My first WordPress Website!
HugAndRackle.com is live!
After a lot of trial, error, and discovery, I finally finished my first WordPress site!
HugAndRackle.com is officially live so please go check it out and give me your feedback, good and bad. It is just a version 1, and I expect it will undergo continuous minor and major revisions, and many planned additions over time. I am not happy with everything, but reached a point where it was time to move ahead.
For now, the site is largely a collection point of our different forms of media, helping to point people toward all sources, and having the option to sign-up for this newsletter! There is something new on the site though.
A new HugAndRackle Blog is live with a first post: What is the ETIAS travel authorization and why should I care?
Blog vs. Newsletter: Why not both?
Let me settle a question that might come to mind right away. The blog is a new place where I will post a mixture of short form and maybe some long form blog posts on travel tips, nomad lifestyle, and destination profiles.
But this newsletter is not going away. The newsletter is my (and maybe sometimes Rachel’s) personal newsletter to give updates on our life, what is going on with our travel, any job or business venture updates, and basically all the stuff that only a smaller audience might be interested in. I hope that group grows over time, but either way, it is not the same target audience as the blog.
The blog will be for content more targeted toward travelers, potential nomads, and people seeking information on any of topic related to our nomadic journey. So, things like the ETIAS post mentioned above, dealing with Visas, how to handle your phone abroad, packing tips, what gear to use, and an endless number of additional topics.
What is the best way to keep up with new content?
With the new website, a new blog, and an already constant stream of media postings on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TicTok, I want to make sure that it is very easy for anyone who is most interested in really following our journey, not just seeing an occasional video pop-up in social media.
This newsletter will be your best source for all new content that we are producing.
I will probably have a section (format to be determined) at the top of each newsletter with links to the new blog post for the week, any new videos, and any other relevant content that I want to share.
Then if we have changes to the website, like a new section, or additional features, I will talk about them here. You will be the first to know about it.
And a Podcast?
If all goes well, the Nomad Notes Podcast will be coming in the next few weeks, which at first will likely just be based on the blog content. But it might evolve over time.
To clarify the ripple effect of the content:
HugAndRackle Blog Post
—>HugAndRackle YouTube “Nomad Notes” segment on that blog topic
—>Podcast “Nomad Notes” extracted audio from the YouTube video.
Stay tuned and wish me luck. I will let you know when I’m in the thick of it, before it goes live.
And just to clarify, I am not automatically signing newsletter subscribers up to the podcast. I would not do that to you :). But once it is available you will be able to subscribe to ALL EPISODES FOR FREE through Substack or your favorite podcast services like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Youtube Podcasts.
The long road of website design
Building this website has been a blast! I mean sure, sometimes I wanted to put a sledgehammer through the wall when something just would not work. But I learned a ton about WordPress/Bluehost and mostly fiddled until I got past my roadblocks.
It took me back decades to my first web pages using Microsoft Front Page to web applications in classic ASP and ASP.NET all the way to writing a couple of Blogger blogs ending more than 10 years ago: On Writing My First Novel (and no, I have not finished but have around 240 pages written) and on SQL Server Development.
The biggest challenge for me with WordPress was just recognizing that it is an eco-system, not just a development environment. While there are a bunch of basic functionalities at the core of WordPress, heavy use of plug-ins is how you accomplish many of the more advanced features.
To be clear, I’m still very much a beginner. But it is a fun journey.
Etsy Stores and Pinterest
Rachel is doing well continuously building new designs for her print-on-demand Etsy stores. Now I am starting to help a little with marketing, so learning about things like Pinterest (FYI I literally just finished setting up our HugAndRackle Pinterest).
If you like magical designs, you should check out her StickStackShack: A Touch of Magic Etsy store (or the Pinterest account).
And for planning your next fun Family Cruise, get all your personalized gear on her BRAND-NEW Etsy store, Family Cruise Vacation (or the Pinterest account).
And I will shamelessly ask everyone to go to some of the Pinterest boards and pin and follow. It is free and could really help ramp-up our marketing efforts!
And the job search?
Sure, I’m still looking for a job. Applying to listings and bidding on contract jobs every week. And I won’t stop.
That said, we think it is pretty clear that we need to focus on alternate plans to make some income in the short run. The Etsy stores, Rachel’s day-trading, and alternate types of work for me are all on the table. But our long-term goals are to build some new sources of income are ever evolving.
So strangely now that I am unemployed, Rachel and I are probably working more than ever, 70+ hours per week, to make things happen.
Sound stressful? Not like you would think. Working with this view, on a small budget? Yo ho yo ho, a nomad’s life for me.
