Hey there! I’m so happy you’re here. Today is a significant moment in the history of this blog, but it wouldn’t mean a thing if I had no one to share it with.
Something rather important about this blog has changed. After more than two years of blogging as The Mochilera Diaries, it was time to say goodbye. I assure you, though, this is happy news. Change is positive; change denotes growth.
I’ve grown and evolved so much as a person since the founding of this blog, and it was time for the blog to evolve with me.
Now, allow me to be the first to officially welcome you to the new and improved site, TheSweetestWay.com. I’m also here today to offer you some explanation as to what brought about this change, as well as what you can expect from me in terms of content from here on out.
Goodbye, Leah La Mochilera!
Blogging for the last two years as Leah La Mochilera has been incredible, and I’ll always look back on those times fondly. But The Mochilera Diaries started to feel like it was holding me back in a way; after all, mochilera means “backpacker” in Spanish.
I can’t remember the last time I wrote a blog post about backpacking. I don’t really consider my style of travel backpacking anymore. I don’t even travel with a backpack! It just. didn’t. fit.
Not only that, but it was no longer an accurate representation of my content or my goals for this site (I’ll go into a little more detail below on what exactly those goals are). It didn’t give people a good idea of what I was about at first glance. It wasn’t able to grow with me, the girl who no longer backpacks, writes about backpacking, or even owns a backpack.
Lastly, since we’re all friends here, I’ll level with you–I know The Mochilera Diaries wasn’t an easy name to remember. Or say. Or spell. Hell, some of you probably didn’t know what it meant until reading this post RIGHT NOW!
Where The Mochilera Diaries originated–while backpacking in Peru
For all of these reasons and probably others I’m forgetting, it was time to say goodbye.
What is The Sweetest Way all about?
The Sweetest Way more accurately represents the underlying goals of my site; goals that have been there since the very beginning, but weren’t very clear to my audience, probably because I went around calling myself a backpacker for so long.
If I’m really, truly honest with you, this blog has always been about finding the best way to live my life, the way that makes me the happiest and makes me feel the most at peace. A large part of that was reaching the understanding that location independence is my ideal lifestyle, but this idea of finding peace and happiness is certainly not limited to travel.
The simple act of writing has allowed for perpetual introspection and reflection that has enabled me to grow and mature much faster than I would have without it. It has helped me to know myself and to understand my needs and my dreams for the future, and it has bestowed upon me well-defined means to achieve them.
What I never paid enough attention to in the past, however, were the needs and goals of my readers, the very people that have been kind and brave enough to encourage me to follow my heart in the first place. These days, I get emails almost daily from people asking for advice; they want location independence, or they simply want a lifestyle that allows them the freedom that I’ve found.
One day, something finally clicked, and I came to a profound realization–I’ve attracted a tribe of dreamers. Dreamers, just like me. The people who understand that there’s something better out there for them, a different way of life that can help them find happiness and peace.
Now more than ever I want to help these dreamers find their sweetest way of living, whatever that means to them.
The Sweetest Way, for me, means location independence through a combination of freelancing, self-employment, and passive income. This is what gives me the most fulfillment both personally and professionally; it offers me freedom and flexibility, and the opportunity to flex my creative muscles on a daily basis.
For someone else, The Sweetest Way might mean starting a side hustle to earn more money so they can travel more in their free time.
The Sweetest Way might mean taking your current skills and doing the same work remotely so you can experience another culture or travel the world at your own pace.
It might mean creating passive income streams to allow you to spend more time traveling, or simply being with the people you love.
The Sweetest Way, at its core, is about building a lifestyle that allows you to enjoy life to the fullest. It’s about crafting the perfect balance of work and travel so that neither one restricts or impedes the other; it’s about flexibility and living on your terms.
Whatever The Sweetest Way means to you, I want to help you create it. This site is no longer just about me and my journey to a fulfilling life of travel and freedom, it’s about helping others discover and build theirs, too.
So, What’s Going to Change?
I know from experience that even just a little bit of guidance can go a really long way, so one of my primary goals now is to create content that’s useful and relevant to those looking to follow a path similar to mine.
You may have noticed that I’ve already begun shifting my focus a little bit to include more practical information on living a location independent lifestyle, freelancing, and remote work. I want to help others achieve their dream lifestyle by offering up the best advice and most valuable lessons I’ve learned (and am still learning!) throughout this process and by drawing inspiration from the experiences of others.
Apart from that, not much is going to change. I’ll continue to tell my travel stories and occasionally muse on topics altogether unrelated to travel (like how I realized I’m an introvert).
I’ll still give you all of my best travel tips, rave about the destinations I love or share what I’ve learned from the places that didn’t click. I’ll share the products and services I’ve used and loved in the hopes of making your life even one iota easier. Sometimes, if I’m at a loss for words, I’ll let my photography do the talking for me.
I don’t consider my future content to be much different from past content, it’s just more goal-oriented and focused.
Needless to say, I’m beyond excited to see where things go from here, and I hope you are too.
And remember, you won’t find @leahlamochilera on social media anymore, my profiles have all been updated. You’ll find me at @thesweetestway on Instagram and @sweetestway on Twitter and Pinterest.
Or –> Follow my blog with Bloglovin!
Still want to know more? Check out my updated About page.
What do you think of the new name? The revised content plan? I’d love to hear your thoughts…and thank you for being here!
