One of the very first forms of foXnoMad.com looked like the picture you see above, it’s the oldest version I could find from way back in 2006. (Although I do have the code for the original site still.) A lot of people have been sharing their 10 year challenges and technically this is a 14 year one yet I thought it would be fun to take a look back at foXnoMad, the site in its pup stages.
How It All Began
Originally, this site was a way for a few friends and I to keep in touch (before social media was a thing). It was hosted on something like Blogger, but it wasn’t very customizable which frustrated me so I bought a domain, coded up a site, and waited to see what happened.
What happened was after a month, it was mainly me writing on the (now-defunct) first domain. Occasionally my mom would comment but it was when a complete stranger asked me a question that things changed. I realized other people could be reading (duh) and that if I wanted to continue, I should probably make something they would want to read.
I redesigned the site not too long after (the third major redesign, this is the fourth) with a lot of help and feedback from family and friends. I still remember staying up until 4am coding and countless color tweaking of the site.
10 Years Ago
This is a 10 year challenge so let’s not jump too far into the future. 10 years ago I was posting 5 times a week, once every weekday. As the site grew more popular, social media became a thing, and 0 inbox email hasn’t happened since; eventually that became 3, now to two posts weekly.
Day and night I wrote, with the goal to make every post more useful and engaging. Two passions, travel and tech came together around this time a decade ago and I knew what the mission statement should be. Travel smarter.
2020 And Today
Showing you all the ways to travel smarter continues and has grown into different mediums. There’s the foXnoMad YouTube channel, Apps, and more recently, podcast. I’ve traveled to around 90 countries, written over 2,685 posts, all while still not completely believing this can be real. But, thanks to you, it is.
10 years ago I couldn’t imagine where any of this would lead. All I knew was I loved writing, traveling, and tech. A lot like traveling, follow your heart, listen to your mind, and hear what others are telling you will lead you to places you never knew you wanted or needed to go.
Perhaps, a few things I’m working on now will blossom into paths I can’t foresee. Actually, I definitely can’t predict anything other than I can’t predict. The same is probably true for you. Guess we’ll have to follow up in 2030 but let’s keep in touch along the way. That’s the fun part 😉
Is that right….
Anil…An inspiring, informative & nomadic decade!
What really caught my attention in the initial years was the catch-phrase “foXnoMad” title…apt and fox-y!
Congratulations on this landmark year and look forward to your contributions @foXnoMad for decades to come.
Cheers & Blessings!
Warm regards
Anil K
Hah! Glad it caught your eye – and thanks for all of your support over the years. Lots more to come and looking forward to sharing with everyone! Happy New Year!