Hey there my Steemit Friends. Less than a month ago I was writing a post titled "World Travel Pro Hits 750 Followers and Turns Full Time Steemit Travel Blogger! A Special Thank You to My Steemit Friends!" Since then things have really taken off and now I'm celebrating 1,000 followers!

I recall joining Steemit seven months ago. Like most members of this unique community I was not an investor and I started at zero. I had very little computer experience and no blogging experience. It actually took me several months until I figured out how to upload my profile photo and several more months to figure out the cover photo. HTML, what is that? Crypto currency, I've heard of bitcoin, but knew nothing about it.

Being on a platform full of computer people and crypto investor I knew I had something very different and hopefully valuable to bring to the table. I had all sorts travel experience and a unique travel lifestyle that I wanted to share. I'm basically a walking encyclopedia of travel information and budget travel strategy. I had to find a way to help others with my travel knowledge and get rewarded for it. Steemit was, and is the answer!

Those who've been following me from the start know I almost quit on more than one occasion. Putting your heart and soul, time and effort into a post to see it get 5 views and make 37 cents was beyond discouraging. It really had me not only feeling angry at the platform but totally discouraged and upset at myself; thinking I wasted me time and effort.

When I started I knew making a livable earning wasn't going to be easy, but I also didn't know how challenging it was going to be either. I made a decision from day one, not to be concerned about the earnings for the first four months. I though to myself, let's wait for a while, see where I'm at when I have 500 follower then 1,000.

I hit 500 followers around my fourth month, also around this time was when I was surely going to quit. I was putting in hours a day blogging, and was simply convinced Steemit was an insiders club, and not worth my time. I was still making about 20% of minimum wage for my efforts!

I then made some changes and started reaching out to pretty big players on the platform, explaining that I'm contributing a ton of good content to this website you so heavily invested in, I believe I deserve to get rewarded for my efforts. This message reached Hive account@lukestokes, a whale with a ton of steem power. He is a Steemit witness, husband, father, and super tech pro!

He understood exactly where I was coming from and started up-voting my posts, basically sponsoring my work like a skateboarder, or racecar driver. That is the day everything changed for me on the platform. Since then my blog has been recognized by 500 more people; some with big up-votes some with up-votes not even worth two cents. But to me you are all my sponsors, and make this blog possible.

If it wasn't for all of you I simply wouldn't have the time or motivation to stay here sharing my travels and travel knowledge. Looking back on it now all the ups and downs were well worth it. Not only have I helped numerous people with my travel advice, which was my primary goal when I joined; with the price of steem/sbd up I've also gained an income that is more than I hoped for when I began. More importantly than that I've built many valuable relationships with people all over the world.

Most of these people I refer to as my Steemit friends. Steemit is such an enormous place; it is essentially nowhere and everywhere at the same time yet has enough room for people of all sorts. That is what the remainder of this post is going to celebrate. All the different Steemit friends I've made since joining. None of my success here on Steemit would have been possible without you. These are the people that make my blog possible, have encouraged me, and appreciate what I do here. So I want to give a big......

THANK YOU TO ALL MY STEEMIT FRIENDS!

Thank You My Steemit Witness Friends!

These members are the glue that holds the platform together. They are often early members of the platform, incredibly skilled in computer technology, and devoted Steemit members. I believe they are undervalued and under appreciated members of the community in the sense they've taken a huge risk betting large sums their personal money and time on the success of the platform. For that I applaud all the Steemit witnesses and thank you all for doing such a fantastic job on things that are generally way over my head. I've gotten the honor to become friends with several of these key players on Steemit.

Hive account@lukestokes- Luke is an all around good guy if there ever was one. Not only is he very much on top of his witness duties I owe my Steemit success to him in a major way. Like I mentioned above I was 100% ready to turn my back on Steemit, wash my hands of this place, and leave with a sour taste in my mouth. But Luke understood my frustrations as a hard working travel blogger contributing quality content and not getting rewarded for it, and he's had my back ever since with his powerful up-votes and words of encouragement. More significant than the earnings; his support changed my attitude and only good things have come since having Luke as a Steemit friend. Thank you Luke! I encourage all my Steemit friends to vote for Hive account@lukestokes for witness. Thank you!

@Pfunk - @Pfunk is a new Steemit friend of mine. He asked me several weeks ago why I removed my vote for him for witness on steemit.chat. I explained that he was the only person on Steemit to down vote me! Turns out I was wrong, and it was another whale that down voted me Hive account@sneak! I commented on@sneak's post talking to Hive account@pfunk, and didn't realize I should not have done that as it was "off topic". I didn't know it was such a Steemit pho-pah that I'd get down voted by this whale which knocked me down from around a 52 rep to 48 in one shot!

Not understanding the platform well at the time I was quite upset and thought that Hive account@pfunk hit me with the down-vote as the message was directed to him. But no, Hive account@pfunk with his super tech savvy skills showed me how it was Hive account@sneak. I apologized for misplacing the blame. Since then we've become pretty good Steemit friends. Actually on more than one occasion we kind of hang out in the afternoons together on Steemit.chat while we both work on our computers on other sides of the world. He's a real good guy and does a great job as a witness, so please vote for Hive account@pfunk for witness. Thank you!

Hive account@gtg- I know him the least personally out of my three witness friends. But I've checked in with him about once every 6 weeks since I started. I go to him looking for advice on how to improve my blog, as he's an all pro computer guy in general. Not only does he reply to me right away, he's thrown some mega up-votes my way as well.

I recall reading somewhere how he negotiated a special discount air fare for those attending last year's Steemfest. To be involved on that level, has me assuming he's running in circles way higher up the Steemit food chain than myself. For him to reach down and help the little guy on a moment's notice shows a lot of character. Please vote for Hive account@gtg for witness. Thank you!

Thank You My Steemit Curator Friends!

These members are key players on keeping the quality of the platform at high levels. They seek out quality writers like myself and support them and help them get noticed. I've been very fortunate to have these guys on my side supporting me as I travel the world bringing you quality posts on a daily basis.

Hive account@sndbox- Through the recommendation of Hive account@natureofbeing, Hive account@sndbox has rewarded me with a membership recognizing my high quality blog as a valuable contribution to the platform. Hive account@sndbox with over 500,000 SP is an organization with many goals. One of which is turning steem into real life things without the need for fiat banker printed money. They are the creators of Steemit Park in NYC. A real park! With gardens and everything all paid for through Steemit!

They also focus on taking a team of 100 members, curating their work, and helping them along with advice and their powerful up-votes. Every five months with one month off, they will be graduating these groups of 100. They are basically the first Steemit University! I couldn't be more proud to be part of this first class of 100! Thank you Hive account@sndbox!

Hive account@qurator - This is a pay for up-vote organization run by Hive account@scrooger. This is the only pay for up-vote organization that I support. What makes Hive account@qurator worth supporting and a valuable member of the community is that he turns down money. In fact he turns down potential members and their money all day long.

He is a team player in the Steemit community and he will turn you down and even drop you from membership if you are posting crap, plagiarizing, or simply not posting at all. Unlike others who do pay for up-vote Hive account@scrooger is all about quality control and raising up quality bloggers like myself who deserve the support. Besides all that; I've gotten to know Hive account@scrooger on a personal level and he is a great hard working guy. If you're a quality blogger I highly recommend you reach out to Hive account@qurator or Hive account@scrooger and join the club!

Thank You My Steemit Whale Friends!

These members are often early investors of the platform. Congratulations to you all on making such wise investments. Many of them have turned their focus to the curating side of the platform, ensuring good content rises to the top. This has a direct correlation to the success of the platform and the success of their investment. Their is a lot of jealousy towards this group and I want you to know the "World Travel Pro" believe you've earned every cent you've made. For those whales actively looking to spread their votes around and raise up the community, hat's off to you! This is exactly what my whale friends do and have done for me. I'm honored to have their approval and support. Thank you!

Hive account@eturnerx - Hive account@eturnerx has been a Steemit friend of mine just about since the beginning. He's a pretty big investor of the platform and makes a point to support non-investing contributor's like myself. Who invest their time instead of money, doing quality blogs. He has a big list of bloggers that he follows and supports with his powerful up-votes. He also delegates out a lot of his steem power helping spread his own power though out the community. He like most investors really want to make Steemit attractive for everyone especially the new comers. He is doing a great job of this and I'm very happy to call him a Steemit friend!

Hive account@twinner- Like my Steemit friend Hive account@eturnerx he takes his responsibility of being a whale in the community very seriously. They both understand that the success of the platform has much to do with the other 99%; the people not worth over 200 thousand dollars in steem power. Without the rest of us the platform is sunk as it would be nothing but an insiders club.

Fully aware of this, Hive account@twinner has been a highly active supporter of new talented bloggers like myself. He continuously seeks out quality bloggers and throws his support behind them. I believe he and Hive account@eturnerx are the perfect role-models for all the one percenters on the platform. Like many other small time bloggers, I truly appreciate his Steemit support and friendship. Keep up the great work making this a place where everyone can succeed!

Hive account@gavvet- Along with Hive account@eturnerx and Hive account@twinner, is another great member of the whale group. He too is fully aware that many people on the platform are living hand to mouth and even rely on Steemit income to eat. This is especially true in countries like Venezuela, India, countries in Africa, and frankly all around the world there are people struggling and in need. He spreads his powerful up-votes and up-vote trail far and wide. The amounts of lives these three super whales have touched must be in the thousands! I'm so proud to have Hive account@gavvet's support and be able to call him a Steemit friend. Keep up the great work Hive account@gavvet!

Hive account@doitvoluntarily - This is my newest Steemit friend. With a 75 rep, almost 8,000 followers and enough steem power to buy three small houses here in Ecuador. He swung by my page and gave a recent post of mine a nice comment and up-vote. Seeing the (75) next to his name I had to look into who he was. He's just and OS, Original Steemian! Joined back in August of 2016. He has a real good blog mostly about raising awareness about injustices in society, which I think is great. You should really go check out his blog he does great work. Since his comment on my post we've had a nice dialogue back and forth and I'm happy to call him a Steemit friend!

Hive account@flipstar- He and I go back to my first month on the platform, when he asked me travel advice about Bali Indonesia Vs Thailand. Hive account@flipstar actually joined shortly after I did in June of 2017. The only difference is that he was smart enough to invest in the platform propelling himself to Steemit Flipstardom! Now sitting on between 500-1000% gains, he's planning on opening a school for the less fortunate in Phuket Thailand where he is living. He's a great guy and blogs about whatever comes to mind. Very interesting person and I'm happy to call him my Steemit friend as well!

Hive account@kevinwong- A genius investor? A big player on the platform? A great blogger? I'd say he's all three. Worth almost a million dollars in steem at today's price. Congratulations to you! He's a busy guy with almost 10,000 followers. I haven't been in touch with him in a while but our few quality interactions makes him a Steemit friend of mine.

Hive account@oldtimer- This Steemit friend of mine is worth a cool $450,000 dollars in steem power! I wouldn't speak so bluntly about money, but the way it's all open source it's out there for everyone to see. But I say this in a congratulatory way! I'm so proud to have such a wise investor as a Steemit friend. Getting in back in August of 2016 when the price was pennies on the dollar, this has surely been one of his best investments ever and I'm super happy for him. He enjoys lifting up the little guys like myself and is a real asset to the platform. He posts a lot of great photography and does quite a bit of resteeming to his 3,000 plus followers. Keep up the great work Hive account@oldtimer!

Hive account@slowwalker- This is my Korean Steemit friend. He recently noticed my blog and I returned the favor and had a peak at his. To see one great post after another about South Korea, a country I love dearly was truly fantastic. His posts always bring up such good memories of my four years spent there in my early twenties teaching English. He and I have had a series of great conversations and I'm honored to have him as a Steemit friend!

Thank You My Fellow Steemit Travel Blogging Friends!

These Steemit friends of mine share with me the love of travel. We all do travel blogs, and all have our own style. I really have a fondness for these Steemit friends of mine, as not only are they fellow travelers they are simply really good people.

Hive account@heyitshaas- Haas is my Steemit BFF! lol We've been in communication since we both started here around the same time. Haas is a traveler at heart currently working in his home town of Amsterdam Holland. He's saving up so he can go travel again. He has a lot of respect for me and my travel blog and he's seen that my travel blog is unique compared to most. I don't sugar coat anything and my blog is full of travel tips and strategies on how to travel with a limited budget; which is often the challenge people have when it comes to traveling.

Haas values the fact that my blog is much more than a look at me here I am travel blog and I certainly value him for recognizing that. Not only is he a close follower of my work he is a good Steemit friend. He's been doing some great series of cities around the world. You should certainly check out Hive account@heyithass and throw a little support his way.

Hive account@fanstaf- This is a great guy and he's been a Steemit friend of mine for a long time now. He is currently traveling through the United States in an RV with his wife and children. Hive account@fanstaf has some great posts about this experience and you should go check out his blog!

Hive account@itsmikechu- He is new here to Steemit and we've made a connection having travel in common. He has all sorts of travel tips and "life cheats" as he would describe them as well. I am happy he is a Steemit friend and it's definitely worth throwing a little support his way!

Hive account@k4r1nn- This is Karen, she is studying to be a petrochemicals engineer. She posts great photos of her travels and you should certainly go check some of them out! She is very friendly and I'm happy she is one of my new Steemit Friends!

Hive account@aburmeseabroad- This is my Steemit travel blogging friend from Burma! She is a hardcore traveler and enjoys showing everyone where she is and what she is doing. She was recently in India and shared some pretty wild adventures here on steemit. She is a very sweet girl and I'm happy to have her as a Steemit Friend!

Hive account@extremeromance- Yan and Juta are a couple who are obviously deeply in love with each other and with traveling. They are trying to earn money through Steemit to support their travels. They do a great travel blog and I suggest you check them out and throw a little support their way. I'm happy to call them Steemit friends and I'm looking forward to the day when our traveling paths cross!

Hive account@sweetsssj- I'm sure you've seen her all over the front page of the platform. She is one Sweet SSSJ! With over 23,000 followers she has found time to reply to each one of my comments, and she couldn't have been nicer. She finds my blog and travel knowledge impressive and valuable to Steemit. She has not forgotten about this Steemit friend and throws a little support my way from time to time.

Getting in early on the platform and investing her own time and money she has risen to the top of the travel blogging world not only on Steemit but on the internet in general! She is a real Travel Blog Star, and role-model for all of us travel bloggers trying to make it here. I'm honored to have her as a Steemit friend! Thank you for all you do Hive account@sweetsssj!

Hive account@joythewanderer - Joy is a super sweet girl from China. She has a lot of travel experience. She goes to some really cool and unique places like Iran, Bolivia, Hong Kong and much more. She does very high quality and interesting posts. She certainly is living a Travel Pro Life! I consider her my Steemit Travel Blog Elder as she's been on Steemit almost a year longer than I have. She's helped me out along my way and it's greatly appreciated. I'm very happy to say she too is a Steemit friend!

Hive account@jpphotography- This is a new Steemit member. He's looked up to my success and I've decided to take him under my wing, even though my wing is pretty small. Having joined in November he is doing really well with over 350 followers and earning some money too. His travel blog focuses on his fantastic photos, he is also very well written. Overall he is putting out great work and I'm proud to have him as a Steemit friend! Keep up the great work JP!

Thank You My Steemit Food Blogging Friends!

As a traveler it's hard not to dabble in the food bloggasphere on Steemit. Not only do I love to travel I'm a foodie at heart as well! I really enjoy my Steemit food blogging friends. Several of them have become very significant in helping me along with my success on the platform. I feel very fortunate to have made such good friends with these Super Steemit Food Bloggers!

Hive account@gringalicious- What a super sweet girl this is. We hit off when I saw the name "gringa" As I was a gringo in Ecuador for almost two years. She lived in Chili with her father Hive account@noboxes and sister Hive account@uglysweater. They were a family of traveling, gringo, Steemians. I think I could have fit right in. Besides all that she's a big time foodie and so am I'm. She's also into photography, and so am I.....hmmm where is this going.

Maybe I'll get to meet her one day. That would be something. Until then she is a very special steemit friend and I've been able to nominate her and get her into the fantastic Hive account@sndbox group before it closed to new members until this summer. She's been on the platform a lot longer than most of us, and has super whale type steem power. She has a great following of over 8,000 member, a 74 rep, and deserves all of her success as she hands down has the best food blog on Steemit! I'm happy to call her a Steemit friend! Steem-on Gringa!

Hive account@momskitchen- This is Hive account@karenmckersie's second handle. She too is a foodie, and has tried her hand at food blogging. She is still working out the kinks but her fun super Steemit spirit really shines through. She does a lot of resteeming of other people's food related post on this page, including lot's of my "Real Life Captured" and "Travel Eats" posts. Thank you always for the support Karen! Keep up the great work!

Hive account@offoodandart- Well you guessed it! This lovely Steemit friend of mine posts about food and art! She resteems a lot of food and art, and takes great food and art photos! She is a new Steemit friend of mine but already it's apparent we'll be in-touch for a long time to come! Keep up the great work Anne!

Hive account@chefsteve- Chef Steve reached out to me one day asking me a great travel question about how to avoid food borne illness when traveling. That turned into a post that blew up for over $200 with a ton of comments, views, and up-votes. Since then we've had some great conversations on steemit.chat and have learned we have a lot in common. We both have experience as a chef (his is much more professional), we both are from the northeast of the United States, and both have spent a lot of time in Thailand! Chef Steve has a good food blog and it's improving every day. I highly suggest you head over to his blog and throw a little support his way!

Hive account@monica-homa- If you're looking for some great, healthy, and vegan ideas for your own diet; look no further than than this super steemian's page. She not only comes up with one great vegan recipe after another she takes incredible quality photos as well. She is a new Steemit friend of mine and I look forward to getting to know her better. Keep up the great work Monica!

Thank You My Steemit Everything Crypto Blogging Friends!

Since Steemit is as much a crypto currency as it is a social media platform, there are a lot of Steemit members that have gone full on crypto bloggers. Having zero experience in this realm before joining Steemit; the information they share has been incredibly valuable and I'm now soaking it up like a sponge. Thank you guys for sharing all that crypto knowledge!

Hive account@broncnutz- is one cool guy and a genius investor. Like myself he is a precious metals investor. But several years ago he got fed up with the price manipulation/suppression and got into bitcoin and crypto to get away from the manipulation of the banksters! I only wish I had that idea. I've just been putting up with the manipulation. So he's made a fortune over the last five years in the crypto space and is highly knowledgeable on the subject.

He puts out videos several times a week about the crypto scene. He understands cryptos as good or better than anyone I've come across. Also he is a big time Denver Broncos football fan, which makes him Bronc Nutz! With his huge investment in the platform, he's gone from zero to hero real fast in the Steemit world. Another incredibly wise investment on his part. Congratulations Hive account@broncnutz! I'm very happy to know you and have you as a Steemit Friend!

Hive account@makeithappen- This guy can certainly make it happen for you. A successful crypto trader, crypto coach, investor, entrepreneur, and all around good guy. Stop by his page and get a lesson on all things crypto. I'm honored to be Steemit friends with Hive account@makeithappen!

Hive account@hedge-x- This is a newer Steemit friend of mine. A great guy and has made a conscience effort to support my travel blog which is greatly appreciated. He focuses on all things crypto in his blog. He also does a lot of resteeming. Hive account@hedge-x is a great resource for all those looking to keep up with the crypto scene and more! Keep on Steemin' my Steemit friend!

Hive account@janusface- He is my Norwegian viking Steemit friend. He asked me about moving to Latin America months ago. Since then we've kept in touch. Franky he's due a Travel Pro Visit to his page. He was an investor on the platform and got in just after myself. Kudos to you Janus for your great investment! You can learn about all sorts of great crypto stuff from his blog and it is definitely worth checking out.

Thank You My All Pro Steemit Friends!

These are some very special Steemit members. They basically have taken the idea of Steemit and have run with it. They create and participate in the Steemit challenges, they socialize with everyone, they comment, they post about random things, they curate, they resteem, they blog, they help newbies on the platform, they share new Steemit ideas, and even launch Steemit related projects. They are simply All Pro Steemers! I'm honored to have them as my Steemit Friends! Thank you guys!

Hive account@karenmckersie- She is one of the best Super Steemers on the platform. Starting from zero back in July of 2016, she has over 3,000 follower and is a 69 rep. She runs the Power of Positivity (POP) challenge, participates in many other challenges, is a social butterfly, and resteems a lot of quality posts. I'm so privileged to have her as a good Steemit friend.

Hive account@natureofbeing- Well this is very special Steemit friend near and dear to me. We've had one great conversation after another for months now. We've helped each other in various ways sharing great tips on everything from meditation to how to upload a profile and cover photo, to even saving my liver from toxic cinnamon supplements I was taking! Besides that she nominated me for the Hive account@sndbox incubator group which has helped me out on Steemit immensely.

Ruth (Hive account@natureofbeing) is an incredible member of the platform. She has been a ceramic artist for over twenty years. She not only posts about her fascinating work but many other random things as well. She is a big time team player, resteems a lot, and participates in various challenges. I couldn't be more honored to have Ruth as a Steemit friend!

Hive account@luzcypher- He and I go way back to my first month on the platform. I was a 30 rep and he was a 72! I was like why is this guy even paying me any attention. Well, I certainly know why after meeting him in person several times in Playa Del Carmen Mexico. Hive account@luzcypher is a Steemit team player if there ever was one. He is all about helping out others on the platform.

He once compared Steemit to the Red hot Chili Pepper's song "Give it away now!" His blog is full of great thoughtful ideas and concepts. He resteems and lifts up the minnows the best he can. He spreads the word about steemit and has gotten dozens of people to join. He also runs one of the most successful competitions on the platform. The Steemit Open Mic! This is a guy you really should get to know and I'm so happy I know him on a personal level. He is a great Steemit friend of mine!

Hive account@magicmonk- My Magic Monk friend blogs about a range of different topics from computer programing tutorials, to kung-fu video tutorials. Lately he has been focusing on steemit stats. After all he's a real smart guy and a math teacher from Australia. He is also the creator of the mysteemitfriends app. Which is incredibly useful for learning about who really are your Steemit friends! I know he is certainly a Steemit friend of mine and I feel very fortunate to say that. Keep up the great work Eddie!

Hive account@agneslazco- She does a really good blog showing her artwork. We'll put here in this general all pro Steemit category but she really deserves and art category of her own. If you like original art work you should go ahead and check her out!

Hive account@bitdollar- Matt (Hive account@bitdollar) is a real great guy and recently we've become Steemit friends as Hive account@heyitshaas put us in-touch with one another. Matt needed some advice on traveling through Guatemala. I was happy to help him out with my Travel Pro Knowledge!

Matt has a great blog going, he blogs about all sorts of things. Very intelligent guy, lately his blogs have been a lot of sophisticated self help stuff. I think that is always a good topic. You should head over to Matt's page and check it out.

Hive account@cicicastor- She is a grandmother, homesteader, and super Steemer who has found my blog very interesting. She does a lot of curating, up-voting, commenting, and resteeming. We've just recently found each other and I'm happy to have her as a new Steemit friend! Keep up the great work Cici!

Hive account@choogirl- This girl is a true super steemian! She is also the creator of the steemitworldmap. She's from Australia and I believe she's organized Hive account@teamaustralia and she does the Travel Digest! It's hard to say all that she does cause she seems to do it all. I'm very happy to have met her and call her a Steemit friend as well. Keep up the great work Hive account@choogirl!

Hive account@darthnava - This is my Filipino brother who's got a great blog going. He blogs about all sorts of interesting stuff. He carries a good amount of Steem Power and helps smaller guys along the way too. With over 3000 followers he resteems a lot as well. He's an all around super Steemer, and I'm happy to call him my Steemit friend!

Hive account@fitinfun - She and I have made quite a few memories together meeting up about four different times while I was regularly passing through Bangkok during my latest travels in South East Asia. She reached out to me during my first couple months on the platform and since then we've been good Steemit friends. She does a lo oft resteeming, blogging. commenting, competitions, and more. She recently got here son Hive account@bxlphabet on the platform. She is a real All Pro Steemit Friend!

Hive account@gatorlynne- She is a new Steemit member who joined just last month. She is a mother and recently got her daughter to join as well. She is motivated, writes well on a range of topics. She got my attention when she left a series of great comments on my blog. I looked into her blog and I think you should too! She certainly deserves some more attention with her quality posts. I'm happy to have her as a Steemit friend!

Hive account@gavinthegreat - He has been commenting and following my work a lot lately and I appreciate him for that. Our friend in common Hive account@karenmckersie is likely the one who got us in contact. Gavin is a big tech guy and and all around steemer with the games, resteeming, commenting and more. I'm happy to call you a Steemit friend as well. Steem on Gavin!

Hive account@heymattsokol- Matt is as sharp as a tack and a fellow sndbox friend. He's all over the place on steemit. Get's involved and comments everywhere. You've probably seen his blurry face profile image pop up somewhere on the platform. If you look at his blog it looks like he is interested in just about everything. He is a true Super Steemer and I'm happy to call him a Steemit friend!

Hive account@ilanaakoundi- This is a new Steemit friend of mine. I'm just getting to know her and she deserves a mention. She has been following and up-voting my blog a lot lately. She does a lot of photography related post. I really appreciate her support and I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.

Hive account@margaretwise- She is my Polish sister living in Panama! This is a warm hearted person if I've ever met one. We have had plenty of great conversations over the past several months. She is really into poetry, writes her own, and runs a poetry competition on the platform. She socializes, resteems, and is a great all around member of the community. I'm very happy to be able to call her a Steemit friend!

Hive account@teamhumble- This guy does it all. He blogs a little bit about this and a little bit about that; but it always comes back to steemit, the community, and crypto currencies in general. He focuses on lifting up the community and curating quality content as well. He is a new steemit friend of mine, but I've got a feeling he is going to be a very good one over the long run. This is one Steemit friend I'm already feeling very fortunate to have and I'm sincerely hoping our paths cross one day and we can meet in person. Keep up the great work Mr. Humble!

Hive account@therovingreader- This is a very sweet Steemit friend of mine. She has been following my work and commenting on it for a while now. She is quite the Steemit team player dabbling in a bit of everything. She is big into literature and blogs about a variety of subjects. You should certainly visit her page and throw a little support her way! I'm very pleased to know her and know that she is a Steemit friend!

Hive account@theywillkillyou- Is one of my closest steemit friends. He became a good real life friend after meeting up with him in Bangkok. My other good Steemit friend put us in-touch Hive account@heyithaas. Angelo and I have a lot in common and we had a real fun time paling around in Bangkok along with Sharon (Hive account@fitinfun). He is a smart, young, entrepreneur, investor, crypto analyst, semi pro poker player, and runs the youtube channel "They Will Kill You" with almost one million subscribers! He's successful at everything he does and I couldn't be prouder to have him as a Steemit friend!

Hive account@world5list- This Steemit friend of mine is business partners with my good friend Hive account@theywillkillyou. I'm happy to know him and as he gets a little more free time I'm sure he will become more active on the platform. Until then I just wanted to give him a shout out and thank him for his support and being a Steemit friend of mine!

Hive account@yankee-statman- Last but not least my father at age 69 is challenging himself by starting a sports blog. He's highly knowledgable in sports, traditional investing, and is a great writer. All other aspects of blogging and Steemit are a huge challenge for him. Any help, support, or simple words of encouragement would do wonders for this old timer's new experience in the online world of Steemit!

I'd like to end this post with a series of photos celebrating 15 years of Travel Pro Travel!

I first left my hometown of Albany New York at the young age of twenty. I made the best decision of my life and dropped out of college to peruse my own business of teaching English in Seoul South Korea. This first taste of excitement, living in other cultures and countries had a profound effect on me. Since then I've been living mostly out of a backpack perfecting my travel skills and Travel Pro Lifestyle that I live today. Now let's have a look at the "World Travel Pro" through the years!