2024 Review: Recap, Stats, & What I Learned

And how it applies to you!

Hello from sunny San Jose, Costa Rica!

I don’t drink but most people do, so I’m including a pic above from a female-owned natural wine bar I visited this weekend as part of my research for the new Lonely Planet guidebook. I’m currently sipping on fancypants Sri Lankan tea I brought (which cost me $150 for two small bags since I ordered it without understanding grams!), but feel free to pour yourself a glass of wine, and let’s get into my 2024 year in review.

I got great feedback from my 2023 annual review, so I’ll dig deeper than last year. Because I’m still in the thick of guidebook research mode, I’ll do a follow-up post in the new year about my 2025 priorities, travel plans, and how we can best work together.

Thanks for reading and happy holidays!

Cassandra

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2024 in a Nutshell

Where I Traveled This Year

You’ll see Wisconsin appears a LOT on the list. I visit every month to help care for my mom, who has advanced Parkinson’s Disease and dementia. This will be my fourth year claiming part-time residency in New York City and state since I’m away more than I’m there. I’m hoping to change that in 2025 since I’m exhausted all the time and I just want to sleep in my own bed.

I had committed to several long trips earlier in the year and I stuck with them, then made the very intentional choice to not travel out of my home state(s) the rest of the year (until I was offered this big Costa Rica guidebook project).

January - Wisconsin, NYC

Feburary - Wis, NYC, Sri Lanka (3 weeks)

March - Sri Lanka, Wis, NYC

April - Nearly the entire month in Wisconsin, (family trip to Indianapolis)

May - Wis, NYC, Slovenia (2 weeks)

June - Wis, NYC

July - Canada (3 weeks), NYC, Wis

August - Wis, NYC

September - Wis, NYC

October - Wis, NYC

November - Wis, NYC

December - Wis, NYC, Costa Rica (2 weeks)

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Article Stats

Note that I wrote more articles than the number of pitches accepted because some of these articles were assigned to me by editors without having to pitch.

Articles Pitched: 459 (not all unique)

Articles accepted: 83

Articles written: 111

Response rate: 19%

Compare this to 2023, when I pitched 419 and landed 164 - a response rate of 39% This year was so much worse!

My slowest/lowest income months: April and May were slow because I took time off for family. I didn’t pitch for two months and I turned down several assignments I had previous accepted (more info on that below).

Summer is always slow, but this year was astoundingly worse. I earned $90 in August. Yes, $90! And this was from a consult call I had as part of my “Slow Summer Special.” I wound up taking the last two weeks of August off because it was so slow, but I also sent out 24 pitches earlier in the month and none were accepted. In fact, only two even received a response. I attribute this to the fact that several of the outlets I had written for significantly during previous summers (CNN, Forbes, Daily Beast, etc.) were now handling most of their content in-house. A bit more on that in this post, though I’ll likely dedicate another newsletter to that.

January, February, and March were really big months for me then it went downhill. December is also big for me because of this guidebook project.

The Takeaway

Several of my editors were laid off this year, numerous publications I write for closed or completely changed (RIP Thrillist, USA Today Reviewed, and The Daily Beast), and I lost a big anchor client who I’d had on a monthly retainer for two years. Ouch.

I earned about 40% less this year than last year from traditional writing (again, OUCH!), partly because it’s becoming harder and harder to land commissioned work, and partly because I took significant time off to deal with family matters. I made up a (very) small portion of what I lost through paid consults, coaching calls, and Substack subscriptions, but I still took a huge hit this year.

I can’t control whether an editor accepts my pitches, so this year, I focused a lot on productivity, structure, and methodology and it paid off. I actually think I could teach a class on it. Though I made a lot less money than last year, I spent a lot more time with my family, I took two real vacations where I didn’t check email at all, and I took email off my phone completely last month, which was a mental health game changer that I will continue in 2025.

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Publications I Wrote For

This year, I wrote for 27 publications (I had 28 in 2023), including 10 new-to-me outlets or verticals. It’s easier, less time-consuming, and far more lucrative to write for just a handful of high-paying clients, instead of dozens of low- and moderately-paying clients, all of whom send separate onboarding paperwork, contracts, and tax returns I need to sort through. As such, I’d like to write for fewer publications in 2025.

In 2025, I also REALLY want to pick up more copywriting and/or tourism board clients so if you hear of any available work - please keep me in mind!

1. Wall Street Journal Travel (NEW)

2. G Adventures (NEW)

3. Midwest Living (NEW)

4. CNN Travel Commerce (NEW)

5. Travel + Leisure Commerce (NEW)

6. Travel Age West (NEW)

7. Range Best (NEW)

8. AFAR (NEW)

9. Yahoo Creators (NEW)

10. Lonely Planet print (NEW)

11. Lonely Planet digital

12. CNN Outdoor Commerce

13. Wall Street Journal Gear & Gadgets

14. Forbes Gear

15. National Geographic

16. AARP Travel

17. AARP Caregiving

18. World Nomads

19. Thrillist

20. Hudson County, NJ Tourism Board

21. Hilton Hotels

22. Sierra Club

23. USA Today Reviewed Accessible Commerce

24. AAA Traveler Worldwise print

25. Going.com - Scott’s Cheap Flights

26. Insider

27. RiteAid Pharmacy

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Milestones and Accomplishments

1. I landed my first printed guidebook entry with Lonely Planet, a three-page write-up about Madeira, Portugal, which was published this fall (pic above).

2. I landed my first full chapter update with Lonely Planet printed guidebook for San Jose, Costa Rica, which I’m researching now.

3. I got my first piece in the Wall Street Journal Travel section about the Joy of State Parks. It required a ton of research (and my editor asked me to add a brand new section and find a new source while I was literally on an expedition cruise in remote Canadian waters), but I love how it turned out and I’m THRILLED that I got to feature a plus-sized female hiker as the expert, instead of the usually skinny white guy.

4. I expanded my consulting business, taking on numerous new clients from tourism boards and destination reps to campground owners and lifestyle/outdoor brands.

5. Personal accomplishments: I have gotten more involved in my community. I’ve been organizing an annual scavenger hunt bike ride for food justice around Thanksgiving for 9 years and, this year, I also started a Parkinson’s Month ride in April in honor of my mother. I also took a few street tree care workshops at the botanic garden, organized a group of neighbors, then led several street tree care days on my block.

Personal Tragedies and Setbacks

On a personal note, 2024 was fucking awful for me. On April 1st, my little brother died and it turned my world upside down. He was 36. Sawyer was 3 when our dad died (I was 8) and because he grew up in an all-female household, I took him under my wing and tried to do “boy stuff” with him like playing basketball. The medical examiner believed it could have been a heart attack (which is how my dad died at the age of 39), but we learned a few weeks later that it was a fentanyl overdose.

Sawyer struggled with a heroin addiction for most of his adult life, but after being clean for 14 months, I finally thought he’d made it. I found comfort in believing he died of a heart attack and I actually smiled after speaking with the ME. So, when we learned that it was an overdose, my heart broke all over again. I barely worked for the next two months and I still cry for him every single day, including as I type this.

The day after Sawyer’s funeral, my undocumented brother-in-law was forced back to Mexico to wait for a meeting with US immigration officials to see if he’d be allowed to return back to the US legally. My family was in limbo for weeks, not knowing what would happen so I spent much of the spring in Wisconsin mourning my brother’s death, comforting my mother, and helping my sister with her kids until we knew if their dad would return.

In June, my mother developed a serious infection in her leg so we had to transfer her from her horrible memory care facility to a horrible rehab facility, where she still is. The care and attention is abysmal. They don’t feed her enough, they don’t cut her nails or brush her teeth, and they often don’t even put on her glasses so she can’t see. I fly to Wisconsin every month to visit her and I pay two women to check in on her a couple of times per week when I’m not there.

Why do I share all this? Because journalists and freelance writers live regular lives like everyone else - we don’t exist in a bubble - so we are juggling the same challenges everyone else does. When real life happens, it becomes difficult to care about anything else. That journalist you sent 5 follow-ups to about a resort may have just suffered a miscarriage. Or maybe her husband is undergoing surgery that week. I tend to be much more open with sharing my challenges because I’ve heard from so many of you how helpful it is to understand the broader context. I’ve also heard from so many of you who have also cared for sick parents or lost loved ones to addiction, so I see value in transparency.

My brother is dead, my mom is sick, and my brother-in-law was nearly deported, so I may not be motivated to spend day after day of (unpaid) time reading and responding to soup-scented candle pitches and hotel press releases about some new chef’s menu. Real talk. Sorry not sorry. This is why so many freelancers are shifting to paid consulting and strategy sessions, versus spending endless hours of unpaid time scrolling through hundreds of pitches. Even when we’re not undergoing especially challenging times, it’s time-consuming work that we’re not paid for. When times are really tough, it’s just not going to happen.

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Favorite Articles from 2024

Thanks to those of you who helped me source products, destinations, and quotes for these pieces. Here’s a sampling of what I wrote in 2024, which I think gives you a good idea of the sort of topics I cover for various outlets.

Thrillist: Spilling the Tea on This Indian Ocean Paradise

CNN Outdoors: The Best Bike Lights of 2024, Tried and Tested

Wall Street Journal Travel: For an Outdoorsy Vacation Without Massive Crowds, Look to Your Nearest State Park

Range Best (gorgeous print mag): Scotland Slowly - Why the Best Way to Explore this Rugged Country is by Water

Yahoo: FeatherSnap Scout Smart Bird Feeder Camera Review: An Intelligent, Addictive Addition to Your Backyard

Midwest Living: 11 Must-Visit State Parks According to Locals and Pros

AFAR: This Canadian Island is a Dream Destination Best Explored By Sea

Yahoo: 8 of Canada’s Best National Parks (which got 185,000 views!)

Hilton: Embrace the Season in These Worldwide Winter Wonderlands

AARP Travel: Traveling in Hot and Humid Weather? Here’s What You Need to Know to Stay Safe

AARP Caregiving: What I Learned from My Mom’s Move From Hospital to Rehab

Sierra Club: How Local Parks and Nature Centers are Putting Accessibility Front and Center

Travel + Leisure: I Just Hiked 10 Days in Slovenia and These Boots Kept My Feet Blister-Free

AAA Traveler Worldwise (Print): Urban Access - These Cities are Prioritizing Accessibility

Going.com: I Hiked Scotland’s 96-Mile West Highland Way. Here’s What I Learned

Business Insider: The Coolest Airports in the US

World Nomads: Is Baja California Safe for Travelers in 2024? Tips for Travelers

CNN Travel: This HydroFlask Bottle is Insulated, Ultralight and Perfect for Travel

Forbes Gear: Sleep Like a Baby in the Backcountry with the Best Camping Pillows