite for further blog parades.
• In June, I started creating my Pinterest pins with a newly discovered tool, Pin Generatorto automate it. Since then, I've been posting a pin every day. The success: My article about Germany's most beautiful Christmas markets with a historic backdrop received hundreds of hits via Pinterest. This is my first and so far only blog post where the majority of visitors came to my website via Pinterest rather than Google search.
• In August I set up my first own blog parade with the topic The Places I Have Lived in. in which nine bloggers, including three travel bloggers, contributed exciting articles. I have summarized the individual stories in the article Shared Places, Individual Stories: My First Blog Carnival in Retrospect summarized, supplemented by my own contribution City Stories: Places that have Shaped my Life. I also took part in other blog parades, which made August the most productive month of my year.
• I used ChatGPT almost daily in 2024 to research my blog articles and found that the quality of the responses had improved significantly compared to 2023.
• In December I wrote for the first time over 24 days daily newsletter to the subscribers of my Christmas magic advent calendar. I was able to gain a few new newsletter subscribers through this campaign. As part of the advent calendar, I have several Christmas markets in the Stuttgart area and collected a lot of new material for blog posts and a possible e-book.
• Anja from the well-known travel blog surprised me at the end of the year Travel on Toast by including me in her list of the 50 best German travel blogs. I was incredibly happy about that.

Back to the roots: relocation and a fresh start

Back in 2023, my father, now 85 years old, decided to move into an assisted living facility. He chose a facility that he knew well, as my parents had volunteered there for years playing music. As there are only 12 apartments in the retirement home, we expected a long wait. During my vacation in Croatia in September, my father received the news that an apartment had become available for him. In mid-November, the time had come and he moved from over 70 square meters into a much smaller apartment, which presented some challenges as space is very limited. However, Dad was able to take almost all of his things with him, which have now been stowed away. Nevertheless, anyone who has ever moved house knows how big the adjustment is and how long it takes to get used to a new environment. It doesn't get any easier with age. The whole family is keeping its fingers crossed for our dad and grandpa that he will soon feel just as comfortable in his new home as he did in his old one.

But he doesn't have to say goodbye to his old apartment quite yet, because I'm moving in in January! As I write this review of the year, I'm in the middle of preparing for the move, so I couldn't meet my own deadline (January 6) for publishing this post. At the end of November, my friend Jutta from northern Germany, a multi-talent and familiar with all renovation work, came to paint the apartment. The company Fliesen Kugel then tore out the old laminate flooring and laid beautiful new tiles throughout the apartment (except in the bathroom, which had already been completely renovated before my father moved in 8 years ago). As the apartment has underfloor heating, I opted for tiles for energy reasons. Then the company Tile ball tore out the old laminate flooring and laid beautiful new tiles throughout the apartment (except in the bathroom, which had already been completely renovated before my father moved in 8 years ago). As the apartment has underfloor heating, I opted for tiles for energy reasons. Jutta is here again at the moment. She's fitting the skirting boards with a Hamburg profile and doing other carpentry work, as she's a qualified carpenter. Everything will be finished by the weekend (January 12/13). Then I'll hang the curtains and we'll move the first things from my old apartment to the new one.

January 15 is the big moving day. I'm really looking forward to it, because I already lived in this apartment in the 90s with my then young daughter after we moved from northern Germany to my home country. My sister also lived here with her two children before she moved in with her partner. So it's a real family home. In the eight years that my father lived here, we celebrated every Christmas with the whole family at his place. From now on, we meet at my place on Christmas Eve, but still in the same apartment. I think that's really great, and the rest of the family probably does too 😉 . I'm also happy to have more space with an office, garage and a small garden that my father has lovingly created.

More beautiful and special moments in 2024

On December 23, we went on a family outing to the Christmas Garden at Stuttgart's Wilhelma.

We took the last family photos in my old apartment at Christmas. A little photo session on Christmas Eve is a tradition for us.

My 2024 conclusion

What am I proud of in 2024?

• Anja from Travel on Toast took me into her List of Top 50 German travel blogs .
• For the travel blog WE TRAVEL THE WORLD I was allowed to write a guest article about 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Erfurt and the surrounding area write.
• I will receive a royalty from VG-Wort for 10 blog articles in 2024 (in my first year as a blogger in 2023 it was only one).
• In August, as part of the monthly theme in The Content Society my first Blog Parade organized.
• In December, I sent out daily newsletters for the first time to subscribers to my Christmas magic advent calendar sent.
• I have received several hundred hits via Pinterest on my blog article about Germany's most beautiful Christmas markets with a historic backdrop received. This is my first and so far only blog post where the majority of visitors came to my website via Pinterest rather than Google search.
• I have lost almost 6 kg since June 😃
• With physiotherapy, regular training in the Momenth Health Center,  and weight reduction, I got my joint problems under control.

What was the best decision I made in 2024?

It was definitely my best decision, to take serious care of my health. Admittedly, this was unavoidable because it was not an option for me to continue living with this pain in my legs and constantly swallowing pills. I learned that you really can do something to improve your health and how worthwhile it is! Being able to walk down the stairs again without pain and being able to go sightseeing on foot for several hours is a huge improvement in my quality of life that I want to keep!

What did I learn about myself in 2024?

• I can if I want to.
• Protein bars taste good and a high-protein diet is exactly my thing.
• Fitness training can be fun.
• It is important to me to raise awareness of Nazi history among travelers to Germany.
• Even in my immediate surroundings, there are still many new things for me to discover.
• I can become faster with the right tools.
• ChatGPT helps me enormously with my research.

First times: I experienced/did this for the first time in 2024.

• In February I wrote my first guest post as a blogger for WE TRAVEL THE WORLD, one of Germany's largest travel blogs.
• In August, as part of the monthly theme in The Content Society my first Blog Parade.
• In the summer, as part of a nutritional consultation, I used a Protein bar and found it delicious. Since then, I have sometimes replaced a piece of cake with my afternoon coffee with a protein bar.
• In November, I submitted my pension application for 1.4.2025. A once-in-a-lifetime action that feels very good 😃
• In December, I sent out daily newsletters for the first time to subscribers to my Christmas magic advent calendar sent.
• In December, I made my first YouTube shorts and shared them in my advent calendar.

What important lessons did 2024 teach me?

• I am (jointly) responsible for my health and can do something to maintain it.
• I consciously enjoy the beautiful moments with loved ones, because who knows how many more opportunities will arise.
• Nothing works without artificial intelligence. Those who don't use it are far too slow and are missing the boat.
• With seasonal blog articles I can attract just as many readers within two to three months as with topics that are relevant all year round. My article about the most beautiful christmas markets in Germany, takes 6th place in the ranking of my most-read blog articles of 2024.

What will I leave behind in 2024 and not take with me in 2025?

• The idea that getting older is associated with pain. Now I know that I can do something about it.
• More than 5 kilos of excess weight - and that feels good!
• I'm leaving the apartment I lived in for 16 years with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. But I'm 100%ig looking forward to my new apartment in familiar surroundings.
• About 100 books. In preparation for the move, I got rid of a lot of books. Outdated business books, worn paperbacks etc. ended up in the waste paper containers at the recycling center, books in mint condition that I will definitely not read a second time (including many travel guides) in the book exchange store of the Sindelfingen Stern-Center. If you were quick, you could get hold of the Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson, for example.

My 2024 in numbers

• Website visitors in 2024: 13,428 vs. 2,294 in 2023.
• Number of my published blog articles: 30 (plus one Guest article at WE TRAVEL THE WORLD). In 2023 there were 18 articles.
• Blog articles that qualified for a VG-Wort royalty: 12 (vs. 1 in 2023)💪💪
• My Domain Authority increased in 2024 from 13 to 15.
• Kilos of body weight lost: almost 6 kg 😃

My outlook for 2025

What I will do differently (better) in 2025

• I will be focusing on southern Germany for my travel themes this year.
• I will rethink/revise the structure of my website in terms of user-friendliness (menu, categories, possibly use tags ...).
• I would like to write more seasonal blog posts (e.g. The most beautiful Christmas markets in the greater Stuttgart area, The most beautiful regions in Germany for summer vacations, ...)
• I will expand my presence on Pinterest and YouTube.

My upcoming adventures in 2025

• A trip to Asia (Vietnam or Borneo?) so that my Australian travel friend Paula doesn't have such a long journey.
• A study trip on the history of National Socialism through Bavaria and Austria. As the trip starts at Kochelsee, I spend a week at Staffelsee beforehand and follow in the footsteps of Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, Franz Marc & Co.
• Some shorter and longer road trips in Germany.
• I will become the owner of a property 😃
• I'm retiring and will still continue to work as a freelancer!

My major projects in 2025

When I went public with my travel blog Angie's Travel Routes in December 2022, I hoped to be able to finance my travels in the long term, mainly through affiliate marketing and VG-Wort royalties. Two years later, I realize that this is harder than I thought. You need staying power to achieve good rankings on Google. A new blog won't achieve this overnight. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic, as I have already been able to generate income - albeit at a low level - in my second year as a blogger. Blog posts that I have put a lot of work into are gradually achieving better rankings. That encourages me to keep at it.

After gaining experience and new knowledge in my first two years as a blogger, I want to focus on monetization in 2025. I believe that I provide so much helpful free content with honest recommendations in my blog posts that my readers will appreciate it and book via my affiliate links or buy my products.

How you can work with me in 2025

I am open to Cooperations all about traveling in Germany. I am happy to work with tourism authorities, agencies, hotels, vacation home providers, etc., as well as with other bloggers. Feel free to write me an e-mail at if you are interested in working with us.

My goals for 2025

• My newsletter has at least 300 subscribers by the end of 2025. With a good freebie, I can achieve this goal.
• 30 blog posts will receive a VG-Wort distribution. To this end, I will revise existing articles and write new useful articles on the subject of traveling in Germany.
• I make at least €1,000 in sales with affiliate marketing. In 2024, the first euros flowed in for bookings via my affiliate links at booking.com*, Amazon* and GetYourGuide*.
• My first own book is published (as an e-book).
• I spend a lot of time with family and friends.
• At least twice a month, I take a trip to the surrounding area (near or far) to do research for new blog articles.
• I lose another 5 kg.
• My motto for 2025 is: Creative and successful in retirement!

What are your goals for 2025? I look forward to your comment.