Hey, fellow wanderer!

Quick one today. Life lately feels like it’s moving a little faster than usual.

Colombia is officially 10 days away…
which means I’ve entered that phase where every free moment turns into “just one more tab” about beaches, cafés, and places I realistically won’t have time for.

Cartagena is taking over my brain a little.

If you’ve been.. I need your recommendations. Hidden beaches, best areas to stay, anything I shouldn’t miss.

Hit reply and tell me everything. 😍

SHORE NOTES

I’m in that familiar in-between again.

Half of me still catching up on past trips… half of me already mentally walking through warm Caribbean streets.

And somewhere in between all of that…

I’ve been looking back at the first six months of when I started taking my blog seriously.

Because from the outside, it can look like things just… click.

But when you’re inside it?

It feels slower. Messier. A lot less obvious.

(And honestly… understanding this part is what makes everything else finally make sense.)

THIS WEEK'S LETTER

You asked what six months of blogging actually looks like.

So here it is. No highlight reel.

Month 1

Very quiet.

I published anyway ✍🏼

By day 4, I started seeing a few impressions in Google. Tiny, but enough to know… okay, this isn’t invisible.

Around week 5

I crossed 1,000 sessions.

That was the first real shift.
From “is anyone seeing this?” → to “people are actually finding me.”

Month 2

Close to 3,000 sessions​
and around $400 in affiliate income

Not huge. But it changed everything.

Because it proved this wasn’t just content.
It was something that could pay back.

Month 4

My first paid client for custom trip planning.

I had inquiries before that. Quite a few, actually.

But I didn’t say yes to all of them.

I only took the ones that felt aligned.

That decision alone made this feel like a business, not a hustle.

Month 6

Around 15,000 sessions/month

And roughly $1,500/month coming in from:

– affiliate links
– display ads
– and clients

Not from doing more.
From letting things compound.

Here’s the part no one really talks about:

There were long stretches where it felt like nothing was happening.

Just writing. Publishing. Waiting.

But things were happening.

Just quietly.

Quick one.

The biggest mistake I see?

People write… but they don’t build anything from it.

No system.
No email list.
No way to turn readers into buyers.

So every post = starting from zero.

That’s exhausting.

What actually works is simple:

1 blog post → brings readers
→ turns them into subscribers
→ emails convert them into buyers

That’s it.

It’s not about doing more.

It’s about building something that compounds.

COMING NEXT TUESDAY

I’m going to show you the exact system I use.

I call it the Stress-Free Blogging System.

It’s just 3 parts:

Write​
Simple blog posts that actually lead somewhere

Capture​
Turn readers into email subscribers

Sell​
Send a few emails that do the selling for you

I put this into a simple step-by-step system because I kept getting the same questions:

“How do I start?”
“What do I write?”
“How do I actually make money?”

Next Tuesday, I’ll show you exactly what’s inside 🤍

FROM MY TABS THIS WEEK

✈️ Travelpayouts — The platform I used to make my first affiliate income (~$400 in month 2). If you’ve ever wondered how blogs actually make money in the background, this is where it starts.​

💌 Kit — This is what I use to build my email list (and write to you here). Honestly… probably the most important “tool” in everything I showed you above.

See you next Tuesday.

Love, Maya

P.S. 💌 If you’ve been to Colombia. Send me your spots. I’m building my list like my life depends on it at this point 😅