A Brummie Home and Abroad’s Most Popular Blog Posts of 2024
Happy festive season to all followers of A Brummie Home and Abroad! It’s that time again when I look back on my most popular blog posts of 2024. These are the posts that made you think, made you laugh or inspired you to travel or see a show!
Google updates and the growing popularity of AI have hit the blogging world quite badly in 2024. Blogger friends that use blogging as a source of income have found themselves in dire straits. Yet A Brummie Home and Abroad has had its best year EVER by a long way. (Until November, when the latest Google update was released 😭)
In 2023, 19,000 people visited A Brummie Home and Abroad and viewed 24,000 blog posts. In 2024, I reached 30,000 views by APRIL. By the start of December, 176,000 A Brummie Home and Abroad blog posts were viewed in 2024. That seems absolutely mental to me!. There were 139,500 visitors. 134,000 views came through Google, which means that I was ranking highly, on the first page, for some search terms.
I’m not sure what happened on 13th October, but 1,200 blog posts were viewed in 1 day. And apparently my blogs are most popular at 8pm on a Sunday evening. Is this when you’re all planning your travel?
Thanks to a few affiliate links sprinkled here and there I also get a little monthly payment from sites like Booking.com and Get Your Guide. This happens when you, my lovely readers, click on one of my links to make a booking. It’s not enough to retire on, but it’s a little bonus that goes into my pot for future travels ❤️
Social media tends to be a little hit and miss when it comes to driving traffic to A Brummie Home and Abroad. If you’re not finding me through Google most are finding me through Facebook or Pinterest. “Twitter” has become a very dark place in 2024; you’re much more likely to find me hanging around Threads or Bluesky in 2025.
Want to see my most popular posts of 2023? Read more here!
5 most-read A Brummie Home And Abroad posts in 2024
All five of my most popular blog posts of 2024 came from our 2023 travels – A Brummie Home and Abroad readers are clearly very interested in Norwegian Fjords cruises and holidays to Puglia!
No 5: Haugesund Highlights: Our Final Cruise Stop
Before our 2023 Norwegian Fjords Cruise Haugesund was the port I could find the least information about. And maybe that’s because – well, there’s just not that much to do there. I guess other people have found the same, trying to find out how to fill a one day cruise stop in Haugesund. The main discussion on this blog post is whether it’s worth paying out for the Hop On Hop Off Bus. My opinion? Read the post to find out!
No 4: Ålesund, Norway: What to see when you’re ashore!
Ålesund was the first stop in Norway on our 2023 fjords cruise, where colourful Art Nouveau buildings spill down to the port. We took the little blue and white tourist train to the summit of Mount Aksla for spectacular views over the city, and caught an earworm which still plagues me to this day
No 3: An Epic 7 Days in Puglia
Puglia quickly became one of my favourite regions in Italy after our 2023 week long trip, and I’d love to return to the area to relax and enjoy the Valle D’Itria or the beautiful coast a little more. And judging by the number of views in 2024, the region is becoming less of a hidden gem and more of a must-visit destination.
No 2: A perfect 24 hours in Bari
Following on from the week-long Puglia itinerary, our itinerary started and ended in Bari. Travel and transport woes aside we were captivated by this charming foodie city with its atmospheric Old Town and glorious promenade. Largo Albicocca was our favourite place, to buy a bottle of beer and a slice of pizza and socialise like the Bari locals do.
No 1: The Perfect Packing List for a Norwegian Fjords Cruise
This year, over 25,000 of you viewed my post about packing for your first Norwegian Fjords Cruise. Unsurprisingly this was one of the things I constantly searched for info on before our trip. Finding myself top of the Google search for a while – yes, even with the crazy Google updates – made me assume many of you are asking the same question. The key points in this blog? Comfy shoes. Layers. And stretchy waistbands.
5 most-read NEW Brummie Home And Abroad posts of 2024
These are 5 brand new posts from 2024 that have captured your attention! It comes as no surprise that all five are cruise-related🛳. And just maybe they might make my 2025 most-read list next year.
No 5: Exploring Cinque Terre in one day from La Spezia
The five towns of Cinque Terre are some of the most picturesque spots in Italy. But with only one day in the region we decided to carefully choose which towns to visit (spoiler alert: we decided on Riomaggiore, Manarola and Vernazza) and how to get there from the port of La Spezia to maximise our time. I.e. make more time for Aperol Spritz and gelato. You definitely need more than one day to really explore the area though, and these older posts of mine document our first three day visit in more detail.
No 4: P&O Arvia: Our 14 day Mediterranean Cruise Itinerary
This overview post of our two week itinerary talks about why we cruised in 2024 (after saying we’d take a break after 2023) and how we went about settling on this one in particular. I also write about the arrival and disembarkation processes on P&O Arvia, a brief destination guide, and how we spent our seven sea days. Also, would we cruise with P&O again – the Butlins of cruise lines?
La Coruña was the first stop on our cruise, and unlike some of the other destinations we didn’t really know what to expect from the city. But one day was enough to stroll the pretty promenade and see the highlights, including Torre de Hércules, the world’s oldest functioning lighthouse.
No 2: Drinking & Dining Onboard P&O Arvia
Of course, eating and drinking are two of my favourite things. And the options on P&O Arvia deserved a blog post all of their own. After all, there’s over 30 places to eat and drink onboard! As well as detailing both the included and speciality dining options, I’ve written about the virtual queues – and its pitfalls – and my thoughts on the buffet. We didn’t have a drinks package this time round, so I totted up what we spent, and whether “pay-as-you-drink” was the right option for us.
And sitting at the top spot of 2024 blogs is my full review of P&O Arvia. Naturally, I found myself comparing it to our experience on the Celebrity Silhouette, and in some areas it did find itself lacking. But did I overcome my snobbishness and embrace the family-oriented experience? And how did I find being on much bigger ship? I’ve even popped in some useful tips on how not to get lost. And what about the pre-boarding experience? The scramble to book shows and speciality dining beforehand was akin to the Oasis reunion palaver. I also talk about our inside cabin, and how it wasn’t the most peaceful option.
5 most-read theatre reviews in 2024
I’ve been fortunate to review shows for the Birmingham Rep and the Alexandra once more throughout 2024. These were my most-read theatre reviews in 2024!
- No 5: Ghost Stories (2020 Production)
- No 4: Lord of the Dance (2024 Production)
- No 3: The Sound of Music (2024 Stage Experience)
- No 2: Becoming Nancy (2024 Production)
- No 1: Heathers the Musical (2021 Production)
Thank you to everyone that has read, liked, commented or shared my blog posts in 2024 – I hope you’ve found one of your favourites among my most popular blog posts of 2024! I’d like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and I look forward to sharing even more with you in 2025.
Emmalene xx
