My 100th post: A thank-you giveaway!

As a special ‘thank you’ to you, my readers, I’m celebrating my 100th blog post by giving away a brand-new copy of Lonely Planet’s India travel guide to one lucky winner.

When I started my blog in early 2017, I happened to see a blogger’s 100th post and I thought, “How on earth did she manage to write so much stuff?!” And now here I am, publishing my own 100th post. But it’s not been easy, I freely admit. Figuring out what to write and when to write it, and then actually writing it is only half of it, I realized. Getting people to come and read what you’ve written is the other half that no one tells you needs doing. And that’s something I’ve had to figure out myself (and am still figuring out). Search optimization, and social media, networking, and getting the word out in general isn’t the easiest thing in the world, especially if you’re not the ‘I love meeting new people’ type.

Also read: My first post: How we planned our Lakshadweep holiday

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who’s been supportive

That brings me to the first group of people I’d like to thank for helping me make it this far: my amazing family and friends (yes, it sounds like an Oscars speech, but it’s true). I mean, two years of hammering away at a keyboard without constantly having to listen to, “Why don’t you get a real job?” and, instead, hearing, “You’re doing great. Keep going”? If that’s not awesome, I don’t know what is.

Speaking of awesome, another group that’s helped keep me going is the brilliant and supportive #TravelTribe on Twitter. To be honest, I’ve never been the social media type, and opening up a Twitter account was the last thing on my mind when I started my blog. Sure, I knew I’d have to open an Instagram account (because photos) and a Facebook account (because that’s what people did, then), but Twitter? Nope. But then I finally did, and I’m glad I did, because all the awesome, funny, crazy people in the #TravelTribe make it lots and lots of fun. A special shout-out to Travel Bugs World (@TravelBugsWorld), These Foreign Roads (@markandkylee), Monster Voyage (@monstervoyage), and Carpe Diem Eire (@carpediemeire) for their humour, advice, support and general awesomeness.

My 100th-post thank-you giveaway

And that finally brings me to you, dear reader. If it hadn’t been for amazing people like you visiting my site and reading my stuff, I’d probably have given up a long time ago. And so, to say ‘thank you’ for keeping me and my site going, I’m giving away a brand-new Lonely Planet India travel guide to one of you.

(Update: The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is Vineeth! Congratulations!)

Just to be clear, Lonely Planet isn’t sponsoring this post, or anything. They don’t have any stake in this giveaway whatsoever. It’s just that I think their travel guides would make a brilliant resource for any traveller. And since I mostly blog about India, their India travel guide is a natural choice.

How to participate in my thank-you giveaway

(Update: The giveaway is now closed, and the winner is Vineeth! Congratulations!)

Here’s what you have to do if you want to try and win this giveaway, wherever you are in the world.

1. Sign up for email updates using the ‘follow by email’ form to the right or at the bottom of this page (if you’re already signed up, skip straight to step 3).
2. Check your inbox for the confirmation email, and confirm that you want to receive updates (if you don’t do this, your email ID might not show up in my list).
3. Post a comment below and include the same email ID (comments are moderated, so your email ID won’t be publicly visible).
4. The giveaway will stay open until 6 July, 2019. The week after that, I’ll pick the winner at random and announce their name on my blog.
5. If you’re the lucky winner, I’ll ship you your prize using Amazon (and if that doesn’t work, I promise we’ll figure something out).

P.S. No, signing up and commenting multiple times won’t increase your chances of winning!

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Taking a break to reset

This might come as a shock to a lot of you, but full-time travel blogging takes a lot out of you. Not least because, suddenly, something that you’ve always done to relax has now turned into work, i.e. travelling.

So just like after my 50th blog post, I’m going to take a break for a while. I’ll still be doing some travelling, and some housekeeping on my site, but I might not publish anything new for a few weeks. When I get going again, The Good Life With IQ will be back, better than ever. Until then, thanks again for reading. Appreciate it!

By the way, this are the kind of things I’ve been posting

To end with, in case you’re wondering about the kind of things I’ve been posting to get to 100 posts, here are some of my favourites.

Our incredible holiday in mysterious Lakshadweep

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Six amazing discoveries we made in the Seychelles

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Twelve brilliant things to see in and around Sydney

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Five great dark rums from all over the world that you need to try

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Eight things we learned in Ladakh, the highest desert in the world

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A 7-day, 2000-kilometer motorcycle ride along India’s east coast

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Eight great things to experience while visiting Bhutan

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9 things you should know if you want to have a good time in Coorg

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Millennia back in time: The magnificent temples of Madurai and Tanjore in South India

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12 vegetarian dishes from all over India that you need to try

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21 simple tips to be a responsible traveller

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Things to do on the weekend in Hyderabad: The vast Qutb Shahi necropolis

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Things to do on the weekend in Hyderabad: The outer ramparts of Golconda Fort

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A rejuvenating break in Malindi, on the coast of Kenya

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Hyderabad itineraries, and things to do in the city

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16 tips to stay safe and have fun on that awesome motorcycle tour

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Bundi, a town lost in time

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Our Kenya safari: Up close with Africa’s incredible wildlife

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Photo diary: Snow-capped mountains and Tibetan art in Dharamshala

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IQ’s veg review: Tatva, Hyderabad’s best-kept vegetarian secret?

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