
June 2019 Valerie & Valise Income Report
Goodbye, June! šš» With the end of last month, half of 2019 has come and gone. How do you feel about the year so far?
To be honest, Iām feeling pretty good! Itās been a crazy busy month with travel, blogging, writing, and getting ready for the announcement ofĀ Dark Skies. But, having had many different careers and jobs in the last decade, I can say itās still my favorite ride. Letās recap, shall we?
TL;DR:
- Travel: āļøš
- Blogging: š
- Income: šµš
Travel in June
Like I saidĀ last month, I knew that June was going to be a big travel month, and it was. I was on the road 60% of the month! I didnāt do any big international trips; it wasĀ allĀ domestic.
- Destinations Visited:Ā 3 states
- MinnesotaĀ ā My Parents House in Northern Minnesota
- ArizonaĀ āĀ Scottsdale
- CaliforniaĀ ā Santa Rosa, Carmel & Tahoe
- Flights Taken:Ā 4
- Days on the Road:Ā 18 out of 30
June Travel Highlights & Lowlights
The best travel experience I had in June was⦠an amazing tequila body scrub at the Westin Kierland in Scottsdale. I have had massages before, but never a body scrub. This one had salt and agave in it, and I felt like a happy little margarita afterward. š¹
The worst travel experience I had in June was⦠altitude sickness in Tahoe. I have never experienced altitude sickness before, but Iām 99% sure thatās what gave me insomnia and made me very woozy during my trip. It was just such a bummer because I was staying at the amazing Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe and I felt so sick and sleepy at times!
Blogging in June
June was an all-time high traffic month! Iāve got a crazy goal to break 100k unique visitors by the end of the year, so Iām excited to continue moving in that direction.
- Pageviews: 83,873 (ā5% from May 2019, ā228% from June 2018 šš»)
- Unique Visitors: 71,822
- Traffic Breakdown by Sessions*:
- Organic: 49,134 (73%)
- Direct: 10,209 (15%)
- Social: 7,196 (11%)
- Referral: 467 (<1%)
- Email: 13 (<0.1%)
*These numbers will not add up to pageviews, but is a more accurate representation of how I acquired traffic.
Posts I Published in June
It was a busy blogging month! Hereās what I published, in case you missed it:
- Hawaii:Ā 3 Days on Hawaiiās Big Island: Volcanoes, Lava & Stars, Oh My!Ā andĀ 10 Essentials You Need to Pack for Hawaii
- Alabama:Ā 3 Days in Huntsville: A Weekend Itinerary in Rocket City, USA š
- Maine:Ā How to Make the Most of 1 Day in Acadia National ParkĀ andĀ 3 Days in Bar Harbor: Gateway to Acadia National Park
Freelance Writing in June
It was a quiet month for freelancing, but I did discover that one story I wroteĀ agesĀ ago was published (in May). ReadĀ How to Master Your Motion Sickness While TravelingĀ inĀ Fodors.
June Blogging Highlights & Lowlights
The highlight of blogging in June was⦠all time traffic high! Iāve reached over 70,000 readers in the last month, and Iām thankful for every one of you!
The lowlight of blogging in June was⦠motivation struggles. Iāve been struggling to find the motivation to write lately. Thatās a big difficulty when youāre a blogger/writer, eh? Even with two accountability groups to help me get motivated, Iām still struggling. Hopefully my motivation will wander back soon!
Business in June
As you look at this monthās income report, youāll notice itās noticeably down compared toĀ May. However, thatās because one of my main affiliate partnerships cut their commission in half. Despite that, my conversion rate was among the highest Iāve ever had for them⦠so itās a win in the end, because readers are trusting my suggestions and (hopefully) satisfied. Okay, hereās the money stuffā¦
June Income Report
- Advertising income: $1,998 (ā2% from May)
- Affiliate income: $2,098 (ā24% from May)
- Product income: $249 (ā24% from May)
- Other income: $0
Total income for June 2019: $4,346 (ā14% from May)
Months Iāve been blogging: 69*
*Iām adding this number going forward so you can see how long it has taken to earn this much. āOvernight successā usually requires years of hard work ā this blog is no exception.
Business Highlights & Lowlights
The business highlight for June was⦠keeping my total RPM (rate per thousand readers) above $50.00. Itās hard to tell from these numbers, but Iāve started tracking that metric ā and Iām happy that despite having a down month, I was able to keep that metric up!
The business lowlight for June was⦠that commission cut. Ouch: losing half your income from a single source hurts!
Upcoming in July
July is delightfully not busy, relative to the past few months! In addition to writing a ton, Iāve got two trips coming up:
- Houston for the Apollo 11 50th Anniversary
- Nebraska for a trip that includes the Nebraska Star Party
This is only about half as much travel as the past few months have been, so Iām feeling quite lucky to have so much time at home. (Travel blogger/writer secret: home is my favorite destination!)
How was the first half of 2019 for you? Do you have any big trips coming up?
Until next month! āļøā¤ļøāļø

