My 2021 in review

Who writes a 2021 in review post at the end of January? Well, me! January 2022 has been the quickest January in years and I can’t even believe February is knocking. 

I remember at the end of 2020, it had been announced that Christmas was somewhat cancelled. Infact, it was cancelled. My 2021 in review would be incomplete without mentioning the December 2020 lockdown since it continued into the New Year. January started bleak as well. We were still in a national lockdown and everyone was getting fed up. Rules were being broken as people struggled with being confined. Personally, it was definitely the hardest lockdown. It felt like I had tasted freedom and now we were imprisoned again.

I thought of grouping my 2021 in review into months but on a 2nd thought, grouping it into the major cohorts that made 2021 special might just be a little more exciting. Don’t you just love the word “cohort”? It’s my new favourite word and I had to slot it into the post somehow lol. Ready? Let’s go!

My 2021 in review – TRAVELS

January, February and March were looking absolutely impossible for any travel whatsoever. However, from April, the guidance allowed for self catered cottages and from May, any UK staycations as hotels would open. With this news, I started to plan.

UK – Cities, Countryside and the Highlands

Most of spring and summer saw us exploring the UK in more depth. I had started to travel the UK a bit in 2020 and realised how much I loved it. So by 2021, I was ready to explore the countryside more. We started with a trip to Exeter to visit Mr E’s parents and then to Cirencester. We checked out Brighton, Shaftesbury and Dorset and the Manor House in Castle Combe. June came with summer sunshine and we headed to Cambridge, Rye, Hastings and Surrey Hills. The most epic trip was in July when we visited Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands.

International flight or na?

By the end of July, I was ready to leave the country. We had been double vaxxed and felt quite comfortable and confident to jump on a flight. August came and our first stop was Mykonos and then to Paros. It felt so good to be out of the country and in beautiful Greece where we celebrated my birthday. Baecations in Europe were back and life was sweet again despite all the PCRs and day 2 testings lol.

A few weeks later, I visited Lake Como and Milan with my friend, Viv for her birthday. It was not my first time in Italy but it was my first in Lake Como and Milan. Absolutely loved that visit and girl time. It was all so boujee and refreshing and we had the time of our lives.

Our final international trip of the year was to Venice. This was our 2nd time in Venice but this time, we spent a whole week baecationing in this stunning city. We stayed close to the Rialto bridge and visited Burano, Murano and Verona. Mr E and I had such a wonderful week, falling all over in love with the charm of the city and ourselves too. Oh I love travelling with him so much!

A reminder to finally blog all the international trips I took in 2021. Keep reading, you will understand why the hiatus and hopefully, forgive me lol.

By October, a new variant had started to make the news again and boosters were being offered. It was clear that this virus was not going anywhere so we were going to have to figure out a way to live with it. Although there was no National lockdown, travel took a backseat once again!

My 2021 in review – GROWING THE lifewithbugo BRAND

2021 was a year of growth and when I got more comfortable working with brands. You see, I started this blog and Instagram as hobbies. I never set out to monetise or think I was going to gain anything except a community from it. So when I started to receive offers about paid partnerships and permission to send PR gifts, I had to restrategise. My main goal was to reduce the amount of PR gifts I agreed to receive. If it was not a product or experience I already used or was excited to try, I was going to say no. 2021 taught me a lot about how brands exploit creators. Basically, I learnt to say no to what did not serve me and this helped me focus on creating only the content I enjoyed.

Paid Partnerships

By the end of 2020, I had already worked with THE Visit Britain, which I was still amazed and excited about. I just could not believe I was working with the national tourism board. I also worked with Omaze on a project to license photos, which I was chuffed about. By January 2021, I soon realised that I had to be selective about brand partnerships.

I worked with Visit Britain again in 2021 and took on my 1st long-term partnership with Foodspring. One of the most exciting projects I worked on was with Ladbrokes. I was scouted to appear in their TV advertisement for the Cheltenham races. Mr E joined me in the production and it was such a fun day of feeling like celebrities. Watching the AD on TV was so surreal and definitely one of the coolest projects we had ever done. Next was Cliveden House, I have raved about Cliveden so much that my Instagram followers call it my house lol. We worked on a social media AD for them as well which was another exciting high for 2021. Another day of being a celebrity and I could surely get used to this life haha!

Hotel Partnerships

PR stays were I was lucky to stay in hotels in exchange for an Instagram post also rolled in. I started with a cottage in the Cotswolds and then a romantic pod in the Scottish Highlands. My hotels in Greece, Mr and Mrs White Paros and Livin’ Mykonos were also hotel partnerships. These partnerships made me quite proud, as they were all luxury and in recognition of my already existing content.

My 2021 in review – LIFE

This is my most wholesome section. In the last quarter of 2020, we bought our first property, which was still under construction. Therefore, 2021 started with one goal only – To move into our new home. Move date was 1st quarter of 2021 so we were getting prepped for this whilst in lock down.

We eventually moved into our new home in June and started furnishing slowly. By the end summer, we found out something quite exciting – I was pregnant! Well, I am pregnant. PAUSE. You see, this was quite unexpected but we started to plan the rest of the year around this news. We were also very conscious not to let it stop all the fun we had planned. We still went on all our trips and just watched my belly grow week after week. For someone who always had a flat tummy (with the occasional abs), this was a revelation. I remember saying to Mr E that I had no idea my tummy had the potential to expand like this LOL.

So yes, I am pregnant and Baby E is due in a few months. It is the most amazing journey we’ve been on and we can’t wait to meet our baby! 2021 gave us a beautiful new home and an exciting pregnancy so I couldn’t be more thankful for the year.

2022!

2022 started with getting boosted. I have no idea how many more boosters will be introduced in the course of this pandemic but we’ll see. What I have learnt with in the last two years is to limit my planning. This has been quite hard for me as I am such a huge planner. I am that girl who plans all her trips for the year in January and budgets her luxury purchases months before. Now, I am learning to be much more spur of the moment and spontaneous. I am not quite sure if I enjoy life this way yet but it is what it is.

For 2021, my word of the year was “Hope”. I chose it because it seemed appropriate since we were in lockdown. For 2022, I am choosing “Ease” and the focus will be on our baby. I’ve decided that anything else that will stress my life, I don’t want it.

Any travels you might ask? I know that with the announcement of a baby on the way, it is almost automatic to assume that my life will change and travel will take a back seat. Well, you are right on one point – my life is definitely about to change. We have no idea what it will look like raising a baby. Although we had practice with Bobo, he was almost a teenager when he moved in with us so this phase is brand new. However, we plan to keep making travel our priority and we are keeping our fingers crossed that baby E will be a little explorer too!

Happy New Year!

It has taken me some time to write this post and I wonder, is it criminal to wish you a happy new year at the end of January? Oh well, who is checking?! I wish you all a wonderful 2022 with ease and peace; one where all your sweet dreams come true! Happy New Year my lovelies!

Bisous, ‘Bugo x