LIFE UPDATE 2024 (what's next)
Summary
TLDRThe video script details a couple's reflection on their eighth year of full-time travel, sharing their life update video tradition. They recount the challenges and triumphs of the past year, including traveling to 25 countries, taking 78 flights, and sleeping in 159 different beds. The couple also discusses their video and travel statistics, revealing their most and least viewed videos and the emotional journey behind them. They candidly share their struggles with burnout and the importance of taking a break, announcing their decision to take a significant break in early 2024. With gratitude for their experiences and acknowledging the privilege of their lifestyle, they set a goal to publish an average of three videos per month, aiming for a more sustainable pace while maintaining their commitment to quality content creation.
Takeaways
- π They have completed their eighth year of full-time travel and have made a tradition of sharing a life update video at the beginning of each year.
- π In 2021, they were in a hotel room contemplating their future during the pandemic, which led to the creation of their life update video series.
- π In 2023, they took 78 flights, flew with 32 different airlines, and traveled around the world five times (122,000 miles), visiting 25 different countries.
- ποΈ They slept in 159 different beds, averaging 2.3 nights per bed, including a 36-night road trip in a van across the US.
- πΉ They published 47 new videos on their main channel and started a new channel called Daily Drop, where they published 8 videos focusing on travel hacking and credit card rewards.
- β±οΈ The average duration of their videos in 2023 was 32 minutes and 25 seconds, reflecting their commitment to telling engaging stories.
- π Their most viewed video of the year was 'Earth RoR' with 3.8 million views, while their least viewed video was 'Living with Monks in Japan'.
- π They each chose their own superlatives for the year, such as the scariest video to film and the video they had the most fun filming, which was in Australia.
- π€ They reflected on their goals for 2023, including reaching a million readers with their travel newsletter, which they achieved with 111,234 readers.
- π They did not achieve their goal of posting 365 daily videos, publishing only 32, which led to a negative response from some viewers who preferred their long-form content.
- π― For 2024, they plan to take a significant break in January and February, posting only two videos each month and setting a goal of averaging three videos per month for the year to create a more sustainable schedule.
- π They expressed gratitude for their audience and the privilege of their travel-focused work, acknowledging the importance of sharing both the highs and lows of their journey.
Q & A
What is the tradition that the couple in the script has started with their New Year videos?
-The couple has started a tradition of making a life update video as their first video of the New Year, where they reflect on the past year, share their plans for the upcoming year, and discuss behind-the-scenes stories and feelings.
How did the couple feel about their 2023 Life Update video when they watched it?
-They found it fun to compare their initial plans for the year with how it actually unfolded, noting that in many ways, the year looked very different from their expectations.
What was the total number of flights the couple took in the past year?
-The couple took 78 flights in the past year.
How many different countries did they visit?
-They visited 25 different countries.
What was the most viewed video on their channel for the year?
-The most viewed video of the year was 'Earth RoR' with 3.8 million views.
What was the least viewed video on their channel for the year?
-The least viewed video was 'Living with Monks in Japan'.
How many videos did they publish on their main channel and their new channel combined in a year?
-They published 47 new videos on their main channel and 8 on their new channel, making a total of 55 videos for the year.
What was the average duration of their videos for the year?
-The average duration of their videos was 32 minutes and 25 seconds.
What was the couple's goal for posting videos in 2024?
-Their goal for 2024 was to post an average of three videos per month, totaling 36 videos for the year, in order to create a more sustainable schedule.
What significant break did the couple plan to take in the early part of 2024?
-The couple planned to take the biggest break since starting their YouTube channel, with no filming or traveling for the first 6 weeks of the year.
What was one of the couple's most memorable experiences of the year?
-One of their most memorable experiences was attending an Adele concert, which brought a moment of pure joy.
What was the couple's attitude towards their burnout experience during the year?
-They acknowledged the burnout and considered it a necessary part of their journey. They filmed a video about it but decided not to post it when they recovered, as it no longer felt relevant to their current state of mind.
Outlines
π₯ New Year's Tradition and Life Update
The video script begins with the creators reflecting on their eighth year of full-time travel, a tradition they've established to share their plans and reflections at the start of each New Year. They recount their experiences from the previous year, including the challenges of navigating post-pandemic life and their decision-making process in a hotel room. The creators also mention their intention to share behind-the-scenes stories and personal feelings that didn't make it into their previous videos, likening the process to a therapeutic session shared with their audience. They humorously discuss watching their 2023 Life Update video and compare their planned activities with how the year actually unfolded. Additionally, they touch upon the prevalence of illness during the holiday season and the joy of planning for the next year.
π Travel and Video Statistics for 2023
The paragraph delves into the creators' impressive travel stats from the previous year, including the number of flights taken, airlines used, and miles traveledβequivalent to circling the globe five times. They visited 25 countries and stayed in a staggering 159 different beds. The video stats reveal that they published 47 new videos on their main channel and eight on their new channel, 'Daily Drop,' which focuses on travel hacking and credit card rewards. They also share the average duration of their videos, the most, and least viewed videos, and provide some insights into their content creation process and the sustainability of their posting schedule.
π Superlatives and Memorable Moments
The creators share their personal superlatives for the year, including the scariest video to film, which was a close call between biking across the US and a dangerous motorcycle journey. They also discuss the most fun video to create, which involved a trip through the Australian Outback. Other highlights include a memorable concert experience and the challenges of Arctic surfing. They express gratitude for their sponsor, AG1, which they have incorporated into their daily routine and even gifted to friends and family. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the importance of capturing both joyful and challenging moments in their travels.
π Achievements, Goals, and the Reality of 2023
This section reviews the goals set in the previous year's Life Update video, discussing the success of their travel newsletter, 'Daily Drop,' which has grown significantly. However, they admit to falling short on their goal of publishing 365 daily videos, managing only 32 due to the negative response from their audience. They also reflect on their third goal of maintaining a consistent video posting schedule, which they found unsustainable. The paragraph addresses the emotional toll of the year, including a candid discussion about burnout and the decision not to publish a video they made about it. They express gratitude for their good relationship and the privilege of their lifestyle, despite the challenges they faced.
π Planning for a Balanced 2024
The creators unveil their plans for 2024, which include taking a significant break in the first two months of the year, during which they will not be filming or traveling. They express a mix of excitement and guilt about this break, acknowledging the importance of consistency with their audience but also recognizing the need for a more sustainable pace. For the year, they set a goal of posting an average of three videos per month, totaling 36 for the year, which they see as a significant shift from their previous posting frequency. The paragraph concludes with a discussion about their gratitude for the opportunity to travel and create content, and their commitment to sharing their experiences, both the exciting and the challenging, with their audience.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Full-time travel
π‘Life update video
π‘Travel stats
π‘Video production
π‘Sustainability
π‘Burnout
π‘Daily Drop
π‘Content calendar
π‘Viewer engagement
π‘Goal setting
π‘Privilege
Highlights
The couple has completed their eighth year of full-time travel, making a life update video a New Year tradition.
In 2021, they spent a week in a hotel room contemplating their life post-pandemic, which inspired the creation of their annual life update video.
They share their plans for the year, reflecting on the past, and behind-the-scenes stories in a format akin to a therapy session.
In 2023, they took 78 flights, flew 32 different airlines, and traveled around the world five times in terms of mileage.
They visited 25 different countries and switched beds 159 times, averaging 2.3 nights per bed.
They published 47 new videos on their main channel and started a new channel focusing on travel hacking and credit card rewards.
The average duration of their videos in 2023 was 32 minutes and 25 seconds, reflecting their commitment to storytelling.
Their most viewed video of the year was 'Earth RoR' with 3.8 million views.
The least viewed video was 'Living with Monks in Japan', which also had the most comments, indicating a dedicated audience.
They identified 'The Bike Monkey Run' as the scariest video to film due to its dangerous nature and high risk of accidents.
AG1, a nutritional supplement brand, is highlighted as a product they love and use daily, even gifting it to friends and family.
Their most fun video to film was in Australia, where they enjoyed a week-long road trip through the Outback.
A memorable moment was attending an Adele concert, which brought immense joy and laughter.
They experienced a significant burnout mid-year, leading to a period of reflection and a decision to prioritize sustainability in their work.
They set a goal to post an average of three videos per month in 2024, aiming for a total of 36 videos, to create a more sustainable work pace.
Despite the challenges, they express gratitude for their lifestyle and the privilege of being able to take extended breaks.
They plan to take the largest break since starting their YouTube channel, with no filming or traveling for the first six weeks of the year.
Their 2024 calendar is filled with various travel experiences, including a personal physical challenge and a focus on creating content that positively impacts the lives of those they meet.
Transcripts
all right how's this work do not point
at people wait is it going to come out
this
end I knew you had it upside down wow
that makes life
M what a
disaster it would not worth having to
clean this
up we just completed our eighth year of
full-time travel and it's kind of become
a tradition to make this our first video
of the New Year back at the end of 2021
we were sitting in a hotel room for a
week trying to figure out what we were
going to do with our life as the world
was coming out of a pandemic and that is
where this life update video was born we
put a bunch of stuff on the calendar
guess what we were going to do that year
and then we shared it with you we also
like to reflect on the past year and
tell some behind the-scenes stories that
didn't quite make the video and share
some true feelings that we have that we
couldn't really tell at the time and
it's really just the only time we can
just sit down
and not think about the algorithm and
not think about retention and just it's
kind of like a therapy session that we
share with the internet honestly last
night we sat down and watched 2023 Life
Update video and it was really fun to
see what we thought we were going to do
and how the year ended up because in a
lot of ways it looked very different
also did anyone make it through the
holidays without getting a cold
literally everyone we know is sick or
has been sick the flu Co I should have
cold congratulations if you're still
healthy my favorite part of these little
end of year Retreats that we take is
getting the dream about the next year
and put it on a calendar I spent a lot
of time planning car spent a lot of time
drawing but we will get to this after we
look back on 2023 we're calling this
section of the video 2023 wrapped my
Spotify wraps but it's Ken Nate wrapped
we're going to give some stats
superlatives for the year then we'll
look at 2024 we're going to start with
travel stats last year we took 78
flights waa we flew 32 different
airlines which is way more than I would
have expected and we flew
122,000
mil how many miles is it around the
world
24,000 mil so we basically flew around
the world five times we visited 25
different countries and probably the
craziest stat of all and the most tiring
stat of all is this mine yes I started a
notepad on my phone where I kept count
of every time we switched B
that could have been a train a van
another hotel a boat we slept in
159 different beds bringing our average
to spending 2.3 nights per bed and
what's crazy about that is we spent 36
nights straight in the vaning across the
us our cross country trip I counted as
one bed even though technically the bed
moved every night honestly that stat
makes me me feel better about how tired
I was this year we'll get to that later
but I'm tired now we're going to jump
into video stats this year we published
47 new videos on the Caren Nate Channel
respectable if I do say so myself and
started a new channel where we published
eight videos that's pretty good so for
those of you who missed it we started a
channel for our travel hacking
newsletter called daily drop on that
channel we talk a lot about credit cards
and how you can earn rewards to travel
for cheap but we've also posted some
travel reviews and flight review videos
over there we're a lot more um
opinionated over on that channel some
would say minity k like an eight yeah
there were no slippers us get spp
anything there was no chapstick six wow
ruthless over here so in total for the
year we posted 55 videos if you count
the daily drops which we're going to I'm
so proud of that this does not count the
daily drop videos this is just for the K
and Nate Channel but the average
duration of our videos was 32 minutes
and 25
seconds have I mentioned that I'm
tired and the crazy thing is we did not
go into the year with the intention of
doing that never we never set out to
film a video and go all right let's aim
for 40 minutes this time like we really
truly just like love to tell fun
engaging stories and we just have this
feeling when we feel like a story is
complete and that's when we stop filming
and for some reason that feeling just
comes a lot later than it used to after
doing it for8 years there's like this
internal clock where it's like okay I
think we have a video now and sometimes
those videos are 20 minutes and
sometimes they're an hour thankfully we
have two amazing editors that help us
get these long videos done but it's just
becoming more or I guess less and less
sustainable to post every week like we
have been for four years are you feeling
hints of a little bit more of the
therapy session that's coming 32 and a
half minutes okay our most viewed video
of the year was Earth RoR at 3.8 million
views basically we're BFS with Earth RoR
now should we do like runner up yeah I
don't know no
wait no it was the first video that we
filmed this year Emirates first class y
Emirates first was nuts I showered on a
plane all right least view video of the
year I think I know and it makes me
really sad no it was living with monks
in Japan really that was our least view
video of the year the one k thought it
was and that only Beat It by 2,000 views
was the video I filmed with my
grandfather that video is basically our
least viewed video on our Channel this
year oh my goodness but has the most
comments of any video so the people that
did watch it really enjoyed it t their
hearts for sure it was a special video
that was one that I think I would have
regretted not making this is my favorite
part of looking back on last year this
is our superlatives we each know the
five categories going into it but we
don't share the answers with each other
until now can I go ahead and confess
something to you sure I don't think I
chose one answer for any of them all
right number one scariest video of the
year to film The Bike monkey run wa I
have the monkey run as my runner up I
think biking across the US is the most
dangerous thing that we've done in all8
years of travel statistically the
chances of us getting hit by a car were
high that that's what I said as we were
crossing the Finish Line we didn't die
we didn't get hit by a car and that's
genuinely how I felt like so much relief
each day I had such a positive attitude
that like oh like this day is like this
part of the trail is pretty bad but like
it'll get better from here and I think
that's why I don't look back and only
think of fear sorry to interrupt but I
have to thank our first sponsor of the
Year ag1 chances are you've heard Nate
and I talk about ag1 a million times
because it's actually a product that we
love both on and off camera and it's a
daily routine that we've stuck with for
over 3 years now we don't have many
routines in our chaotic life but this is
a big one I kid you not we love it so
much that for Christmas this year Nate
and I handed out ag1 travel packs as
party favors to our friends and family
they all loved it and I'm about to tell
you why the new year is a perfect time
to commit to healthy habits and ag1
could not make it any more simple just
one serving of ag1 is packed with so
many essential vitamins and minerals
many of which we definitely aren't
getting from our diets alone especially
with our hectic life when we're I don't
know living with a remote Drive in
Indonesia or riding a motorbike across
Peru ag1 has her back in case it isn't
obvious we heavily rely on ag1 to fill
the nutritional gaps in our diet and the
super high quality ingredients they use
help support our immunity our gut health
our focus and energy levels and even
stress and as an added bonus we think it
tastes great much less green and grassy
than it looks and actually more on the
sweet side but don't just take it from
me try H1 for yourself if you use our
link below not only will you get the jar
and Shaker but they'll also include a
free bottle of these immune supporting
vitamin D3 K2 drops which we also take
every day and this bottle lasts up to a
year and you'll get five of these travel
packs for free I do agree that the
monkey run might have actually been more
dangerous the monkey run was dangerous
in a whole different way I've never
driven a two- wheeled motor vehicle
before in my life and we're all on our
own there's no one around for Miles not
to mention it's freezing I'm carrying
everything I own on my back while
driving the motorcycle motorcycles are
basically meant to break down Nate is
like ill the entire time ill the monkey
run is one of the first things that
we've done that when we got there the
first day and we were learning how to
ride the bikes I was like I think I went
too far like honestly the moment that
sticks out the most where I was the most
scared was when we were on the side of a
cliff thousand foot drop on one end we
had to get up and over over to get to
the next town and Nate's clutch broke he
has to run to start it and he's like
once I get going I can't stop and I
can't wait for you so he gets it started
which was a miracle and I was happy that
he was able to go but that left me on
the side of a cliff that was one of the
very few times that something got so
intense that we didn't even pull the
camera out the video this year that we
had the most fun filming 1 2 3 Australia
that was my second one the road trip
that we took through the Outback in
Australia was just an absolute
absolutely amazing week we just went and
had a ton of fun and the camera just
came along for the ride and that is The
Sweet Spot it was like a little
dangerous but so fun I think the hardest
I laughed all year was with kinging it
when we I forgot about that did Arctic
van life we were in the north of Norway
living in their van all four of us and
we decided we were going to go surfing
Arctic surfing sounds like a great idea
does it no we're just trying to get down
to the beach but the ground is frozen
I'm holding my surf the wind was blowing
so hard and the surfboard was basically
a cell and A's treding to come get me
that was a lot of fun until it wasn't
fun
anymore I'm so gold and it's so windy
and I can't feel my face one more okay
our back to Van life video positioning
ourselves for the bike trip we got in
the van we had a super friend road trip
out west and I got to go to the Dell
concert one of our family members during
the holidays was asking about moments of
pure joy during 2023 and I think Cara at
the Adele concert is the most joyous
that I've seen her in I don't know how
long the most underrated video of 2023
this is the video that if you haven't
seen yet you should go back and watch it
all right I have three well you have to
pick one okay 3 2 1 laka mental why got
better views is why it's not my number
one well yeah that was one of the videos
that we were super excited about we put
probably more effort into that video
than we did any other video all year and
then I think we spent more time on the
edit than we've ever spent on a video
and then it was our worst performing
video at the time and then late T COA we
just kind of show up for these
experiences and let them organically
happen then that's the video that you
see I was super skeptical of how
touristy this was going to be and then
we get to go spend time with this family
and they're amazing and then I get to
like go out on the boat and fish with
this guy and he starts telling me about
how much tourism positively impacts his
life and then I end up a chang person at
the end of the video couldn't have
written it better I know that's what I'm
saying it was like a movie all right
honorable mentions we're doing rapid
fire now the bike trip finale I'm a
little offended and the finale was it
the best every time I shake my
head next most underrated the cat hotel
in Japan if you want to laugh say your
laugh all year the end of that video
Cara I left for 2 seconds video that
you're most proud
of we got one the intro to that video is
the first minute there's no talking and
it's one of my favorite edits that we've
ever
[Music]
done most Pinch Me moment of the year we
climbed up Christ the Redeemer yes in to
his shoulder and we popped out the top I
heard somewhere that if you blink you're
more likely to be able to recount an
experience and I remember sitting up
there being
like we are so close to pulling out the
2024 calendar but before we do that in
last year's Life Update video we set
three goals and I thought it would be
fun to go back and look and see how we
did we didn't do very well one of the
three goals that we set last year was to
get to a million readers and make this
the best travel newsletter on the
internet done and right now we are at
1,1
12,348 it's just created a life of its
own and it's I can't even think back to
before daily drop we now have nine
full-time people on the team and five
contractors it's just growing in the
best way possible this is the one goal
that we hit and we pretty much had
nothing to do with it I would love to be
more involved with it but our first
priority is this channel so this is
where we spend the majority of our time
but it's probably a good thing because
Mike our head riter over there is 10
times the miles and points expert that I
am also if you're not a reader we will
leave a link down below where you can
sign up maybe 2024 could be the year
that you learn to use miles and points
to travel for Less the second goal that
we set for oursel in 2023
365 daily videos no I don't know if I
can commit to 365 I don't even think we
made it the first 30 days of the year it
felt like we were working harder than we
had ever worked before Cara's managing
way more footage she's doing way more
editing cuz we're trying to do that on
top of the long form videos but like we
were going to do it like we were excited
about it we were in Hustle mode and uh
then it felt like everybody hated them
their response was very negative I
actually don't think that most people
hated them but there was a loud minority
that really did not like the shorts
right I think a lot of it had to do with
the way that we didn't
communicate our goals we always take off
time around the holidays and don't post
videos for a few weeks so that was
happening we weren't posting long form
videos and all of a sudden we were
posting a short every day starting
January 1st so I think a lot of people
who follow us thought we were just going
to be a shorts Channel all of a sudden
without telling anyone and think that
nobody would notice so people made it
their goal to make us know that that is
not what they want us to do but our goal
was to start posting long form videos
again like we always do in addition to
the shorts our goal was to post 365
shorts we posted at 32 we're not shorts
people so our third goal for 2023 was to
post 52 videos every year at the
beginning of the year we've looked at
each other and we've said do we have
another year of this crazy life in us
and every year up until now our answer
has been a resounding we got this let's
go and that is exactly how we started
out 2023 we posted 47 videos so we were
five videos short and that was mostly my
fault that feels a bit harsh but it's
true we collectively not just Cara in
the middle of this year for the first
time felt like we didn't have it in us
anymore I've been calling it my mental